Isaiah - Verse By Verse | Walk thru Eph #148

Walk thru Eph #148

versebyverse | April 27, 2008 17:26

Thought: To me, our minds are only whole and reliable if protected by God, and our lives are only useful and meaningful if full of His Word.

Question: Have I taken God's offer of salvation? Have I wielded His Word in my defense?

Scripture: Ephesians 6:17 (NIV): "Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."

The word "take" makes clear our responsibility. Something is available. God has made it available to us for the taking, but we must do the taking. Each piece of armor must be taken by us and added by us to ourself.

The helmet of salvation is that aspect of God that is redemptive toward our society. It is within His heart to love and even to have created objects to love to display and enrich His quality of love. Salvation is that display of His love to us as individuals. The helmet covers the brain of a person. The brain is central to making decisions involving the will, such as when we chose Christ in salvation. The helmet protects the most important part of the human body. Salvation is probably the most important doctrine of our faith because it begins our being united to God, and enables us to continue to learn more. First we are born, then we grow. We must take salvation first.

Thus the helmet armor empowers us to be able to wear all the rest, and it, again, is God Himself with us. We cannot save ourselves. Only through Christ are we saved.

The sword of the Spirit, we are plainly told here, is "the word of God." Again I ask, "what attribute of God is seen?" God is a "revealer of mysteries". We find this out in the Book of Daniel. God's Word reveals Himself to us. Without His Word, The Bible, we would know nothing of Him. Thus the revelation quality of God, His openness and disclosiveness, is very evident here. And because Goed chose, lovingly, to be open with us about Himself through Scripture, we now have available a piece of armor unique to the others: it is the only offensive weapon in the list of gear! His Spirit, God is Spirit, has the most power of all the tools of armor. What God has spoken, through Scripture, is cutting--a separator. It is truth in action, shedding away lies and anything that falsely competes with the realism of God and Truth. It is the weapon Christ used against satan in the wilderness temptation. It drove satan away when it was truthfully applied; it did not help satan when it was misquoted and falsely applied against The Son of God.

To summarize the armor I feel like listing them here with the Godly attributes alongside, and what part they protect:

1. Belt of Truth 1. Protects "bowels" , seat of emotion 1. God, Christ, is Truth

2. Breastplate of Righteousness 2. Protects vital organs 2. Holiness of God

3. Shoes of the Gospel 3. Protects our goings/witness 3. God's "Gospel Heart": freely offering salvation to all

4. Shield of Faith 4. Protects from satanic accusations 4. God Himself is our shield

5. Helmet of Salvation 5. Protects "brain"/center of the will 5. God is our only Savior, through Christ

6. Sword of Spirit 6. Protects by offensive attack 6. God is the "Revealer", the "Living Word"

We learn a very great deal about God from the armor He provides us to use. When we "take the full armor", let us remember we are taking God, literally, to our being, as our one and only aid.

Prayer: God of Salvation, thank You for preserving my soul by Your power, and thank You for the great defensive strength of Your Word. Amen.