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The Armor of God In the
Beginning Therefore put on the complete armour of God, so that you may be able to stand your ground on the day of battle, and, having fought to the end, to remain victors on the field.—Ephesians 6:13, Weymouth All around us warfare is being waged —between nations, ethnic groups, ..against disease, poverty and starvation, against drugs and many other foes. Similarly, each consecrated follower of Jesus is engaged in a spiritual warfare against three powerful foes: the world, the flesh, and the devil. “For we are not contending against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12, RSV). A disciple must fight the good fight of faith against these three foes and be victorious to lay hold on the goal of eternal life (1 Timothy 6:12). This warfare is not one battle but a lifelong series of conflicts, beginning at consecration and continuing until the Christian finishes his earthly sacrifice in death. To help the followers of Jesus resist the attacks of the world, the flesh, and the devil, God provides all Christians with the specially-designed armor of light based on the truth and sufficiently strong to protect them spiritually (Romans 13:12). This issue of The Herald focuses on each element of that armor. We begin with Putting on the Breastplate, which describes how our faith in the sacrifice of Jesus and putting on the character of Christ protects us against the Adversary. Feet Shod explains how peace should be manifest in our attitude and path of life. Our use of the truth as both an offensive and defensive weapon is discussed in Taking the Sword. Keeping the Faith describes how our faith protects us in this warfare. Buckling the Belt counsels us to surround ourselves with a standard of believing only what is true and dealing truthfully with others. Taking the Helmet explains how crucial it is to put on and keep on the helmet of salvation to protect us against Satan’s deceptions. We end with Faithful Servants, a verse-by-verse study of 1Timothy 6 where Paul provided admonition, counsel, exhortation, and encouragement to the Christian soldier. |