DEFENSE AGAINST DEFEAT
Part II
The Apostle Paul tells us to: "Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil." (Ephesians 6:11)
And in John 14:20 it says: "At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you."
The first three pieces of this armor, "girding your loins with the girdle of truth, putting on the breastplate of righteousness, and having your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace," are a figurative way of explaining or expounding the phrase, "you in me," that is the Christian in Christ.
The first three pieces of armor describe what it means for the Christian to be in Christ. The last three pieces of this armor describe what it means for Christ to be in the Christian, that is Christ appropriated and applied to actual life. Paul says, "Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: " (Ephesians 6:16, 17)
I. THE SHIELD OF FAITH
Look at verse 16 again, "Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked."
Notice that he did not say the shield of belief. We have already reminded ourselves of our belief when we recall we have put on the girdle of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, and the equipment of the gospel of peace. That is our belief in what Christ is to us. But faith is more than that. This is very important to see. Faith is acting upon belief. Faith is decision, action, resolution. Faith is saying, "Yes, I believe Christ is the truth. He is my righteousness, he is my peace."
Faith is working out the implications of belief. When you say "Therefore" you move from belief into faith. Faith taking the general truth and applying it to the specific situation and saying, "If this be true, then this must follow."
This is what James calls "resisting the devil," (James 4:7b). And James says that, if you keep on resisting the devil, "he will flee from you," (James 4:7c).
That is what Paul is talking about: "Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked."
The shield of faith is enough in itself. It is all you need. You do not really need the remainder, that is, the last two pieces of the armor. It may sound strange to say that, but it is true. You do not need any more because this is able to quench every fiery dart of the wicked one. It alone would see you through, if that were all you had.
Then why are we given more? Because we are not only to be conquerors. The Bible says we are to be "Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us." (Romans 8:37).
So there is more here: "And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:"
II. THE HELMET OF SALVATION
The figure of a helmet immediately suggests to us that this is something designed to protect the head, the mind, the intelligence, the ability to think and reason. This helmet can keep our thinking straight and preserve us from mental confusion and darkness.
Stop a minute here. I would like to ask you this: As you look at the world in which we are living, is there anything more desperately needed than this?Is there anything which could possibly be more relevant to the situation in which we find ourselves than this factor which will keep us thinking straight?
But the Christian has the helmet of salvation. What is this helmet, which keeps our thinking straight in the midst of a very confused world? Paul answers in one word -- it is the helmet of satisfaction. He is not referring to salvation as regeneration or conversion. He is not speaking of salvation as a past decision which was once made, or even as a present experience, but he is looking on to the future.
He is talking about a salvation which will be a future event. It is exactly what he is referring to in Romans, the 13th chapter, when he says, "Now is our salvation nearer than when we first believed," (Romans 13:11).
This helmet is further defined for us by the apostle in his first letter to the Thessalonians, in Chapter 5:8; "But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation."
Paul is talking about the day of resurrection, the day of the coming again of Christ, the day when Christ returns to establish his kingdom. This helmet of salvation which will keep your thinking straight in the hour of man's utter confusion and darkness. It gives us hope for the future.
Now, we come to the last of these pieces of the armor of the Christian --
III. THE SWORD OF THE SPIRIT "the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."
Turn for just a minute to Colossians 3:16; "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord."
The first thing we must say immediately about it is that, again, this is Christ. Christ is our life, if we are Christians at all, but this is Christ made available to us in practical ways through the sayings of his Word. The Word of God has been given to us, for it is that which makes Christianity manageable. Christian truth as a whole is more than we can handle. It has to be broken down into manageable pieces. This is what the Word of God does.
Now in the phrase, "the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God," it is important to see that it is not the complete Bible which is referred to by the phrase, "the word of God." There are two words used in Scripture for "the word of God." There is the familiar word, logos, which is used in the opening verse of John's Gospel: "In the beginning was the Word (Logos), and the Logos was with God, and the Logos was God," (John 1:1).
Then there is another word, used less frequently, rhema, which is somewhat different in meaning. Logos refers to the total utterance of God, the complete revelation of what God has said. "Rhema" means a specific saying of God, a passage or a verse which has special application to an immediate situation; it is the Word of God applied to our experiences, tied to our existence.
"Hrema" is the word used here. The "sword of the Spirit" is the saying of God applied to a specific situation. This is the great weapon placed in the hands of a believer. It is called "the sword of the Spirit," because it is not only originated by him as the author of the Word, but it is also recalled to mind by the Spirit and made powerful by him in our lives.
It is his answer to the attack of the devil, who comes to discourage us, defeat us, lure us aside, deceive us, misguide us, or mislead us in some way -- but then a word comes to mind instantly. This is the sword of the Spirit. As a sword, it is useful both for defense and for offense. This, by the way, is the only part of the armor designed for offense. It is the only defense the Christian has. He is to proclaim the truth. He does not need to defend it.
"For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." (Hebrews 4:12)
Satan said to Jesus, "If thou be the Son of God, turn these stones into bread," (Matthew 4:3) Jesus immediately met him with the sword of the Spirit. He said, "It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone,'" (Matthew 4:4).
That is the important thing. "But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." (Matthew 4:4).
This is the last piece of the Christian's armor. Here is the Christian's complete armor: You in Christ, and Christ in you -- Christ, demonstrated as truth and experienced as righteousness and peace; and Christ, appropriated by faith and applied to life through the hope of salvation and the sayings of God.
This is all you need. With this you can take anything life can throw at you. You do not need tranquilizers or expensive psychiatric treatments. Think it through. Become familiar with this armor. Learn how to use it, and then actually use it when you are under attack. Practice going through this when you feel yourself under attack from Satan. Like a soldier in battle, put it to work. What good is armor is it rusts unused in a closet?
This is why Christians are constantly failing. Though they may have the armor of God, they do not employ it. If you feel yourself growing cold or lukewarm, you are under attack from the wiles of the devil.
If you find yourself depressed or discouraged, or are bothered with doubts, fears, and anxieties, or if you feel the lure of lusts, the crush of pain, or the numbness of disappointment -- what shall you do?
Think through this armor of God. Do not give up if no immediate change occurs. We are so brainwashed these days into wanting quick results, immediate relief, instant deliverance.
But the attack may be prolonged, and there are not always quick results. This is why the apostle says, "Having done all, stand."
But victory is sure if you persevere. For the word of the promise is sure: "Resist the devil and he will flee from you."