Dwight Fletcher | Understanding the armour

RIGHTEOUSNESS COMES from applying truth. The born-again Christian already has imputed righteousness because “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” 2 Corinthians 5:21 (NIV), but it’s when we combine this with deliberately walking in obedience that it cancels the accusations, temptations, and attacks of the enemy. We need to walk right based on the truth we know. As we store the truth in our hearts and start to apply it, it will create a shield, a protection from the schemes of Satan.

The Word reminds us that righteousness also protects our hearts, “A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.” Luke 6:45 (NIV).

On their own, our hearts tend toward evil. So, to store good in it we need to fill it with the Word of God and be deliberate about walking in the truth of the Word. It will become a powerful weapon and defence against Satan. The Apostle Paul said he had “…weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left.” 2 Corinthians 6:7b (NIV). A modern version says it this way, “This right way of living has prepared us to defend ourselves against every kind of attack.”

Another weapon in our armour is the shoes of peace, “…having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace…” Ephesians 6:15 (NKJV). The word for preparation here means to have a solid grip, or sound foundation and to stand firm and strong. It’s important that we understand the message of the Gospel and are rooted and grounded in it.

Charles Swindoll described the sandals of the Roman soldier this way: “Called the caliga, it was an open-toed leather boots with a nail-studded sole, and it was tied to the ankles and shins with leather straps. Obviously, these caligas were not used for fleeing or pursuing enemies. Rather, they were used in hand-to-hand combat. They were meant to give maximum footing and traction to prevent sliding, thus giving the Romans the edge in the trenches of war.”

The Gospel gives us this firm footing during battle. In the battle we walk in the finished work of Jesus. Jesus has paid the price of every sin already and has defeated the enemy so we’re safe and secure in the Lord. We need to take time to fully understand what Jesus has done for us. Feelings of guilt are an attack and Hebrews 2:14 tells us that Jesus has rendered the devil powerless.

One of Satan’s favourite tactics is to load us with guilt and fear that leads us to doubt the omnipotence and goodness of God. He did it with Adam and Eve and he does it to us. Satan whispers in our ears that there is a sin too big that God won’t forgive us. It’s understanding the truth of the gospel that is going to allow us to overcome these lies.

God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit have different functions. We need to understand this and know what Jesus truly did for us when He died. We should seek this revelation and part of doing this comes through sharing the gospel “… I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ.” Philemon 1:6 (NIV).