In 1 Peter 5:8, Peter said it in this way. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles ( tricks or schemes) of the devil. I love how the Catechism puts it, “Against our dullness and laziness, the battle of prayer is that of humble, trusting, and persevering love” ( CCC 2742).So, what is the armor of God? It is the protection that we receive when we carefully & strategically put on the different parts of the spiritual armor God has given us, Notice: God has given us the Armor, and we are required to put it on - put it on - as we walk this Christian life.ġ0 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Paul will use four times in these verses), we have to spend significant time on our knees. We are engaged in an intense battle, and if we ever hope to stand (a term St. Paul says, “Pray at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication” (Ephesians 6:18). There is a seventh piece of armor to consider (which shouldn’t surprise us given the importance of the number seven in the Bible). I also learned, there were even specific prayers that our Catholic priests would say as they vested for Mass connecting their garments to the armor of God. In chapter 5, we see much of Isaiah’s armor again ( Wisdom 5:17-20). When I became a Catholic I discovered another source of St. Take the sword of the Spirit (the Word of God) – Isaiah 49:2 Take the helmet of salvation – I saiah 59:17Ħ. Take the shield of faith – see Isaiah 21:5ĥ. Shod your feet in the Gospel of peace – see Isaiah 52:7Ĥ. Put on the breastplate of righteousness – see Isaiah 59:17ģ. Gird (belt) your loins with the truth – see Isaiah 11:5Ģ. Let’s look at the first six pieces of armor and their ancient antecedents in Isaiah:ġ. We are called to clothe ourselves in his armor if we hope to be more than conquerors ( Romans 8:37).
This is a great comfort to me, as we are engaged in a cosmic battle against immense spiritual forces of darkness. In Isaiah we see God the Divine Warrior equipped for battle in the same armor St. Paul turned primarily to his Jewish roots and the Old Testament. However, some of the typical weapons of a first-century soldier (like the heavy javelin and leg armor) are conspicuously missing. Paul’s primary inspiration for the different parts of armor must have come from his observance of Roman soldiers (after all, he was likely in prison or under house arrest when he wrote this letter). Like a lot of Bible readers, I assumed St. New believers would leave behind these pagan counterfeits and instead clothe themselves in Christ and the true weapons of spiritual warfare. His language here would have been especially significant to many Ephesian converts who were steeped in a culture of protective amulets, curses, and magic. Stadium in Ephesus where armored gladiators once fought Pray at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.” Ephesians 6:10-18 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Stand therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the equipment of the gospel of peace besides all these, taking the shield of faith, with which you can quench all the flaming darts of the evil one.
Therefore take the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 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.
Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Paul outlines the spiritual armor every Christian must be clad in if we are to have victory in the spiritual life: In one of the most famous passages in the New Testament, St.
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