SR • December 2015
11
IF we are to stand against the evil schemes of the devil,
we must do so by putting on God’s armor. Last month we
learned that the armor of God is simply Christ Jesus him-
self. When we trust Christ with our lives and our eternity,
in the spiritual realm He covers us. Galatians 3:27 says,
“For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed
yourselves with Christ.”
That baptism is not the mere act
of going under the water but it represents complete trust
in Jesus to redeem us.
However, putting on Christ or putting on God’s armor is
not a passive activity. We must be fully engaged in the
process. Romans 13:14 says,
“But put on the Lord Jesus
Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its
desires.”
The same command, using the same exact
verb, is found in Ephesians 6:11,
“Put on the full armor
of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the
schemes of the devil.”
It may seem like our goal in the Christian life from these
verses is simply to stay away from evil. If this is our only
focus, then we will be distracted from our ultimate pur-
pose, which is to bring glory to God in everything. We
stand firm against the evil one not simply by resisting
sin but by becoming like Jesus. To put on God’s armor
or to put on Christ is to become like Him. As we fix our
eyes on Him,
“the founder and perfecter of our faith”
(Hebrews 12:2, ESV),we become more like Him in truth,
in righteousness, in peace, in faith, in the true knowl-
edge of redemption, in the word of God, and in prayer.
We are strong in the Lord as long as the Lord is our
strength. The Lord is our strength means that He is our
armor. Truth is not a concept. Jesus is truth. Righteous-
ness cannot be defined without Jesus because He is the
righteous one. You cannot opt out of becoming more
like Jesus if you are a Christian. Either you resist the
work of His Spirit in your life, and in so doing you make
your life miserable, or you work with the Spirit, putting
on Christ, standing firm against the evil one by being
like Jesus, and reveal God’s glory through every part of
your life. All spiritual warfare comes back to the Lord’s
ultimate goal of bringing us into conformity with the
character and the image of Jesus Christ.
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His
might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be
able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For
our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against
the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces
of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wicked-
ness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full
armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil
day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand
firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and
having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and
having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel
of peace; in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith
with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming
arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation,
and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,
with all prayer and petition pray at all times in the
Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all
perseverance and petition for all the saints.”
— Ephesians 6:10-18
Put on the Full Armor of God
Third in the sermon series by Pastor Nathan Crandall from the Seventh Day Baptist Church in Milton, WI.
Continued on next page..
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The Lord is our strength means that He is our armor.
