Picking Up (Ephesians 6:15-20)

As we noticed previously, Paul divides the pieces of armour into two types – those described as ‘having on’ and those described as ‘taking up’. The three described as ‘having on’ – the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness and the sandals of peace – illustrate three blessings that come at conversion: the truth of the gospel, justification and reconciliation.

Paul then mentions three pieces of armour that a soldier on duty would have beside him, ready for use should an enemy attack – the helmet, the shield and the sword. Those weapons are different from the breastplate and the shoes in that they became essential when the enemy attacks with his weapons. A likely weapon that would be used by the enemy would be darts or arrows which would be fired in large numbers, although they would also have weapons for close conflict.

The three pieces of armour are pictures of three spiritual weapons that a believer has to use in conflict with the enemy – faith, vision and the word of God. When a situation arises, the believer is not to choose one or two of those weapons. Rather he has to pick up the three because they work together. What would be the point of having the helmet and the sword without the shield? And we can see how any couplet would not work.

Another detail to observe concerns the forms of attack that the enemy might use. Obviously, he could use temptations connected to outward sins, or he could hurl sinful thoughts into one’s mind. But he could also suggest what could seem harmless responses such as worry, or pessimistic thoughts about the ongoing success of the gospel. So we need to be alert to the wide range of fiery darts that the enemy can use.

The shield of faith

A Roman soldier had two kinds of shield. The shield here was about four feet by two feet. Its name was the word normally used of a door. This helps us see what Paul has in mind – the shield looked like a door, big enough to give overall protection, in addition to that provided by the breastplate (so we have plenty protection for resisting successfully).

The arrows and darts used by opponents were dipped in a combustible material that burned long enough to reach an enemy and harm him.  To deal with this threat, the soldier would soak his shield in water. But their fire would prove ineffective when it hit a shield that had been soaked in water. What does that imply for spiritual warfare?

The shield depicts the faith of a believer. I suspect the presence of water points to a fresh faith rather than a faith that has become dry and stale. It is expected, from what the Bible says, that a believer’s faith in Jesus will be fresh because it is affected by what is depicted by the water. The water could point to contact with Jesus because he is the one who gives living water; or it could refer to the Holy Spirit because he is the living water; or it could refer to the Bible because we are told about the washing of water by the word.

In any case, it was the soldier’s responsibility to water the shield. He did not make the shield; instead it was given to him. We know that faith in Christ is God’s gift, so like the shield, it is given to God’s people when they enlist in Christ’s army at conversion. But it is their responsibility to water it by experiencing the fresh grace of the Spirit and absorbing the contents of the Word of God, whether its doctrines, promises or instructions.

The fiery darts of the enemy could be assumptions, temptations, sinful thoughts and other forms of assault. If we don’t use our faith, they will get through and cause damage to our souls even as a fiery dart would damage a body. Basically, this means that we must know God’s Word, but not merely in an intellectual sense. Rather it has to be absorbed by meditation, and when that is done regularly, a believer will be able to deal with all the darts that are thrown at him. It is important to note that a watered faith when used properly can deal with all types of darts as they arrive, even if they come repeatedly.

The helmet of salvation

The helmet was designed in a general sense to protect the head, but in a particular sense it protected the eyes of the soldier. The intention of Paul here concerns the ability of the soldier to see the meaning of salvation. There are different ways of looking at salvation. As we have often heard, salvation is explained as experiencing the pardon of sin at conversion, deliverance from the power of sin through sanctification, and eventually deliverance from the presence of sin at death or when Jesus returns. No doubt, any of those three aspects would be beneficial for a believer to see as he takes part in the battle, but it is more likely that Paul is thinking about salvation from the presence of sin once the war is over. He uses the helmet with this meaning in 1 Thessalonians 5:8 where he says that it likens the hope of salvation: ‘But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation.’

The hope of a believer is connected several times in the Scriptures with the second coming of Jesus. The term ‘hope’ is not used in the Bible with the emphasis that we often give to the word. Often we use it for something we wish to happen, but which might not. In contrast the idea of hope in the Bible is about certainty. Christians have a living hope: we are ‘waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ’ (Tit. 2:13). As Peter says, ‘Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ’ (1 Pet. 1:13). It is not surprising that it is also described by Peter as a living hope (1 Pet. 1:3). A traveller on a journey often thinks about his destination. So should we as we travel through life.

I suppose one thing that would worry a Roman soldier was the possibility that, while his army would win the war, he would not survive to enjoy the benefits of victory. It is important for a Christian in the battle to remember his destiny. So as he fights, he should use his spiritual vision to see the final outcome. After all, every battle is taking him closer to final victory. But he has to have his eyes on the crown or award that the heavenly General will give to his troops. They will share in his victory as he divides the spoil with them, as the prophet Isaiah declared at the close of his prediction about the conquering Servant in Isaiah 53. The spoil is vast, described as the new heavens and new earth.

The sword of the Spirit

The sword of the soldier was a short one, about two feet in length, more like a bayonet, and was used in close combat. Paul likens it to the word of God. There are two different terms translated as ‘word’ in the biblical phrase ‘word of God’. Often, it is the word ‘logos’, which describes the Scriptures in general as a message from God. The other word, which is used here, is rhema, and it carries the idea of a spoken word or verse such as a promise or a description of God or stating who Jesus is and what he did. Obviously, there are numerous such verses that we can use in spiritual conflict. An obvious example of using God’s Word in such a way is seen when Jesus used verses from Deuteronomy when resisting the assaults of the devil.

The sword, while suitable for defense, is the only attacking weapon that the soldier had. With reference to a spiritual battle, the Christian uses statements from the Bible in both ways: first by resisting the devil and second by thrusting at him. The uses would be simultaneous at times. A verse that comes to mind in connection with this spiritual weapon is 1 John 2:14: ‘I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one.’

Prayer

It may be that Paul had in mind the soldier’s war cry when he referred to prayer. Bunyan thought so, for in Pilgrim’s Progress he includes prayer in the list of pieces of armour that were given to Christian from the armoury, and which he found essential when in great difficulty later on his journey. He also says that Christian, when he was going through the valley of the shadow of death, had to resort to the weapon of all-prayer because he was finding that there even the sword was not sufficient for resisting the devil.

It is obvious that one cannot fight the spiritual battle without ongoing prayer to God. There are different kinds of prayers. At times, there will be thanksgiving for divine help, perhaps followed immediately by pleas for more divine aid, or by intercession that is stronger than at other times, or even more desperate than on previous occasions. In fact, we have here another example of praying without ceasing.

Paul describes what such prayer will be like. It will be alert even through times when we will be inclined to take our mind of the conflict. Paul reminds his readers that somewhere saints will be in the battle, and we should pray specifically for them. He continues by mentioning his own circumstances: “and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak” (Eph. 6:18-20).

Perhaps the apostle was facing the temptation not to speak boldly when situations arose, or perhaps he had in mind the possibility of appearing before Nero. In any case, he is reminding us to pray for tempted believers and for church leaders in difficult situations. Intercession for other believers is an essential element in the Christian warfare. If we don’t do so, we are not soldiers engaged in the good warfare because it inevitably calls us to pray for our fellow combatants, especially for those we know who are under attack.

The obvious deduction from Paul’s illustration here is that unity is necessary in spiritual warfare. Paul’s words suggest that the church in Ephesus should expect an attack by the enemy because that is the nature of things in the Christian life. We can see that the weapon that highlights unity is prayer, although the unity is not limited to the part of the battlefield called Ephesus. The weapon of prayer should also focus on the part of the battlefield called Rome, which was probably the place where Paul was about to face trial for his faith. So the challenge comes to us – on how many battlefields are we fighting at the moment? When we come under attack, we will have to fight where we are, but we will also need to fight in prayer for others elsewhere. Paul’s words here, while obviously inspired, are no different from the requests for prayer that we receive through newsletters and other forms of media.

As we close, we can recall the description Paul gives of believers when he says that they are more than conquerors through him who loved them. I read recently one of the closing sayings of Samuel Rutherford as he was coming near the end of his life. He said to an individual, ‘It is no easy thing to be a Christian, but for me, I have gotten the victory, and Christ is holding out both his arms to embrace me.’