The purpose of this post is to add some clarity to the concept of the ‘armor of God’ as the apostle Paul spoke of it in Ephesians 6. I recently came to a simpler understanding of it via listening to a couple of sermons of John Calvins and reading his commentary on 6:10-18. [Sermons linked below]
I listened to those two sermons several times last week, seeking help for daily battles. Although the sermon language was difficult to understand, I thought I heard Calvin clarifying the apostle Paul’s statements (wherein he compared the armor of God to that of a soldier), such as to say that Paul was merely referring to God’s appointed means of grace.
Before writing this, I read through Calvin’s commentary on that passage of Ephesians 6, to ascertain that I heard him correctly; and I discovered, that is what he said.
Excerpts from Calvin’s commentary will be used to make my point, after I define ‘God’s appointed means of grace’ for those who do not know specifically what those are.
The following things are the only channels through which God gives grace to believers. They have to obtain that grace so that they can fight the good fight every day; as Satan and his demons are of superhuman strength and they would defeat us in every conflict without God’s armor.
The only means of grace are 1. reading God’s word, 2. prayer, 3. hearing preaching (preaching of the gospel message firstly; believing the gospel; and preaching on all aspects of God’s word), 4. taking the Lord’s supper (and baptism), 5. and fellowship around the word of God, as in prayer meetings, singing of psalms, hymns…with believers.
As you read Calvin’s commentary below, note how the above means of grace are emphasized, prayer and the word are emphasized much, in addition to faith, which is a gift of God that enables one to repent and believe the gospel; that is, it enables one to take in God’s word. God’s word shows one his spiritual bankruptcy and absolute need of Christ’s atoning work and righteousness (poverty of spirit, Matthew 5, verse 3).
If you think that you can obtain God’s grace in any other manner, you are wrong. Acts 2:42 talks about the activities of the early church.
In this culture, there are many gross misconceptions about what it means to come to Christ and to be a Christian. People get those from unbiblical ideas that are likely propagated by demons; those are just general opinions floating around in the social realm. After I began reading the Bible, I realized I had many wrong ideas about what it meant to be a Christian. And those ‘Christians’ who don’t read God’s word, but depend upon the Sunday sermon to arm them for battle, are not really armed because they cannot figure these things out and apply them.
I found a commentary of this passage by Calvin online; a link is provided if you should desire to read the entirety of Calvin on this text; as I will be excerpting it where possible [bracketed statements, emboldening and underscoring are mine]:
https://ccel.org/ccel/calvin/calcom41/calcom41.iv.vii.iii.html
Ephesians 6:10-18
- Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
Be strong indicates that there is a battle to fight and that you cannot use your natural weakness as an excuse for avoidance.
In the Lord indicates that this battle must be fought in the Lord’s strength, as Satan and his demons are spiritual beings of far superior strength to us and would defeat us every time otherwise.
This statement should also provide us with hope and confidence that we can prevail in this great struggle.
Two points are inherent in the above, 1. we must be courageous and fight; and 2, we must ask God to supply us with strength because we are very weak.
[Two means or grace are here mentioned – knowing what God commands from His word; and depending upon Him via prayer. I think that prayer here is like Dr. Bob Cook, on Family Radio talks about it when he frequently states, “pray your way through the day” as each step in our day potentially holds something that will cause us to experience failure, because the Devil is continuously working to hinder us in our duty to God as Calvin emphasizes herein.]
- Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
God has furnished us with various defensive weapons, provided we do not indolently refuse what is offered. But we are almost all chargeable with carelessness and hesitation in using the offered grace; just as if a soldier, about to meet the enemy, should take his helmet, and neglect his shield….
The Lord offers us arms for repelling every kind of attack. It remains for us to apply them to use, and not leave them hanging on the wall. To quicken our vigilance, he reminds us that we must not only engage in open warfare, but that we have a crafty and insidious foe to encounter, who frequently lies in ambush; for such is the import of the apostle’s phrase, THE WILES 170 (τὰς μεθοδείας) of the devil.
- For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places
The meaning is, that our difficulties are far greater than if we had to fight with men. There we resist human strength, sword is opposed to sword, man contends with man, force is met by force, and skill by skill; but here the case is widely different. All amounts to this, that our enemies are such as no human power can withstand. By flesh and blood the apostle denotes men, who are so denominated in order to contrast them with spiritual assailants. This is no bodily struggle….
Let us remember this when the injurious treatment of others provokes us to revenge. Our natural disposition would lead us to direct all our exertions against the men themselves; but this foolish desire will be restrained by the consideration that the men who annoy us are nothing more than darts thrown by the hand of Satan. While we are employed in destroying those darts, we lay ourselves open to be wounded on all sides….
[Satan is a spiritual being] Satan attacks us from his concealment…if we ignore him [focusing on the person or situation that outwardly seems to be causing us the problem] he will oppress us with sloth or disarm us with terror before we have begun to fight.
Paul’s words – Satan, principalities, powers…are intended to alarm us and to help us realize that we must be cautious.
By darkness, it is almost unnecessary to say, are meant unbelief and ignorance of God, with the consequences to which they lead. As the whole world is covered with darkness, the devil is called “the prince of this world.” (John 14:30.)
By calling it wickedness, he denotes the malignity and cruelty of the devil, and, at the same time, reminds us that the utmost caution is necessary to prevent him from gaining an advantage. For the same reason, the epithet spiritual is applied; for, when the enemy is invisible, our danger is greater. There is emphasis, too, in the phrase, in heavenly places; for the elevated station from which the attack is made gives us greater trouble and difficulty.
- Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Though our enemy is so powerful, Paul does not infer that we must throw away our spears, but that we must prepare our minds for the battle. A promise of victory is, indeed, involved in the exhortation, that ye may be able. If we only put on the whole armor of God, and fight valiantly to the end, we shall certainly stand. On any other supposition, we would be discouraged by the number and variety of the contests; and therefore he adds, in the evil day. By this expression he rouses them from security, bids them prepare themselves for hard, painful, and dangerous conflicts, and, at the same time, animates them with the hope of victory; for amidst the greatest dangers they will be safe. And having done all. They are thus directed to cherish confidence through the whole course of life. There will be no danger which may not be successfully met by the power of God; nor will any who, with this assistance, fight against Satan, fail in the day of battle.
- Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; [This point pasted in its entirety]
Stand therefore. Now follows a description of the arms which they were enjoined to wear. We must not, however, inquire very minutely into the meaning of each word; for an allusion to military customs is all that was intended. Nothing can be more idle than the extraordinary pains which some have taken to discover the reason why righteousness is made a breastplate, instead of a girdle. Paul’s design was to touch briefly on the most important points required in a Christian, and to adapt them to the comparison which he had already used.
Truth, which means sincerity of mind, is compared to a girdle. Now, a girdle was, in ancient times, one of the most important parts of military armor. Our attention is thus directed to the fountain of sincerity; for the purity of the gospel ought to remove from our minds all guile, and from our hearts all hypocrisy. Secondly, he recommends righteousness, and desires that it should be a breastplate for protecting the breast. Some imagine that this refers to a freely bestowed righteousness, or the imputation of righteousness, by which pardon of sin is obtained. But such matters ought not, I think, to have been mentioned on the present occasion [context]; for the subject now under discussion is a blameless life. He enjoins us to be adorned, first, with integrity, and next with a devout and holy life.
- And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
The allusion, if I mistake not, is to the military greaves; for they were always reckoned a part of the armor, and were even used for domestic purposes. As soldiers covered their legs and feet to protect them against cold and other injuries, so we must be shod with the gospel, if we would pass unhurt through the world. It is the gospel of peace, and it is so called, as every reader must perceive, from its effects; for it is the message of our reconciliation to God, and nothing else gives peace to the conscience.
But what is the meaning of the word preparation? Some explain it as an injunction to be prepared for the gospel; but it is the effect of the gospel which I consider to be likewise expressed by this term. We are enjoined to lay aside every hinderance, and to be prepared both for journey and for war. By nature we dislike exertion, and want [lack] agility. A rough road and many other obstacles retard our progress, and we are discouraged by the smallest annoyance. On these accounts, Paul holds out the gospel as the fittest means for undertaking and performing the expedition. Erasmus proposes a circumlocution, (ut sitis parati,) that ye may be prepared; but this does not appear to convey the true meaning. [This verse was pasted in its entirety.]
[The gospel message is that: the human race fell into sin with Adam and died spiritually; we also, in Adam were enemies of God. Via the gospel – the atoning work by Christ on the cross, and the righteous life He lived while on earth- we may receive forgiveness and His righteousness imputed to us IF WE PUT OUR TRUST IN HIM. Thereby, we can know reconciliation with God the Father.]
[Paul’s words and Calvin’s indicate that we are powerless without God’s strength. Christ spelled this out in the beatitudes, that knowing our poverty of spirit is step one of the born-again Christians journey, then mourning sin…. That humility inherent in knowing we are spiritually bankrupt and must have the righteousness of Christ to be acceptable to God the Father and to engage in the Christian life is a point that takes some experiential understanding to grasp because of the pride. The 5 points in Jonathan Edwards ‘struggle of faith’, also indicate this. He stated that conversion is a process that requires such understanding – pasted in at end of post for your meditation.]
[If you would hear more about this definition, see Categories, Gospel Message.]
- Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
Though faith and the word of God are one, yet Paul assigns to them two distinct offices. I call them one, because the word is the object of faith, and cannot be applied to our use but by faith; as faith again is nothing, and can do nothing, without the word. But Paul, neglecting so subtle a distinction, allowed himself to expatiate at large on the military armor. In the first Epistle to the Thessalonians he gives both to faith and to love the name of a breastplate, — “putting on the breastplate of faith and love,” (1 Thessalonians 5:8.) All that was intended, therefore, was obviously this, — “He who possesses the excellencies of character which are here described is protected on every hand.”
And yet it is not without reason that the most necessary instruments of warfare — a sword and a shield — are compared to faith, and to the word of God. In the spiritual combat, these two hold the highest rank. By faith we repel all the attacks of the devil, and by the word of God the enemy himself is slain. If the word of God shall have its efficacy upon us through faith, we shall be more than sufficiently armed both for opposing the enemy and for putting him to flight. And what shall we say of those who take from a Christian people the word of God? Do they not rob them of the necessary armor, and leave them to perish without a struggle? There is no man of any rank who is not bound to be a soldier of Christ. But if we enter the field unarmed, if we want our sword, how shall we sustain that character?
Wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the darts. But quench appears not to be the proper word. Why did he not use, instead of it, ward off or shake off, or some such word? Quench is far more expressive; for it is adapted to the epithet applied to darts The darts of Satan are not only sharp and penetrating, but — what makes them more destructive — they are fiery Faith will be found capable, not only of blunting their edge, but of quenching their heat.
“This,” says John, “is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.” (1 John 5:4.) [This verse pasted in its entirety]
- And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
And take the helmet of salvation. In a passage already quoted, (1 Thessalonians 5:8,) “the hope of salvation” is said to be a helmet, which I consider to be in the same sense as this passage. The head is protected by the best helmet, when, elevated by hope, we look up towards heaven to that salvation which is promised. It is only therefore by becoming the object of hope that salvation is a helmet. [Fully pasted in]
- Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
Praying always with all prayer. Having instructed the Ephesians to put on their armor, he now enjoins them to fight by prayer. This is the true method. To call upon God is the chief exercise of faith and hope; and it is in this way that we obtain from God every blessing. Prayer and supplication are not greatly different from each other, except that supplication is only one branch of prayer
With all perseverance. We are exhorted to persevere in prayer. Every tendency to weariness must be counteracted by a cheerful performance of the duty. With unabated ardor we must continue our prayers, though we do not immediately obtain what we desire. If, instead of with all perseverance, some would render it, with all Earnestness, I would have no objection to the change.
But what is the meaning of always? Having already spoken of continued application, does he twice repeat the same thing? I think not. When everything flows on prosperously, — when we are easy and cheerful, we seldom feel any strong excitement to prayer, — or rather, we never flee to God, but when we are driven by some kind of distress. Paul therefore desires us to allow no opportunity to pass, — on no occasion to neglect prayer; so that praying always is the same thing with praying both in prosperity and in adversity. [Initial half of verse pasted in]
JONATHAN EDWARDS 5 STAGE “STRUGGLE OF FAITH:”
Edwards established a 5 stage process which he termed, the struggle of faith: 1) horror of being eternally lost; 2), the sinner’s attempt to stop sinning via his will power [it cannot be done independently of God’s Spirit]; 3), realization that only God can save him from sin; 4), conviction, the sinner beginning to see that God’s judgment is just; 5), awakening to God with genuine religious affections.
The following prominent Christians spent many years between stages 1 and 5 of Edwards standard of assessment for genuine conversion:
John Calvin, 12 years; Wesley, 23 years; Whitefield, 10 years; Fox, 12 years; Edwards, 5 years; Brainerd, 9 years; Newton, 6 years; Spurgeon, 4 years….
The struggle of faith is part of my post on the SINNER’S PRAYER:
Summary points:
***If you are a born-again believer, then you will be in a battle; Satan will be continually harassing you, by putting obstacles in your way to take you away from your duty to God. Those obstacles could be situations or people (see the book of Job), but your real fight is with him. In that fight, you must have the Lord’s strength. The Lord’s strength is obtained via knowledge of Him you get from the word / covenant promises and the Spirit working in you via the word. Without praying your way through your day, you will have frequent failings and resultant discouragement….
*** [Added 2-20-24] Regarding Edwards’ Struggle of Faith: when a Christian is born again, the Holy Spirit begins showing him sin in his life. Reading the word and hearing sermons also make sin apparent, the word reveals the real you, see James, and Paul’s epistles, for example to arrive at the right understanding of yourself. After actually beginning to see the sin in your life, you will try to rid yourself of it to no avail. It cannot be done via the power of one’s will and resolve. But you will never know that if you do not try it. If you are born again, then you will be trying to get rid of sin.
Edwards first two points above are summarizing that, the seeing of sin and the efforts to rid oneself of it. It cannot be done, without God the Holy Spirit. That realization causes one to depend upon God via prayer. God obviously wants you to understand that.
I think Edwards last point, about godly affections, must at least be a sense of gratitude, and a sense of humility and awe for His mercy; furthermore, a sense of your wretchedness, as in John Newton’s song.
If you are not born again but call yourself a Christian, then you have not entered into the struggle above. You haven’t figured out that you cannot free yourself of sin without dependence upon God, because you can’t see the sin in your life or you have just redefined it….
Figuring our the above is of great spiritual significance to your eternal soul. Get into the word if you have the least desire to do so, as that is the arena in which salvation occurs. Also, hearing preaching, as it is the gospel message that brings salvation via the Holy Spirit, as in John 3.
SERMONS OF JOHN CALVIN ON THE ABOVE VERSES FROM THE YOUTUBE SITE, CHRISTIAN SERMONS AND AUDIOBOOKS:
Ephesians 6:10-12 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRlalc195pE&list=PLzOwqed_gET24HQ3xAi7_woSyMnMNydUH&index=3
Ephesians 6: 11-17 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opvx53EmP-4&list=PLzOwqed_gET24HQ3xAi7_woSyMnMNydUH&index=2
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