by Arthur W. Pink
by Arthur W. Pink
Philologos Religious Online Books
Philologos.org
by Arthur W. Pink
August, 1933
The Christian's Armour - Part 1
(Part 2 in July Issue)
Ephesians 6:10-18.
In the passage which is to be before us the Apostle gathers up the whole previous subject of the Epistle into an urgent reminder of the solemn conditions under which the Christian's life is lived. By a graphic figure he shows that the Christian's life is lived on the battlefield, for we are not only pilgrims but soldiers; we are not only in a foreign country, but in the enemy's land. Though the redemption which Christ has purchased for His people be free and full, yet, between the beginning of its application to us and the final consummation of it, there is a terrible and protracted conflict through which we have to pass. This is not merely a figure of speech, but a grim reality. Though salvation is free, yet it is not obtained without great effort. The fight to which God's children are called in this life, is one in which Christians themselves receive many sore wounds, and thousands of professors are slain. Now, as we shall see in the verses which follow, the Apostle warns us that the conflict has to do with more than human foes: the enemies we have to meet are superhuman ones, and therefore in order to successfully fight against them we need supernatural strength.
We must remember that the Christian belongs to the spiritual realm as well as the natural, and so he has spiritual as well as natural foes; and hence he needs spiritual strength as well as physical. Therefore the Apostle begins here by saying, “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might” (Eph. 6:10). The word “finally” denotes that the Apostle had reached his closing exhortation, and the words “be strong” link up with what immediately proceeds as well as with what now follows. Some of you will remember that the whole of the fifth, and opening verses of the sixth chapters are filled with exhortations: exhortations that pertain to each aspect of the Christian life; exhortations to regulate him in the home, in business, in the world. Those exhortations are addressed to the husband, wife, child, master, servant, and in order for the Christian to obey them he needs to be “strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.” Thus, the call which is given in verse 10 is not only an introduction to what follows, but is also closely related to that which precedes.
“Finally, my brethren”—after all the Christian duties I have set before you in the previous verses, now—”be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might.” The words “Be strong” mean to muster strength for the conflict, and be strong “in the Lord” signifies we must seek that strength from the only source from which we can obtain it. Note carefully it is not “be strong from the Lord,” nor is it “be strengthened by the Lord.” No, it is “be strong in the Lord.” Perhaps you will get the thought if I use this analogy: just as a thumb that is amputated is useless, and just as a branch cut off from the vine withers, so a Christian whose fellowship with the Lord has been broken, is in a strengthless, fruitless, useless state. Thus, “be strong in the Lord” means first of all, see to it that you maintain a live practical relationship to and remain in constant communion with the Lord. Just as my arm must be a part of, a member, in my body, if it is to be vitalized and fitted to perform its functions, so I must be in real touch with the Lord, in daily communion with Him, in living contact—not in theory, but in actual experience. It is deeply important that we should, ere we proceed farther, grasp the exhortation found in verse 10: otherwise there will be no strength for the conflict.
“Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.” At first sight there seems to be a needless repetition there; but it is not so. A soldier not only needs strength of body for the carrying of his heavy weapons, for the strain of long marches, and for the actual fighting, but he also needs courage: a powerful giant who is a coward would make no sort of soldier. The two chief things which are needed for one engaged in fighting, are strength and courage, or vitality and a brave heart; and that is what is in view in verse 10—the last clause brings in the thought of boldness. “Be strong”: in faith, in hope, in wisdom, in patience, in fortitude, in every Christian grace. To be strong in grace, is to be weak in sin. It is vitally essential to remember that we need to have our strength and courage renewed daily. Be strong in the Lord: seek His strength at the beginning of each day—”they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength” (Isa. 40:31). God does not impart strength to us wholesale: He will not give me strength on Monday morning to last through the week. No, there has to be the renewing of our strength, and that strength has to be drawn from the Lord by the actings of faith, appropriating from His “fullness.” The enemies we have to contend with cannot be overcome by human wisdom and might. Unless we go forth to the conflict continually looking to Christ for all needed supplies of grace, deriving all our vitality from Him, we are sure to be defeated.
“Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil” (Eph. 6:11). Our first need is to stir up ourselves to resist temptation by a believing reliance upon God's all-sufficient grace, that is, obtaining from Him the strength which will enable us to go forth and fight against the foe. Our second greatest need is to be well armed for the conflict into which we must daily enter. This is the relation between verses 10 and 11: “Be strong in the Lord” and “Put on the whole armour of God”: first, stir up yourselves to resist temptation, seeking strength at the beginning of the day for the conflict; then see to it that you take unto yourselves, put on, the whole armour of God.
The Christian is engaged in a warfare. There is a fight before him, hence armour is urgently needed. It is impossible for us to stand against the wiles of the devil unless we avail ourselves of the provisions which God has made for enabling us to stand. Observe it is called “the armour of God”: just as the strength we need, comes not from ourselves, but must be supplied by the Lord; so our means of defense lie not in our own powers and faculties, but only as they are quickened by God. It is called the “armour of God” because He both provides and bestows it, for we have none of our own; and yet, while this armour is of God's providing and bestowing, we have to “put it on”! God does not fit it on us; He places it before us; and it is our responsibility, duty, task, to put on the whole armour of God. I may say that this same figure of “the armour” is used three times in the Epistles of Paul, and I believe we find in them a reference to the Trinity. I think the “armour of righteousness” (2 Cor. 6:7) looks more particularly unto Christ; the “armour of light” (Rom. 13:12) more especially to the Holy Spirit, who is the One that immediately illuminates us: and the “armour of God” unto the the Father, who is the Provider of it.
Now it is very important we should recognise that this term “armour” is a figurative one, a metaphor, and refers not to something which is material or carnal. It is a figurative expression denoting the Christian's graces: the various parts of the armour represent the different spiritual graces which are to protect his varied faculties; and when we are told to “put on” the armour, it simply means we are to call into exercise and action our graces. Notice, “Put on the whole armour of God,” that is, avoiding the snares of the devil; or to drop the figure, so exercise all the Christian graces that no part of the soul is exposed unto the Enemy. Those who wish to approve themselves of being in possession of Grace, must see to it that they have all the graces of a saint. “Put on the whole armour of God, that (in order that) ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil” (Eph. 6:11). There is no standing against him if we are not armoured: or to drop the figure, there is no success in resisting the devil if our graces be not in exercise. On the other hand, there is no failing and falling before him if our graces are healthy and active.
“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” (v. 12). The opening “For” has the force of “Because”: the Apostle is advancing a reason, which virtually amounts to an argument, so as to enforce the exhortation just given. Because we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, not against puny human enemies no stronger than ourselves, but against powers and rulers of the darkness of this world: therefore the panoply of God is essential. That is brought in to emphasize the terribleness of the conflict before us. It is no imaginary one, and no ordinary foes we have to meet; but spiritual, superhuman, invisible ones. Those enemies seek to destroy faith and produce doubt. They seek to destroy hope and produce despair. They seek to destroy humility and produce pride. They seek to destroy peace and produce bitterness and malice. They seek to prevent our enjoyment of heavenly things by getting us unduly occupied with earthly things. Their attack is not upon the body, but upon the soul.
“Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand” (v. 13). The opening “Wherefore” means, in view of the fact that we wrestle against these powerful superhuman, invisible foes, who hate us with a deadly hatred and are seeking to destroy us; therefore appropriate and use the provision which God has made, so that we may stand and withstand. The first clause of verse 13 explains the opening words of verse 11. Verse 11 says “put on,” make use of all proper defensitives and weapons for repulsing the attacks and the 13th says “take unto you the whole armour of God”: we “put on” by taking it “unto us,” that is, by appropriation, by making it our own. “That ye may be able to withstand”: to withstand is the opposite of yielding, of being tripped up, thrown down, by the devil's temptations; it means that we stand our ground, strive against and resist the devil. “That ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand”: the “stand” is the opposite of a slothful sleep or a cowardly flight. We have that illustrated in the case of the Apostles. In Gethsemane they did not “stand,” but lay down and slept at the post of duty. No wonder that a little later they all “forsook Him and fled” (Matt. 26:56)!
I want you to notice that we are not here told to advance. We are only ordered to “stand.” God has not called His people to an aggressive war upon Satan, to invade his territory, and seek to wrest from him what is his; but He has told us to occupy the ground which He has allotted us. I want you to see what would have been implied had this verse said “take unto you the whole armour of God, and advance upon the devil, storm his strongholds, liberate his prisoners.” But not so: the Lord has given no charge or commission to the rank and file of His people to engage in what is now called “personal work,” soul winning, “rescuing the perishing.” Indeed He has not: the work of preaching the Gospel belongs alone unto His own personally called and Divinely equipped servants or ministers. All such feverish activities of the flesh as we now behold in the religious world, find no place in this Divine exhortation “having done all, to stand.” This is the third time in these verses the Spirit of God has repeated that word “Stand”—not advance, not rush hither and thither, like a crazy person. “Stand therefore” is all God has told us to do in our conflict with the devil.
“Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth” (Eph. 6:14). Now that brings before us the first of the seven pieces of the Christian's Armour which is mentioned in the passage. First, let me warn you against the carnalization of this word, thinking of something that is external, visible, or tangible. The figure of the “girdle” is taken from a well known custom in Oriental countries, where the people all wear long flowing outer garments reaching to the feet, which would impede their actions when walking, working or fighting. The first thing a person does there when about to be active, is to gird up around his waist that outer garment which trails to the ground. When the garment is not girded and hangs down, it indicates the person is at rest. To “gird up” is therefore the opposite of sloth and ease, following the line of least resistance. Be girded about with a girdle of truth: I believe there is a double reference or meaning here in the word “truth.” But first of all, I want to take up what it is that we need to “gird.”
The breastplate is for the heart, the helmet for the head, what, then, is the “girdle” for? In that from which the figure is borrowed, the reference is to the waist or loins. But what does that metaphor denote? Plainly, the center or mainspring of all our activities. And what is that? Obviously, it is the mind. The mind is the mainspring of action: first the thought, and then the carrying out of it. 1 Peter 1:13 helps us here: “gird up the loins of your mind.” “Having your loins girt about with truth” (Eph. 6:14): it is not so much our embracing the truth, as the truth embracing us. Thus, the spiritual reference is to the holding in and regulation of the thoughts of the mind. The mind “girded up,” means a mind which is disciplined; the opposite of one where the thoughts are allowed to run loose and wild. Again; the “loins” are the place of strength, so is the mind. If we allow our thoughts and imaginations to run wild, we will have no communion with God, and no power against Satan. If our thoughts are not brought into captivity, in obedience to Christ, the devil will soon gain a hold over us.
“Having your loins girt about with truth.” I think the word “truth” has reference, in the first place, to the Word of God: “Thy Word is truth” (John 17:17): that is what must regulate the mind, control the thoughts, subdue the imaginations: there must be a knowledge of, faith in, love for, subjection to, God's Word. “Stand therefore, having your loins (your mind) girt about with truth” (v. 14). Now that suggests to us the characteristic quality of the adversary against whom we are called upon to arm. Satan is a liar, and we can only meet him with the Truth. Satan prevails over ignorance by means of guile or deceit; but he has no power over those whose minds are regulated by the Truth of God. “If ye continue in My Word, then are ye My disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:31, 32)—”free” from the toils, the power, the deceptions of Satan.
I think the word “truth” here has a second meaning. Take for example Psalm 51:6, God “desirest truth in the inward parts”: “truth” there signifies reality, sincerity. Truth is the opposite of hypocrisy, pretense, unreality. That is why the girdle of truth comes first, because if it be lacking, everything else is vain and useless. The strength of every grace lies in the sincerity of it. In 1 Timothy 1:5 we read of “faith unfeigned,” which means true, genuine, real faith; in contrast from a faith which is only theoretical, notional, lifeless, inoperative—a faith which utterly withers before the fires of testing.
“Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity” (Eph. 6:24). That is another discriminating verse, distinguishing between a real and false love, a true and faithless love. There are thousands of Protestants who have a similar love for Christ as Romanists have for His mother, Mary: it is merely a natural love, a fleshly sentiment, a carnal emotion. But genuine, spiritual love for Him, strives to please Him: it is an intensely practical thing, a principle of holy obedience. O how we need to examine our graces and test them by Scripture, to see whether our faith and love be genuine. We repeat that, reality and sincerity are the strengths of every Christian grace. That is why the Girdle of Truth comes first in the different pieces of armour.
The Girdle of Truth (corresponding to the military belt of the warrior) signifies, then, the mind being regulated by the Word of God, and guarded by real sincerity; and this alone will protect us against Satan's temptations unto slackness, of guile and hypocrisy. Only as this is “put on” by us, shall we be able to “stand against the wiles of the devil”: to “stand” is to so “resist” him that he does not throw us down. To “put on” the girdle of truth means applying the Word to the first movements of our minds. This is where Eve failed: she had received the Word, but not in the love of it. Instead of resisting the devil, she parleyed with him. Instead of the truth bridling her imaginations and desires, she cast it from her. How different with Christ! When Satan approached Him, He was girded with the girdle of truth: His thoughts were regulated by the Word, and there was an absolute sincerity Godwards. —A.W.P.
(Completed in the JULY issue.)
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