I recently viewed a National Geographic TV series on Jonestown—the Jim Jones cult event in Guyana, South America. “Peoples Temple, was an American new religious organization which existed between 1954 and 1978 and was affiliated with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Founded by Jim Jones in Indianapolis, Indiana, the Peoples Temple spread a message that combined elements of Christianity with communist and socialist ideology, with an emphasis on racial equality…Christine Miller was a member of the Peoples Temple cult…She is known for being the only Temple member to publicly urge Jones against carrying out the group’s mass murder in Jonestown, Guyana, on November 18, 1978. Ultimately, she was unsuccessful in persuading Jones and died that same day, alongside 908 other Temple members…Miller is regarded in modern times by some as a symbol of courageous dissent and advocacy…Author Sikivu Hutchinson has characterized Miller as ‘valiantly and singularly standing up against Jim Jones’ and ‘speaking for the voiceless.’ (1) Was Christine Miller a Christian? I don’t know. What she stood for was respectfulness, and she told Jim Jones that she wouldn’t die until she had his respect. But her commitment to an idea didn’t survive her life, unlike the Apostle Paul’s, Peter’s, or Ruth’s, who were all armed to stand up for Christ. The gospel was the foundation for their spiritual armor, the protection they needed for the necessary battle of this life, fighting the schemes of Satan that could have deterred them from fulfilling their Christian witness. The Bible makes it clear that we are to view ourselves as the Lord’s warriors—standing up for Christ and God’s righteousness in a world of unbelief and godlessness. So, we must be prepared to dress ourselves daily with gospel armor and engage boldly to witness Christ, making it as hard as possible for Satan’s schemes to succeed.
Fighting Superhuman Evil Forces
“Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.” (Ephesians 6:13-18) “In [Ephesians] 5:16 Paul identifies this whole age as ‘evil days,’ yet the outbreak of the Satanic onslaught against Christ’s people ebbs and flows throughout this era until the final day when the Lord of Hosts will return in power and great glory (Luke 21:27) to rend the heavens and rescue his people forever… [But] the Lord has not left his people defenseless. They have the complete armor of God from head to foot, which consists of the belt, breastplate, shoes, shield, helmet, and sword. These are metaphors for the spiritual resources given to them in Christ, namely, the truth, righteousness, gospel, faith, salvation, and the Word of God…These are aspects of God’s and the Messiah’s own character and work (as depicted in Isaiah) with which Christians are now equipped. For example, the Lord saw no one to deliver his oppressed people, so he put on his own ‘breastplate [of righteousness]’ and ‘helmet of salvation’ (Isa. 59:17) before coming in wrath against his enemies…The spiritual nature of the church’s resources is nowhere more plain than in its reliance upon God’s Word, which is the only offensive weapon mentioned in this list of spiritual armor. The Word of God is to be wielded like a sharp two-edged sword, in the mighty power of his Holy Spirit.” (2) “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12)
Readiness for Battle
“Believers are protected by the righteousness of Christ [the breastplate] imputed to them, and they can stand up to the accusations of the devil, whose title in Greek means ‘slanderer.’ Simultaneously, Paul sees believers taking on the righteous character of Christ while their growing conformity to His image gives them confidence in resisting temptation. ‘Shoes for your feet’…is a clear allusion to Is. 52:7…the messenger who takes the gospel to others. [“How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns.”]…The peace that comes from the gospel readies one for war against evil… ‘The sword of the Spirit…is the word of God, the one offensive weapon in the believer’s arsenal…Jesus used the Word of God in His battle against the temptations of Satan in the wilderness (Matt. 4:1-11; Luke 4:1-13)… Christ’s followers also have this offensive weapon when they believe in Christ and come into union with Him. The battle theme in this passage ends with an urgent call to militant prayer (‘keep alert’) on behalf of all believers and on behalf of Paul’s ministry…It is possible that, together with ‘the sword of the Spirit,’ prayer is one more offensive weapon in the believer’s arsenal.” (3) The gospel is the foundation for our spiritual armor, the protection we need for the necessary battle of this life, fighting the schemes of Satan that might deter us from fulfilling our Christian witness. Whether or not we realize it, we need to dress ourselves daily with gospel armor, which makes it impossible for Satan’s schemes to succeed.
Get Dressed and Pray!
“The Christian armour is made to be worn; and there is no putting off our armour till we have done our warfare, and finished our course…Prayer must fasten all the other parts of our Christian armour…We must use holy thoughts in our ordinary course…And we must do it by the grace of God the Holy Spirit, in dependence on, and according to, his teaching. Our enemies are mighty, and we are without strength, but our Redeemer is almighty, and in the power of his might we may overcome.” (4) “The use of the whole outfit enables the Christian to overcome the enemy in a day of fierce conflict…He cannot afford to be slack in his dealings with God or with himself. God’s soldier is equipped with the gospel of peace for sandals, suggesting that his movements are dictated by the needs of gospel witness.” (5) “Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.” (1 Timothy 6:12) “Christ calls all his servants to warfare…If earthly soldiers do not hesitate to fight, when the result is doubtful, and when there is a risk of being killed, how much more bravely ought we to do battle under the guidance and banner of Christ, when we are certain of victory? More especially, since a reward awaits us…a glorious immortality and heavenly blessedness; it would certainly be disgraceful that we, who have such a hope held out to us, should grow weary or give way…When he commands them to ‘lay hold on it,’ he forbids them to pause or slacken in the middle of their course…there is nothing that ought to animate us with greater courage than to learn that we have been ‘called’ by God…We see soldiers, who, instead of earning wages by laboring…go and expose their life at a venture. And what leads them to this? A doubtful hope, nothing certain. And though they have gained, and have obtained a victory over their enemies, what advantage do they reap from it? But when God calls us to fight…we are made certain that the war will be good and successful. And thus Paul intended to comfort believers while he exhorted them.” (6)
This week, our community has been watching and celebrating with our local Little League Baseball team, who are playing in the National Finals this weekend. In our chapel service yesterday, our chaplain preached on Ephesians 6:10-20. He compared the protective gear of the catcher with the spiritual armor described there. The catcher position is not only the hardest position to play in baseball, but it is, apparently, one of the hardest positions to play in all of sports. Professional catchers also wear wristbands to communicate what pitch to throw to the pitcher. The catcher wouldn’t be properly prepared without a helmet, face mask, throat and chest protectors, shin guards, and heavily padded catcher’s mitt. Shoes with metal cleats help the catcher to stand securely and strongly for the entire game. Like that equipment, every part of our spiritual armor is necessary for “winning” for Christ. The gospel is the foundation—our shoes to stand securely in the believer’s battle of this life, fighting the schemes of Satan that might deter us from fulfilling our Christian witness. The most devoted, determined soldiers are sometimes promoted to the status of General or Colonel. They obviously feel that their struggles are worth all the victories and accomplishments under their direction. How much more do we benefit from our gospel conflicts in this world—surrounded by people, media, and entrapments that might discourage us from our reliance on Christ? Since…” after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the dominion forever and ever” (1 Peter 5:10).
Related Scripture: Exodus 12:11;Isaiah 11:5; 59:16-17; Luke 12:35; 21:27; Romans 8:26-27; 10:15; Ephesians 5:16; Philippians 3:9; Colossians 4:2; 2 Timothy 4:7-8; Hebrews 4:12; 1 John 5:4; Revelation 1:16; 2:12; 19:15.
Notes:
1. Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peoples_Temple)Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christine_Miller)
2. English Standard Version Study Bible Notes, Ephesians 6:13-18, (digital edition), Crossway, 2008.
3. The Reformation Study Bible, Ephesians 6:13-18, Reformation Trust Publishing (Ligonier Ministries), Sanford, Fl., 2015.
4. Henry, Matthew, Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary on the Bible, Ephesians 6:10-18, https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/mhn/ephesians-6.html.
5. Zondervan Bible Commentary, F. F. Bruce General Editor, passage, One-Volume Illustrated Digital Edition.
6. Calvin, John, John Calvin’s Commentary on the Bible, 1 Timothy 6:12, Bible Learning Society, https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/cal/1-timothy-6.html.
August 22, 2024
Divine Wisdom for Daily Living by Joanne Colvin 