Given enough time, principled men and women will stand out.Through waves of social pressure and increasing worries in this world, such people standing stilllong after those around him had compromised and fallen.
I’m talking about non-favorite, non-partisan Christians of this day and age. They do not distort the truth or cover up honorable sins. Rather, they call Jesus “Lord” and stand with both feet on the ground, calling every aspect of error and unbelief “plowshares” and “evil.” Such men and women refuse to cut moral corners or assume that strategic mistakes can correct others. They dislike small compromises and may not be noticeable at first. But with time, their truth and goodness will be revealed (1 Timothy 5:25).
When justice is at stake, such people are neither rich nor poor. They do not choose their favorite group or favorite person, and twist truth and justice to suit their beloved. In the name of their God and the name of the Messiah whom God has sent, they will judge justly and decide justly.
and, spiritual In the conflicts in which we participate, they “stand on the other side” [plural] “devils of the devil” (Ephesians 6:11) will come from every direction.they are our war spiritualRather than “against flesh and blood” (Ephesians 6:12), this war cannot be fought with all the weapons in the world.
If such men and women seem to be in short supply in some circles, we might ask, where do such people come from?
God’s armor and our armor
“God shows no partiality” is a memorable phrase throughout the Bible, especially the New Testament (Acts 10:34, Romans 2:11, Galatians 2:6, Ephesians 6:9; Colossians 3:25). The implications for God’s people are clear. do nothing out of favoritism (1 Timothy 5:21). This is James’ impressive teaching about the rich and the poor who come to worship. “Do not show any partiality” (James 2:1). “If you show partiality, you are guilty and are condemned by the law as transgressors” (James 2:9).
“The Christian who wraps his soul in the objective truths of the Bible shapes his subjective mind for the artifice of war.”
But all this truth and righteousness, precious as it is, remains downstream when it comes to “the whole armor of God,” the first thing Paul enumerates. Before we reach for the armor of God, we need to know who it belongs to and who first put it on.
Now, some of the Bible’s most epic verses can become so detailed that you can forget them. Isaiah 53 and 1 Corinthians 13 are justly famous. And in that rightful emphasis and celebration, many of us need to look past those boring acquaintances and look at them with fresh eyes and eyes of wonder.
The “armor of God” in Ephesians 6 is one of its wondrous flourishes. This is Paul at his best, a dazzling display of Christian creativity. In his one area of powerful rhetoric, he brings together Old Testament references to armor and shoves them into things like: christian (possibly also on a Roman background). This is because the Apostles used the Hebrew Scriptures not only as a fulfillment of simple promises, but also as illusions, types, patterns, and artistic synthesis created to serve the divine plan of the author and the needs of the reader. It suggests that it can be used for Here the apostle is both a poet and a pastor.
Ian Duguid makes a convincing argument:
Each piece of armor has a rich Old Testament background and is explained there. Of God Armor — The armor that God Himself puts on to save His people. The Old Testament, not the Roman legions, inspired Paul. If you overlook this background, you may misunderstand and misapply various parts of your armory.
So we start with the first “belt of truth”, which is not strictly speaking. armordefensive or offensive, but pre-armor or under armor. First, let’s look at this book in its original context, what it shows us about our divine warriors, and second, how we as Christians in today’s world of half-truths actually “stretch our belts.” Let’s see what you can wear.
Messiah wrapped in righteousness
Isaiah 11 tells us that David’s father Jesse will be “shot out of the stump.” The mention of Jesse reminds us of the humble origins of Israel’s greatest king. The broad trunk of God’s first covenant people may be toppled by an invading army, but God will see to it that a stump remains. And in time, the seeds of new life will sprout from the line of David.
The prophets said that this coming Messiah would rest upon the Spirit of God; joy In the fear of God – and there will be no partisan kings. God is not deceived by His appearance or personal preferences; He will “judge in righteousness the poor, and in justice for the meek of the earth” (Isaiah 11:3-4). Amazingly, he doesn’t take up a physical sword to enforce his will, but rather justice. words About his power: “He will strike the earth with his staff.” his mouth,and the breath of his lips He will kill the wicked” (Isaiah 11:4).
Seven centuries later, the apostle writes a very memorable letter to Christians about putting on “the whole armor,” but he begins by quoting Isaiah 11:5.
Justice will be a girdle around his loins,
and faithfulness (truth) is the girdle of his loins.
This Savior is merciful and merciful and will not do injustice to his people as he delivers them. He does not take bribes or accept half-truths. God does not make wrong things right or cover up wrongdoings. Delighted to honor the Divine Father and Universal Justice, he will be a king who rejoices in what is right, does what is right, and is known for it. Even his adversaries acknowledged, “Teacher, we know that you speak and teach rightly, showing no partiality, but truly teaching the ways of God” (Luke 20:21). I have no choice but to.
So Paul here describes the first step in preparing us for spiritual warfare by focusing on the righteous actions of Jesus.
Prepare your soul with truth
Before you reach for the breastplates, shoes, shields, helmets, and swords, Under Armor comes first. There is technically no “girdling” in Ephesians 6:14. The first step in this preparation is literally to “gird up your loins in truth” (Perizosamenoi ten osfun fumon en aletheia).You might say this Wrap your hips honestly.
In the ancient world, “to gird up” meant wrapping the waist with the excess fabric of a long robe “in preparation for strenuous activity” (O’Brien, letter to the ephesians, 473). The hanging garment was pulled up and secured around the waist, allowing running, free movement, and unhindered fighting. With this basic method in place, warriors could secure their armor and go into battle.
For spiritual warfare, Christians must first wrap their loins actually. Now, as a “belt”, this is not yet an offensive truth (it is the sword of the Spirit), but it is a divine truth that applies to oneself, the inner man, the soul, the “inner being” or “secret”. This is the truth. heart” (Psalm 51:6). Christians who wrap their souls in the objective truths of the Bible shape their subjective minds for war tactics. He takes the Word of God deep into the human heart and brings about transformation and joy. He not only searches the Bible, he lets the Bible search him. He ingests divine truth to nourish and condition his soul, and uses objective truth subjectively to form his flexible affections.
Slowly, over months and years at a time, this package makes him a much different person, with a much greater ability to identify and embody the truth.
surround yourself with his words
Surrounding yourself with truth applies to more than your personal consumption of the Bible, but no less. The people who are best prepared for spiritual warfare are those who not only temporarily immerse themselves in the Word, but also fill their lives with it.They are embrace their souls Personally and corporately, we can come to know God’s truth through different habits and patterns, reading, rereading, studying, meditating, memorizing, and discussing. They click on content that strengthens their perspective and gives them joy over truth rather than error.
We all wrap our souls around something. Is it true or false? And if we choose the truth every day, read the truth, click on the truth, meditate on the truth, practice speaking the truth, then we will find that true and false, false and semi-truthful. You will be ready to discern the truth.
“The people who are best prepared for spiritual warfare are those who not only dip into the Word for a little while, but fill their lives with the Word.”
And we, who have wrapped our souls in the truth, bring us the truth Wherever you go.we are not alone speak the truth But embody it and speak further gospel truth In the place and heart of unbelief. We hear half-truths about others at work, about taxes, when filling out insurance claims, when serving on juries, when we discover financial mistakes made in our favor, and when someone tells us half-truths about others. When you hear, you are the one who speaks the truth.we become like jesus agent of truth When you walk into a room, when you stand up at a school board meeting, when you’re sitting in a conference room, when you’re having a conversation, wherever you are.
Wrapped in truth, we will be the kind of people who say in every crisis: Let’s shake the truth. Let the unvarnished truth be discovered and known. Truth does not undermine the cause of our God and Christ, the truth. Rather, the cause of truth, the frank, angular, fully exposed light that illuminates the darkness, is the downstream effect of our knowing and enjoying the word of truth, the gospel of truth itself. .
So we cry out spades and evil and call Jesus Lord. We refuse to cut moral corners, pander to lies, or assume that one wrong can right another wrong. First, we surround ourselves with God’s truth every day. And we will reach for the armor, and over time we will become brighter and brighter, shining like the sun in our Father’s kingdom, and even in this age.
