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Functionality of the gospel armor
Why did Paul assign spiritual attributes to physical objects? We will look at the purpose of the physical to get a better understanding of the spiritual, and by spiritual I mean to mental components.
· Truth as a belt – The belt was merely esoteric and not necessary for engaging the enemy. You put on armor to fight. The point of describing these traits as armaments is to prepare you for opposition. It will be hard to explain God’s word to someone who thinks they understand it already. It doesn’t matter. God did not curse Paul when he was persecuting Christians. God is in control.
· Breastplate of righteousness – The breastplate protects vital organs. There is power in clean hands. Doing good deeds and avoiding bad deeds will protect you. But satan has to discredit you because his logic is weak. We were all children and everybody’s done something. The thing about a breastplate we need to realize is that it was issued and not made. Our righteousness is like filthy rags and our salvation comes from Jesus.
· Shoes as preparation of the gospel of peace – Everywhere we go have peaceful intentions when you are trying to explain God’s word to people who lift one verse out of context and ignore the rest of scripture. Read Titus 1:6 – 9.
· Shield of faith – Faith is belief. If you believe the bible is God’s word then the words in scripture should matter more than anything anyone else says. Anything that is said about God should line up with scripture. When you have reached a higher understanding your understanding will be like a shield protecting you from falsehoods. But we should know that a sheild is useless if it is on the ground when the arrow is fired.
· Helmet of salvation – The roman helmet covered the entire head. The main idea that should be in our minds is that salvation is not based on success. When Jesus was on the cross He did not say this is all I can do but it is finished. Salvation has already been accomplished. It is not Jesus plus anything else but Jesus only.
· Sword of the spirit – This is the only weapon that is purely offensive. When Jesus was tempted in the wilderness by satan all he used was the written word of God. Satan hates the word of God. It exposes him and reveals God. The same thing Jesus used to defeat satan can be used by anyone who reads
Summary
Knowledge of the word of God is your belt, shield, helmet, and sword. Besides being the only offensive weapon it will protect you from satans lies and accusations.