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In the book of Nehemiah we read about how the Israelites returned from captivity to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. They came with the blessing of King Artaxerxes, but not everyone was glad that Israel was returning to their land to rebuild Jerusalem and its walls. There were enemies in the land of Israel who sought to destroy and kill the Israelites, and keep them from returning to the land God had given to them.

Nehemiah was aware of these enemies, and so as he assigned tasks and went about overseeing the rebuilding of the walls, he instructed the workers to strap a sword to their side so that if enemies appeared, they could defend themselves in battle (Neh 4:18).

As we go about our own work as Christians, we too must keep a sword strapped to our side. Not a sword made from steel with which to kill other people—for our struggle is not against flesh and blood—but a spiritual sword with which to demolish spiritual enemies and defend ourselves against all the wiles of the devil.

The spiritual landscape is full of enemies. When Christians lay down their sword and neglect the study and application of Scripture, we end up losing ground to the devil when he comes in and attacks our work, seeking to stop us from building our spiritual walls, defending our moral borders, and rescuing the perishing in our midst.

So we must take up the sword and carry it with us as we follow Jesus into the world. Let us keep our swords at hand. Let us keep them polished and sharp. Let us know how to use them best.

This is the instruction we receive from Ephesians 6:17 as we look at the sword of the spirit. As with every other piece of armor, we will consider the sword in three ways. First, what the sword was and the way it was used by Roman soldiers in Paul’s day. Second, we will learn what the sword is for us as Christians in spiritual warfare. And third, we will discover how we can take up the sword for our use.

The Sword for the Soldier

Everybody knows what a sword looks like. And we have likely all seen pictures or movies of Roman soldiers carrying their sword. The swords that were typically used in Paul’s day were made of iron, and were double-edged. Like many swords, they came to a point, had a hilt, and a guard to protect the hand of the sword bearer. The Roman sword also had a metal knob at the base of the hilt which could be used to bash an enemy in the face or head if needed.

One surprising characteristic about the Roman soldier sword, however, was that the blade was only about 18 inches in length.

Typically, when we think of a sword, we imagine one that is about three to four feet long, such as those carried by European Medieval knights. If you had to choose between a sword that was 18 inches or three feet long, most people would choose the longer sword. But the Roman military preferred the shorter sword.

This was not because they did not have the longer swords. They did. The longer sword was called a rhomphaia or spathe, and was closer to what we would call a broadsword. It was six to eight feet long and was used to hack off the limbs and heads of enemy soldiers.

But due of its size and weight, it had to be used with two hands, which didn’t allow the soldier to hold a shield. And since they didn’t have the full metal armor like the knights had in the medieval times, a soldier without a shield left himself exposed to arrows and spears. So the longer sword was nearly useless for the close hand-to-hand combat style that was common in the days of the Roman Empire.

Therefore, the Roman soldiers were primarily trained in use of the short sword, called a machaira or gladius. This is the sword that Paul refers to here in Ephesians 6:17. This sword was light and could be maneuvered quickly and with ease. It also only required only one hand to use it, which allowed the soldier to carry a shield.

To make a machaira, or gladius, the blacksmith would take a soft core of steel and surround it with several layers of hardened steel. This allowed the sword to be strong enough to inflict serious damage, but also flexible enough to not snap or break in battle.

In training with this short sword, the soldier was taught to stab and thrust instead of cut or slash. The reason is because the cut, even delivered with force, frequently does not kill. It only wounds because of the protective armor and bone. But a stab nearly always penetrates into the body, and when thrust into the torso, as Roman soldiers were trained to do, they had a much higher probability of hitting a vital organ, thereby killing the enemy soldier instead of just wounding him.

This was the same for spears and pikes. While Roman soldiers did often carry spears and pikes, these were only used when the soldiers sought to advance their position against an enemy position. They would form up in a tight unit, which shields interlocked, and then advance forward while thrusting with their spears. Once they arrived at the desired position, they would use the short sword to hold the ground which they had just obtained.

In this way, the sword that Paul mentions here is primarily defensive.

We would think that of all the pieces of spiritual armor, the sword would be the one piece with which the soldier could attack the enemy, but this is not really the case. Even here, as with all the other pieces of armor, the short sword was primarily used for defense. It was not used to advance against an enemy army, but was used to defend a position on the field of battle which had already been gained.

Yes, although the short sword could be used to attack enemy soldiers, it was only used this way when the enemy soldiers advanced upon position that the Roman soldiers sought to maintain. This fits perfectly with the basic Roman military strategy of standing their ground on the field of battle.

Remember, Paul has stated numerous times in the context that our number one task in spiritual warfare is to stand our ground. And now we have seen that for the Roman soldier, even the sword was used to simply stand their ground. It was not primarily a weapon for attacking or advancing, but was simply to defend the soldier as he stood his ground. This tell us a lot about how the sword works for the Christian on the field of spiritual battle.

The Sword for the Christian

What is the sword for the Christian? Paul explains what it is in two ways. First, Paul states that this is the sword of the Spirit, and then secondly, Paul goes on to clarify that the sword is the Word of God. Some have confused Paul’s statement here by thinking that the sword is the Spirit; but it isn’t. Paul clarifies that the sword we use in spiritual battle is the Word of God.

But what is the Word of God?

Though the previous paragraphs have been referring to Scripture, the Word of God, as Paul writes of it here, is not precisely the same thing as the Bible. You see, many people think they have the sword of the Spirit if they have a Bible. But Paul does not agree. You do not have the sword of the Spirit if you own a Bible. You do not take up the sword of the Spirit by having possession of a Bible. We will discuss next about how to take up the sword of the Spirit, but in leading up to that, it is important to recognize that Paul does not use the normal term here for the Word of God.

Typically, when biblical authors want to refer to written Scriptures, they either use the term graphē, which means “writings,” or they use the term logos, which means “word.” Both terms refer to Scripture, in its entirety, as it was originally written down on paper by the original authors.

The graphē, the writings, or the logos, the Word of God, refers to what we call the Bible, as a written revelation from God. It is important to note that the second term, logos, can also refer to Jesus as the living, incarnate Word of God (cf. John 1:1-11). There is a written logos, the Bible, and a living Logos, Jesus, and both are divine revelations from God.

So which terms does Paul use here in Ephesians 6:17? Neither.

Instead, Paul uses the Greek word rhēma. This term differs from graphē and logos in that while these latter two terms refer to the entire written Word of God, rhēma refers to speaking individual verses or passages from Scripture to help or aid in a particular circumstance or situation.

This is how Paul used the word in Ephesians 5:26 when he wrote about the washing of water with the word. The written Scriptures do not cleanse us or wash us unless they are spoken to use and applied to our lives.

So while logos is the written Word of God, rhēma is when the written words of Scripture are spoken into our lives for encouragement, instruction, and correction. As Harry Ironside said: “The Bible is not the sword of the Spirit, it is the armory. There are thousands of swords in [the Bible] and every one of them is powerful and two-edged.”

If Paul meant that the sword of the Spirit was the Bible—he would have used the word logos. But he didn’t. He used the word rhema, which shows us that the sword of the Spirit is the individual verses and phrases and passages of the Bible which we can wield quickly in battle. The individual statements, promises, and truths of Scripture are useful for stabbing and thrusting into the weak spots of our enemy attackers.

Every time you memorize a verse, you have added another sword to your arsenal. Every time you learn a new truth about a verse, you have sharpened the blades on that sword. Every time you learn a new way to apply a verse, you have become quicker and more deadly in using that sword. This is why practice is needed in correctly handling and rightly dividing the word of truth (2 Tim 2:15). And when we practice using Scripture, the Word of God becomes powerful and effective.

It can destroy Satan’s arguments and defend us against his temptations (Matt 4:1-11). Remember, this is how Jesus defeated the temptations of the devil in the wilderness. When Satan came at Jesus with three temptations, Jesus used verses from Scripture as a way to fend of the attacks of the devil. We can do the same thing.

Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 that the Word of God helps us tear down enemy strongholds and the false and deceptive teachings spread by Satan. So you need to know the Word of God to defeat the enemy.

The Word of God can also pierce men’s hearts and show them the truth about their own sin and the only way of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. (Jer 23:29; Acts 2:37; Heb 4:12; Rom 10:17). When we share the Gospel with people, we need to use Scripture. Witnessing without the use of the Word is like trying to win a battle without a sword. The Spirit uses the Word of God to convict sinners and convince them of their need of Jesus Christ (John 16:7-11).

It provides comfort, encouragement, instruction, and correction as Christians (Mark 4:20; 1 Thess 2:13; 2 Tim 2:15; 3:16–4:4; 1 Pet 1:23–2:2). It is like a scalpel, carefully cutting away all the dead flesh and scar tissue that is left behind from our old way of life. It is a knife that cuts the bonds of sin that trip us up and drag us down. But it is also milk and meat (1 Cor 3:2; Heb 5:12; 1 Pet 2:2), providing us with sustenance and energy to grow strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.

The Word of God does all of these things and more for the Christian who knows how to use it. And since it does all of these things—keeping the enemy at bay, helping us bring light to sinners, showing us how to become more Christlike, the Word of God should be our constant companion. Like a sword, Scripture should always at our side, as a ready defense in times of need.

And just like the people of Israel in the days of Nehemiah as they went about rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, we need to make sure we always have our sword at our side, as we go about our days and do whatever it is Jesus has called us to do in life. Toward this end, let us consider a few brief ways to take up the sword as a Christian on the field of battle.

Taking up the Sword

Since the Sword of the Spirit is made of the individual promises and truths of Scripture, this means that the only way to take up the sword of the Spirit is to become familiar with the Scriptures.

The only way to arm ourselves with the word of God is to memorize, study, and learn the word of God. We must practice using the Scriptures. We must drill with the Bible. Through endless repetition and training, must learn the forms and stances of the Bible.

We must exercise with the Bible until it is stamped into our minds, so that when it is needed, our muscle memory kicks in and the use of the sword becomes second nature and automatic.

There are no short cuts or fast tracks. The only way to take up the Sword of the Spirit is to spend as much time as you possibly can in the word of God. Read it. Study it. Memorize it. Talk about it. Meditate upon it. Pray through it.

Think about it.

Just as the Roman soldiers spent hours every day drilling with their sword, so also, we must spend plenty of time drilling with ours. This is the only way to take up the sword of the Spirit so that it is ready and available on the field of spiritual warfare.

When I was younger, my parents sent me to summer Bible camp, and one of the activities I remember from this Bible camp were the “Sword Drills” as part of the chapel time. During the sword drill, the camp director stood up in front of the chapel, would shout “Bibles High!” and all of us would raise our Bibles into the air. Then he would shout a verse reference, such as “Ephesians 2:8!” and we would shout the verse reference back to him. Then, after a small pause, he would shout “Charge!” and we would all pull our Bibles out of the air and frantically flip through our Bibles for Ephesians 2:8. The first person to find it would stand up and read it. If they were right, they would get some points for their team. These sword drill were an early way of teaching us to use our Bible and find the swords within them.

It would be helpful, I sometimes think, for adults to do similar sorts of sword drills, but rather than trying to find Bible verses within the pages of Scripture, we would be invited to discuss what sorts of truths or ideas the Bible contains which would help us in the various temptations and troubles that life throws our way.

We could sit in a circle and say, “Very often, we feel like God does not love us and cannot forgive us for some sin we have committed. What truths or verses in Scripture can remind us of God’s infinite love and complete forgiveness?” (Some possible answers: John 3:16; Rom 5:8; 8:38-39; 1 John 2:1-2; 4:7-10).

Or someone could propose this: “A Jehovah’s Witness has just knocked on your door, and he is telling you that Jesus Christ was just a god, but He was not the one and only God. Where would you turn in Scripture?” (Answer: John 1; Mark 2; Luke 18). Or someone could say, “A coworker has gone through some troubling times in her life, and she walks up to you some day, and says, ‘You’re a Christian right? What must I do to get to heaven?’” What would you tell her? (Answer: John 3:16; 5:24; 6:47; 1 John 5:11-13).

Through such sword drills, we are training and practicing with the sword of the Spirit, learning to defend ourselves against the lies and deceptions of the devil. Through such practice with our sword, we are preparing to give an answer to anyone who asks about the hope we have in Jesus Christ (1 Pet 3:15).

We must know the Bible well enough so that we are ready for any challenge that comes our way. We must take it up in the morning, take it up on our lunch break at work, take it up at night with our family, and take it up as the last thing we do before bed.

Many Christians are weak and ineffective at defending themselves against the attacks of the devil because they have no skill with their sword. We might have the shiniest armor, the newest sandals, a perfect leather belt, and a helmet with no dents or rust, but if they cannot handle the word of truth, then Satan can press his attack with no though of getting harmed or chased off. He can take his sweet time in wearing us down until we fall to the ground from fatigue.

To truly stop the attacks of the devil, we must defend ourselves with a counter-attack, which we can only do with the sword of the Spirit. As we resist the devil in this way, he will flee from us, just as he fled from Jesus (Jas 4:7).

So what can you do? Study Scripture. Memorize Scripture. Learn what the Bible says and apply it to your life. Attend a Bible study. Read books and articles about the Bible. Listen to good teachings about the Bible on the radio or through podcasts.

And you must keep immersing yourself in Scripture, day in and day out, so that you know what the Scripture says and how to apply its promises to your life when lies and deceptions of the devil start to tear you down. If you want to have your sword with you in spiritual battle, you need to be skilled with the Word of God. And the only way to gain skill in Scripture is to practice using Scripture as much as possible.

Roman soldiers knew that their skill with the sword was their lifeline in battle. The better you were with your sword, the greater your chances were of survival. And so that is why the best soldiers spent almost all of their free time practicing with the sword.

The same is true for you.

Spend as much time in the Bible as you can. Fight the good fight. Become heroes of the faith. Take up the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. In this way, you will be able to stand our ground against our enemy the devil for the praise and glory of our commander and chief—Jesus Christ.

Do you want to learn about spiritual warfare and how to put on the full armor of God? If you want to defeat sin and gain victory in your life over temptation so you can better follow Jesus, take my course on the Armor of God as it is explained in Ephesians 6:10-20. This course costs $297, but when you join the Discipleship group, you can to take the entire course for free.

Putting on the Helmet of Salvation (Ephesians 6:17a)

By Jeremy Myers

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It has been said “You are what you eat.” A truer statement however is that “You are what you think.” Few people realize the significance of our thoughts. It is our thoughts that guide our lives, control our world, shape our future, and create our destinies.

This does not happen in a magical way, or through the much-discussed and often-mocked “power of positive thinking” but rather through a single basic principle of human psychology.

If you have ever been to a counselor, therapist, or psychologist, they will likely tell you at some point in your session that thoughts create emotions, and emotions lead to certain behaviors and actions. So our actions and behaviors are determined by how we think.

Therefore, if we want to change our actions, we must begin by changing our thoughts. To change how we act, we must begin by changing how we think.

If there is destructive habit in your life you wish to change, or a negative behavior you desire to get rid of, the first step in this process is to start thinking in new and different ways. These different thought patterns will lead to different emotions which will, in turn, generate new actions and behaviors.

This basic connection between thought patterns and human behavior is revealed all over the place in Scripture.

For example, Paul writes in Romans 12:1-2 that we can begin to transform our lives into what God wants and desires by the renewal of our minds. As we learn to think differently about ourselves and others, this leads us to live differently as well.

It is for this same reason that Paul instructs the Corinthians to take every thought captive, making it obedient to Jesus Christ (2 Cor 10:5). As we learn to control our thinking, conforming our thought patterns to the values and vision of Jesus Christ, our lives will change as well, becoming more like Jesus every day.

And then there is Philippians 4:8, where Paul tells his readers to think on whatever is true, noble, just, pure, lovely, right, and praiseworthy. Why? So that we can experience the peace of God in our lives and with other people (Php 4:7, 9). The entire world wants peace, and Paul says we can have it by changing how we think.

This is the truth we come to in Ephesians 6:17a as we look at the fifth piece of spiritual armor, the helmet of salvation.

We have seen already learned about the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the sandals of the gospel, and the shield of faith, and now we learn about the helmet of salvation.

As with the previous four pieces of spiritual armor, we will consider the helmet in three ways. First, we will learn how the helmet helped the Roman soldier in battle. Second, we will look at what the helmet is for the Christian, and how it can help us in life. Finally, we will learn how to put on the helmet of salvation.

The Helmet for the Soldier

The Roman soldiers had the best helmets in the ancient world. While many other nations used helmets made by wrapping cloth or leather around animals bones or hooves, the Roman helmet often had a chinstrap, a visor, and was designed to cover the back and sides of the neck.

The helmet in Paul’s day was most often made of heavy bronze or iron, and had additional pieces of metal which came down to protect the side of the face. The soldiers would often pack their helmets with some sort of cloth or padding to make them more comfortable on the head.

The highest ranking officers might also have helmets that were plated in gold or silver. Many helmets also sported large, colored crests or plumes made from feathers or horse hair. These were often used to signify rank or to show identification with a particular legion, but most archaeological evidence suggests that these decorations were not used in battle, but were only used during celebrations and military parades.

The helmet often had a little ring attached to the top of it, by which the soldier could fix the helmet to his belt or backpack when marching. The plume could also be attached to this ring. But since the helmets were hot and uncomfortable, the helmet was typically only worn during battle or military parades. At most other times, it would be taken off and set aside.

But what purpose did the helmet serve?

Obviously, just as with any helmet today, the helmet was designed to protect the head. Construction workers wear helmets to protect their heads from falling objects, football players wear helmets to protect their heads during clashes on the football field, and motorcycle riders wear helmets to protect their heads for when they get in an accident.

Similarly, the Roman soldier’s helmet protected his head from damage that would come from swords, arrows, and rocks on the battlefield.

In this way, the soldier’s helmet was a last line of defense.

The shield, which we considered in the previous section, was the first line of defense. The shield took most of the damage and was used to fend off the worst of the attacks. If any attack got past the shield, the soldier would hopefully be able to fend it off with his sword, which will be considered next. If the sword missed, it was probably best to take the attack on the breastplate.

But the helmet was the last line of defense.

Nobody wants to get hit on the head, even if they are wearing a helmet. If you have ever worn a helmet, you know that it does not feel good to have your head hit, even with a helmet on. No soldier would go into battle and stick his head out into harm’s way, thinking, “Go ahead and whack away on my head with your sword. It’s okay, because I’ve got my helmet on.”

No, the helmet is there so that if you get hit in the head, it will protect you from getting greater damage.

After all, it is much better to get a dent in the helmet than to get an arrow or sword in the head, right? Even a person who is wearing a helmet can receive great damage—such as a concussion—if they are hit in the head, but the helmet will protect the head from receiving even greater damage than if the helmet had not been worn at all.

But why is it so important to protect the head? Obviously, because that’s where the brain is! You protect the head because of what is actually inside your head—the brain. Without the helmet, if you sustain an injury to your head, depending on the damage, anything can happen from loss of certain bodily functions like walking or talking, to partial or complete loss of memory. You can get something like a concussion, or enter into a coma.

If the damage to the brain is severe enough, you could become paralyzed or even die. Furthermore, it is not just the brain that the helmet protects, but also the eyes, nose, ears, and mouth. Humans have five senses, and the helmet protects four of them.

With all of that in mind, let’s move on to discuss what the helmet is for the Christian.

The Helmet for the Christian

So what is the helmet for the Christian?

In Ephesians 6:17, Paul compares the helmet to salvation.

But what is salvation? When most people hear the word “salvation” they think of having their sins forgiven so they can escape hell and go to heaven when they die. Or something along those lines.

But this is not what “salvation” means in the Bible.

The word “salvation” (and similar words like saved and Savior) is the most misunderstood word in the Bible. Despite how the word is used by most Christians, there is not a single passage in Scripture which clearly equates it with gaining eternal life or going to heaven when we die.

So what does the word mean? The basic definition of “salvation” is “deliverance.” It means “to be rescued, delivered.” (My course, The Gospel Dictionary, will eventually have a lesson on the word “Salvation”.)

And we can be delivered, or rescued, from almost anything negative. Whenever you see the words “salvation” or “saved” in the Bible, you should pause, substitute in the word “deliverance” or “delivered” and then look in the context to discover what sort of deliverance is in view.

When you do this, you will see that salvation in the Bible is deliverance from enemies, sickness, premature death, the devastating consequences of sin in our life, and a wide variety of other calamities.

But not once does “salvation” refer to going to heaven when we die.

When the disciples are out in a boat on the Sea of Galilee and a great storm comes upon them, they cry out to Jesus, “Lord! Save us!” (Mark 4:35-41). When they say this, are they asking Jesus to forgive their sins and help them go to heaven? No. They want to be delivered from the storm. They don’t want to drown.

So here in Ephesians 6:17, when we see the word “salvation,” we should stop, substitute in the word “deliverance,” and then look in the context to discover what kind of deliverance is in view.

When we do this, we see that in the immediate context, we are struggling against the wicked spiritual forces that Paul listed in Ephesians 6:11-12. So the salvation of Ephesians 6:17 is the deliverance from wicked spiritual forces and their evil schemes. The helmet of salvation protects our minds, thoughts, will, and emotions from the wiles of the devil and the evil plans of the principalities and powers of this dark age.

Once we realize this, the astute student of Scripture might recall that salvation was also mentioned back in Ephesians 2:8-9. And not surprisingly, in the context of talking about salvation, Paul referred to the prince of the power of the air which is at work in this world to deceive and destroy (Ephesians 2:1-3).

So even in Ephesians 2, the salvation, or deliverance, that Paul has in mind, is deliverance from the wiles of the devil and the ways of wickedness that dominate this world. When Paul writes about salvation in Ephesians, he is not thinking about going to heaven when we die, but about living in this life free from the deceiving powers of wickedness that guide and direct the lives of most other people.

“Salvation” in Ephesians is to live free of satanic deception in this life, with our eyes open to see things as they really are so that we can know how to think about and treat other people.

Specifically, in Ephesians 2, Paul describes the exact form of deception he wants his readers to be liberated from. In Ephesians 2:11-22, Paul writes about the racial and religious divisions that occur between various people groups, and how these divisions were caused by the spirits of accusation and wickedness, but Jesus has torn all such divisions down.

In Jesus, we have seen the truth that all are accepted, all are loved, and all are forgiven by God. Since this is the truth revealed in Jesus, we can now live at peace with other people rather than at war with them. We can love and accept, rather than condemn and kill.

The greatest deception of the devil in this world is that God hates people who are not like us, who do not look like us, who do not behave like us, who do not believe like us, and that God wants us to condemn and shun them. Such ideas are the lies of the devil.

Jesus revealed the truth, and now, we who have seen that God loves, accepts, and forgives all, can live in similar ways toward others. When we do this, we will experience the salvation of God. We will experience peace with other people (Ephesians 2:14-18). This is what Paul has in mind when he writes about salvation in his letter to the Ephesians.

Salvation in Ephesians is not about going to heaven when die, but about living at peace with other people in this life.

Salvation in Ephesians is deliverance from the lies and deceptions of the devil that cause us to hate, condemn, and kill other people.

Salvation in Ephesians occurs when we change how we view and treat other people, especially those people we would rather hate.

So the helmet of salvation is a change in the way we think, view, speak, and talk about other people, especially those people we used to consider our enemies. How we view and treat other people all begins in the head, with how we think about them.

And since our thoughts come from the brain, this is why Paul equates salvation with the helmet. The helmet protects our head.

Our head, or our brain, forms our thoughts. Our head also contains our eyes, allowing us to properly see other people as loved, forgiven, and accepted by God. Our head contains our ears, allowing us to hear other people, with their perspective, ideas, and concerns. Our head contains our mouth, allowing us to speak friendly words of encouragement and acceptance toward others.

And this truly is what spiritual warfare is all about.

Previously, in Ephesians 6:12, Paul stated that our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the spiritual forces of wickedness.

Yet we humans continue to think that we struggle against other humans. The helmet of salvation reveals to us that we can be saved, or delivered, from thinking about other humans as our enemies. We can see that they are victims of spiritual lies and oppression just as we are, that they also are fellowship solders in this battle against the spiritual forces that wish to tear us down and pit humans against one another.

So in order to be saved from the lies that create disunity, hatred, bloodshed, and violence in our world, we must put on the helmet of salvation and learn to see others, think about others, and talk to others in ways that reflect Jesus, rather than in ways that reflect Satan.

Toward this goal, let us turn now to learn how to put on the helmet of salvation.

Putting on the Helmet

To begin with, we must first of all recognize that the helmet, like all the other pieces of spiritual armor, belongs to God. Isaiah 59:17 speaks of God putting on the helmet of salvation when He goes out to do battle against wickedness.

The fact that the helmet is something God wears when He battles against wickedness proves that this salvation does not occur when we gain eternal life so we can go to heaven when die, for God does not need such salvation.

But God does work to bring peace to this world by destroying the wicked works of the devil. God puts on the helmet of salvation to deliver the world from the lies and deceptions that lead people to hate and fight one another. God wants us to join Him in this struggle for peace, and so gives to us His helmet of salvation to wear.

So how do we wear it? How do we put on the helmet of salvation?

It begins with how we think about other people. The helmet protects our brain, and the thoughts of our brain guide our emotions, which in turn determine our actions. So if we want to treat people like Jesus treated them, we must learn to think about people the way He thought about them.

And what did Jesus think about people?

He thought every single person on earth was worth dying for. Jesus thought that each and every person had unsurpassable worth. Jesus infinitely loved every person, including those who hated Him and wanted to kill Him. When Jesus thought about people, He didn’t think of anyone as an enemy, but only as people who had been trapped by sin and the devil.

So we can begin to think about people in similar ways.

Rather than judge and condemn people who are different from us—whether they are of a different race or religion, of a different economic or political position, or of a different age or sex—we can start thinking about people as worthy of our love and concern.

We can refuse to believe that anyone is our enemy. We can begin to think about others as trapped in sin and deception, so that our job is not to fight against them, but to rescue and deliver them from their enslavement.

When we put on the helmet of salvation, we begin to think about other people differently.

But we also begin to see other people differently, for the eyes also are part of the head. We can view people as God views them.

God views all people as His children. He infinitely loves each and every person. He sees the dignity and value of every person, and desires that each person discover and develop their unique characteristics so that each person can shine with glory and beauty in this world.

God does not view any person with loathing or hate, but only with love and respect. God views each person as worthy of His time and attention. God never rejects anybody based on how they look, how they dress, or how they behave.

In God’s eyes, every person is beautiful and amazing to behold.

We can learn to develop similar eyes in viewing other people. Rather than try to get on another to conform to a mold or pattern of what we think the perfect Christian looks like, we can encourage one another to discover our unique areas of giftedness and passion, and then help one other pursue those with wild abandon (See my course on Spiritual Gifts for more about this.)

We can look at people as God views them, with eyes of wonder and amazement at our diversity.

We can view people as worth loving and knowing.

We can put on the helmet of salvation by learning to speak differently about other people. The Bible warns us everywhere about the dangers of the tongue, and so if we are going to fight for peace, love, and unity among all people, we must watch the words that come out of our mouths. We must speak the truth, but say it in love (Ephesians 4:11), so that others are built up, encouraged, and edified by what we say.

We must tell people that they are forgiven and accepted, not just by God, but by us as well. We must speaks words of beauty and praise to other people for the good things they do and the accomplishments they attain.

The words that come out of our mouths are one important way of donning the helmet of salvation.

Finally, related to the words we say, we can be careful about hearing the words that others say.

The Christian soldier who wears the helmet of salvation seeks to protect what comes into his or her ears, especially in regard to other people.

We will not listen to baseless accusations, slander, or gossip about others. We will not listen to negative and cutting remarks that someone might say about someone else. We will allow only statements about others that are positive and uplifting to enter into our ears. In this way, we will make sure that the helmet of salvation stays strapped firmly on our heads.

In all these ways, we wear the helmet of salvation, thereby creating and encouraging peace in this world. As we think about people, view people, and talk about people in ways that reflect Jesus, we will no longer view others the way the world does, as people who are different from us, and need to be shunned, condemned, or even killed.

Instead, we will begin to see that the vast array of differences are all part of the beauty of humanity, and that we can celebrate these differences with wonder and joy. In this way, we will be wearing the helmet of salvation, and will be led into the way of peace.

Conclusion

As you know, the Roman Empire eventually crumbled and no longer exists. At least not as a political power upon the earth.

And do you one of the factors that led to the decline of the Roman Empire? Some historians argue that the beginning of the downfall of the Roman Empire was when Roman soldiers stopped wearing their helmets. Gibbon, in his book (#AmazonAdLink) The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, notes that relaxation of discipline and the disuse of exercise made the soldiers unable to survive the fatigue of service. They complained of the weight of the armor and finally obtained permission to lay some of it aside—in particular, the helmet.

This lack of protection and discipline led to weaker armed forces and ultimately, to the decline and fall of the Roman Empire.

The church has been given an important piece of spiritual armor with the helmet of salvation.

It helps us maintain unity, love, and forgiveness within the church and in how we treat other people. The helmet of salvation creates peace between people groups who formerly were at war. It creates love where there was previously only hate.

But if the church sets aside the helmet of salvation and returns to the ways of accusation, blame, slander, hate, and violence toward other people, we will crumble and fall, just as did the Roman Empire.

So wear the helmet of salvation. Watch what you think and say about other people.

Make sure you view people with the eyes of Jesus Christ, as people of unsurpassable worth.

Speak to other people, or about other people, with words of love, grace, compassion, and forgiveness.

When we think, see, hear, and talk about other people in this way, we will be wearing our helmet of salvation and will be transforming this world into a place of love as peace, allowing the kingdom of God to live, thrive, and grow in our midst.

Taking Up the Shield of Faith (Ephesians 6:16)

By Jeremy Myers

The Shield for the Soldier

The Greek word Paul uses for shield in Ephesians 6:16 is thureon, which is the generic word for shield, but there were two kinds of shields used by soldiers in Paul’s day.

The first, called a parma shield, was smaller and round and could be used by moving the arm to defend a certain part of the body which was being threatened. It was about 3 feet in diameter, and was the lighter of the two shields. However, while this is generally the type of shield we think about when we imagine a soldier carrying a shield, it was not the shield of choice for the Roman legions.

The shield of choice was the scutum shield. It was somewhat larger in size, nearly four feet tall and about 2.5 feet wide, and weighed over 20 pounds. The shield was made by gluing several layers of wood together, similar to how plywood is made today, and was then covered with leather for extra protection and durability.

It was not a flat shield, but was somewhat curved so that the soldier could hide behind it if needed. This curve also allowed for rocks and arrows to be deflected from the shield, rather than hitting it directly. If the shield was flat, a rock or sword hitting the shield would cause more blunt force, requiring the soldier to expend more energy in absorbing the blow. But the curve of the shield allowed a large percentage of that power to be deflected off to the side, thereby conserving the soldier’s strength.

Due to its size and weight, the soldier was not able to move this shield around very well, and so once a soldier was in position, he would typically plant it on the ground and crouch behind it for protection while darting out with his right hand to attack enemies with his sword.

Remember, the strength and genius of the Roman military was their ability to stand firm and stay in once place on the field of battle, defending their small piece of land from any and all attackers. The shield served a significant role in this strategy.

Due to the nature of this shield, it was sometimes referred to as a “door.” To would a Roman soldier, the enemy first had to get past the door, that is, past the shield. These shields could also be interlocked by a line of soldiers to create a nearly impenetrable wall against attacking forces. Sometimes the front line of soldiers would create this shield wall, allowing a second line of soldiers to thrust with their spears over the top of the shields at the enemies on the other side. The shields could also be raised overhead to create a barrier against arrows and rocks from above.

Often, when seeking to advance on the field of battle, a number of soldiers would create a formation called a testudo, or “tortoise,” in which the soldiers would gather close together in a tight, square group, with the soldiers on all four sides creating a wall of shields, and the soldiers on the inside raising their shields above to protect from arrows and rocks.

In this way, they could advance onto almost any area of the battlefield with minimal damage, or even up to the gates of a city to set it on fire or to start tearing them down with a battering ram.

In this way, the shield also helped the Roman soldiers work together as a unit. The shields not only protected the soldier himself, but also the soldier on either side of them. The soldiers, remember worked as a band of brothers, as a unified whole, and the shields were one of the primary methods of defense for the soldiers on the shield of battle.

When a soldier fell, the two soldiers on either side would close ranks, protecting their fallen comrade from further damage, while the soldiers behind would drag the fallen soldier backward into safety and protection. So the shields were extremely effective in helping maintain unity and mutual protection among the soldiers.

Finally, the center of these shields often had a raised mound of bronze or iron that could be used as a weapon. The shield could be raised and bashed into the chest or face of an enemy soldier, causing blunt force trauma, possibly disabling the other soldier.

In light of all this, Paul’s choice of words in Ephesians 6:16 is interesting. He introduces the shield in a way that is unique from the other pieces of armor. He says, above all, taking the shield of faith. Some Bible translation say, “in addition,” which loses some of the force of what Paul appears to be saying. When Paul talks about the shield, he is not just writing about another piece of armor we are to take up and put on. He wants this one to be above all.

This doesn’t mean the shield is the most important piece of armor, for all of the pieces are critically important. Instead, Paul means that the shield is above all, over all, before all, or in front of all. The shield is the first line of defense for the Roman soldier. It was “the door.” You can’t get to the soldier unless you first all get past the door.

To get to any other piece of the armor, or to get to the soldier himself, the enemy had to get past the shield first. The shield not only protected the body of the soldier, but the other pieces of armor as well. Since the shield was over all, in front of all, and above all, the shield protected everything.

Specifically, Paul says in Ephesians 6:16 that the shield is the primary form of defense against the fiery darts of the wicked one. These fiery darts Paul writes about were the most advanced weapons in Paul’s day.

Archaeologists have discovered that some arrows and spears had tips made of a combustible material which was then lit on fire and shot or thrown into the enemy forces where it would ignite or even explode. Military forces also used some arrows and spears with hollow tips which were then packed with this combustible material. When it struck a soldier or a shield, it would splatter and burn.

This was before the days of gunpowder, so these weapons were ingenious and effective at decimating enemy forces. These fiery darts came in quickly so they were hard to see, and when they hit, they would burn or explode.

But Paul says that the shield is effective at quenching the most dreaded and cunning weapons of his day. They come in too quickly to react, but if the soldier has his shield in place, then he doesn’t need to see the flaming darts, for the shield will stop them.

In this way, the shield protected the Roman soldier from all sorts of attacks; the swords and spear attacks he could see, the rock and arrow attacks from above, and the flaming dart attacks that came in too quickly to see. The shield was above all and over all, protecting the soldier himself as well as the soldiers on either side.

So that how the shield worked and functioned for the Roman soldier in Paul’s day. Let us now consider what the shield is for the Christian.

The Shield for the Christian

(#AmazonAdLink) Paul states in Ephesians 6:16 that the shield is faith. He instructs us to take up the shield of faith. So what is faith? How do we get faith? And how do we know that we have faith? For example, since Scripture tells you to believe in Jesus for eternal life, how do you know that you have really believed? I have written a book on (#AmazonAdLink) the topic of faith, which answers these sorts of questions in much more detail, but let me summarize the content of that book for you here.

Many people are confused about what faith is, how faith works, and how to know if they have really believed something. Part of this confusion is because there are numerous popular illustrations used to describe faith which really only just obscure the reality of faith.

There is the illustration of the man pushing a wheelbarrow across Niagara Falls, saying that unless people get into the wheelbarrow with him, they don’t really believe he can do it. There is the illustration of faith as a deck of cards so that if you pull one out, the entire deck comes tumbling down. There is an illustration about faith being one wing on an airplane, with good works being the other wing, so that you need both to properly fly. All of these illustrations mislead and confuse people about the true nature of faith.

Then there are adjectives used to describe faith, such as head faith, heart faith, temporary faith, spurious faith, false faith, small faith, great faith, and numerous others which usually only create confusion about the nature and character of faith. Curiously, only two of those—small faith and great faith—are biblical and even these two are widely misunderstood and misapplied.

So what is faith?

Faith, as taught in the Bible, can be defined as a reasonable certainty about any truth claim or statement of fact.

In other words, if you know that something is true, then you believe it. We believe, or have faith, when we agree or give assent to a factual statement.

If you know that the earth is round, then you believe the earth is round. If you know that 2+2=4, then you believe that 2+2=4. If you know that the sky is blue, then you believe that the sky is blue.

So we have faith about something when we know it to be true. I know this explanation might raise more questions than it answers, and if so, I direct you to my book, (#AmazonAdLink) What is Faith? Let us turn now to see how to get faith, grow our faith, and know that we have faith so that, as Paul writes, we can quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.

And what are these fiery darts of the wicked one? While looking at how the shield worked for the Roman solider we also briefly considered how the fiery darts and flaming arrows functioned on the field of battle, so what are these fiery darts for Christians in spiritual warfare?

Since the wicked one is a reference to Satan and the wicked forces that Paul mentioned in Ephesians 6:12, the fiery darts are the weapons that Satan uses to trick and deceive us.

We previously discussed the one tactic and the three types of temptations the devil uses in sending these temptations. The wicked forces arrayed against us always questions the promises of God in an attempt to get us to fall prey to the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.

Yet even though we know what sort of weapons these wicked forces use, it doesn’t mean that we are always ready for them when they come. They are fiery darts that come in quickly and without warning.

Sometimes they come one at a time, like sniper fire from afar, while other times they fall in a heavy barrage, as a storm of arrows falling from the sky. When the hit, they are painful and destructive, causing great devastation in our lives.

Thankfully, the shield of faith causes the flaming darts to lose their fire and their force. The shield is able to protect us from each and every one of the trick, traps, and temptations that the devil sends our way. Not just some of them, but all of them.

And the shield doesn’t just stop the arrows; it is able to quench them. It snuffs out the flame of the fiery darts so that when they strike the shield, the shield does not burn, but remains intact and able to defend us on the field of battle.

But, just as with all the other pieces of armor, this protection is not automatic. Just as we have to put on the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness and the sandals of the gospel, so also we have to take up the shield of faith.

Taking up the Shield

Before we look at how to take up the shield of faith, it is important to be reminded that, just like all the other pieces of armor, this piece also is from God’s armory. The image of faith as a shield is everywhere in Scripture, but with a small twist.

For example, when we read that Abram believes God and his faith was credited to him as righteousness, we are told in Genesis 15:1 that God Himself will be Abram’s shield. God will protect Abram as Abram places faith in God.

We find this same idea throughout the entire Old Testament. The concept of God being our shield when we place faith in Him is found at least twenty times in the book of Psalms alone. Over and over again, God is described as our shield and fortress, the One who protects us from the enemy. In Psalm 91:4, God’s faithfulness itself is described as a shield, and in Psalm 76:3 we read that God breaks the arrows of our enemies. In Proverbs 30:5, we read that God is a shield to those who put their trust in Him.

So the little twist or surprise in Ephesians 6:16 is that when Paul tells us to take up the shield of faith, we learn from the Old Testament that the shield is actually God Himself. When we believe in Him and His promises, it is He Himself that protects us.

Think about what this means.

Remember that the shield Paul has in mind was like a wall, or a door, behind which the Roman soldier hid. The shield was considered to be the first line of defense. For an enemy to get to the soldier, the enemy first had to get past the shield.

But with God as our shield, what have we to fear? Nothing! There is nothing that is large enough, powerful enough, or strong enough to get past God when He has set Himself to protect us from harm.

Therefore, as Christians, we have nothing to fear from Satan, or wicked men, or future events. God is on our side. To get through to the other pieces of armor, the enemy has to get past God first.

As Paul writes in Romans 8:38-39, nothing in death or life, among the angels, principalities, or powers, in the present or the future, in heaven above or the depths below, nor any created thing, can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. He shields us and protects us from all such things.

Like the shepherd protecting the sheep in the pen by laying himself down as the door so wolves have to go through the shepherd to get to the sheep (cf. John 10:11-18), so also any fiery dart of temptation that comes our way has to first go through God, because He is our shield; He is our door.

When temptations do get through, and when we get wounded by the fiery darts of the devil, it is because we have dropped our shield. The only way the fiery darts of temptation get past the protective shield of God is when we have not properly taken up the shield of faith, as Paul instructions in Ephesians 6:16. When the shield drops, when we let down our guard, it is then that the fiery darts are able to get through and wound us.

So how do we take up the shield, and how do we keep it up? Since this is the shield of faith, we take it up by believing in what God has said. The more we believe, the more effective our shield becomes at protecting us from the fiery darts of the wicked one.

As we believe in God’s Word, God’s promises, and the truth revealed by God in Scripture, we are taking up the shield of faith and gaining the protection God provides.

But this is where the problem begins, because some people think that faith has to be “all or nothing.” I have talked with numerous people throughout the years who want to believe the Bible and what God has said, but there are some things in the Bible that they just cannot believe, such as the idea in Genesis 5:27 that Methuselah lived to be 969 years old, or that the world was created in six days (Gen 1), or that an ax head could actually float on water (2 Kings 6:1-7).

Some people don’t believe in God or some of the various truths of Scripture because they cannot believe that God would allow bad things happen in this world, or that God wants blood sacrifice and commanded the genocide of the Canaanites (I don’t believe God wanted the genocide of the Canaanites either … but I do believe God wanted the historical record of Canaanite genocide in the Bible… I will explain why in a future book).

And since they cannot believe some of these more difficult truth claims of Scripture, they decide they cannot believe any of it. They stop believing in God, in Scripture, and in what Jesus has showed us through His life, death, and resurrection. As a result, they drop their shield of faith entirely, and leave themselves open to the attacks of the devil.

But thankfully, faith does not work like this.

Biblical faith is not an “all or nothing” house of cards. It is completely possible to believe some, or many, of the things taught in the Bible, while being unsure about, or even not believing, many other ideas and concepts of the Bible.

Nobody becomes a Christian by knowing and believing everything in the Bible.

We become a Christian by knowing and believing a few simple facts about God, ourselves, and Jesus. We become a Christian by believing in Jesus for eternal life. Our shield of faith strengthens as we build upon these facts over time and as we come to learn and believe more truths from Scripture.

In other words, our set of beliefs grow over time as we follow Jesus on the path of discipleship and as believe more of what God has revealed in the Bible.

So to grow our faith, to walk by faith, to live by faith, and to take up the shield of faith, we must begin with the facts and truths we know to be true, and then build upon these ideas with more truths and ideas from Scripture.

Building our faith in this way allows our faith to act as a shield against the tricks, traps, and fiery darts of the devil. Our enemy tries to get us to doubt God’s promises and fall into the pitfalls of sin.

When we begin to think that God cannot love us because of what we have done, we can remember the promise of God in Romans 8:38-39 that nothing, absolutely nothing, can separate us from the love of God.

When we are tempted to think that God cannot forgive some sort of sin we have committed, we can remember the truth of Scripture that God has already forgiven us for all sins we have committed, past, present, and future (Col 2:13).

If you ever begin to wonder if you matter to God, all you need to do is believe the promises that God knows your name (Isa 43:1), knows every detail about you, even to the point of numbering the hairs on your head (Luke 12:7), has specifically gifted you with special talents and abilities so that you can serve a significant role in His plan for the world (1 Cor 12; Rom 12; Eph 4; 1 Pet 4), and wants nothing but the best for you and your life and He works nonstop to bring these good plans to fruition in your life (Prov 3:5-6; Heb 13:20-21; Jas 1:5).

When temptations to sin come our way, we can believe the promises of God that sin only leads to destruction (Matt 7:13-14; Rom 6:23; Jas 1:15).

When we face doubts about whether or not we have eternal life, we can remember the numerous promises of Jesus that anyone who believes in Him has everlasting life (John 3:16; 5:24; 6:47).

Do you see? As we come to learn and believe these promises of God, they become a shield and a barrier protecting us from all the lies of the devil.

Faith in the promises of God keeps us bold and strong in the face of sin, temptation, and doubt. This is why faith is so important to our life as a Christian.

Believing what God has said is the shield that protects us from the darts of the devil which question and challenge what God has said.

So where are you at with your faith? What is it that you believe? Start with the basics, and then go from there.

For example, do you believe that God exists? This is a basic biblical belief, but many people are not sure that there is a God. But a person cannot move on to believe much of anything in the Bible until they first believe that God exists. Thankfully, there are ways to learn that God does indeed exist, such as (#AmazonAdLink) books on apologetics and various evidences for the existence of God.

And once you come to believe that God exists, you can move on from that belief and add further beliefs to your system of beliefs. You will come to believe that God wants to communicate with humans, as He has done in various ways, such as through Jesus and the revelation of Scripture.

You will come to believe that Jesus is God in the flesh, and that Jesus explains how to receive eternal life and live this present life in the best way possible. You will learn how to treat other people with love, grace, and forgiveness.

As you learn all these things, you come to believe them, because you see that they are true. And as you develop this ever-widening system of beliefs that are based on the truth reveled in Scripture and through Jesus Christ, your shield of faith becomes ever-more effective at protecting you from the fiery darts of the wicked one.

The temptations and doubts he shoots at you are quenched before they can reach your mind and heart.

God, as our shield, protects us from all harm. Living by faith in the promises of God eventually allows you to walk by faith in what God has said He will do, for you know that God is on your side and God will do what He has said.

So take up the shield of faith. Believe in what God has said. Then go forth with the certain knowledge that victory is at hand.

Putting on the Sandals of the Gospel (Ephesians 6:15)

By Jeremy Myers

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In Ephesians 6:15, Paul instructs Christians to “shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace.” This is another piece of the armor of God, even though Paul doesn’t specifically mention a piece of armor. Since he writes about having something on our feet, he is clearly referring to the sandals that Roman soldiers wore into battle.

So Ephesians 6:15 is referring to the Sandals of the Gospel. And as we did with the belt of truth and breastplate of righteousness, we will consider the sandals in three ways.

First, we will look at how the sandals were used by the Roman soldiers in battle. Second, we will consider how Christians are to use them in spiritual battle. Finally, we will learn how Christians can put on the sandals of the gospel as we fight alongside Jesus in spiritual warfare.

The Sandals for the Soldier

The sandals of the Roman soldier were very similar to some sandals you might see today. They were made primarily from leather and were fastened to the feet with leather cords that went around the ankle and partway up the calf.

Upon initial inspection, the sandals appear to be quite flimsy, providing little protection or stability to the soldier. But such was not the case.

The sandals were light and airy, which allowed the feet to breathe and stay cool and dry, even when the soldier marched, worked, or stood guard all day long.

While a soldier might have sore feet after marching 25 miles, they would not have blisters, and they would quickly and easily dry after marching through a stream or river. The leather strips were designed in such a way so that they did not rub or cause sores on the feet, ankles, or calves.

One aspect of the sandals, however, made them essential pieces of armor for the Roman soldier, and this aspect to the sandal set these sandals apart from those that the average Roman citizen might wear around town or in the marketplace.

The Roman soldier sandals were fitted with metal spikes on the bottom of the sole. These spikes helped them maintain their footing. The spikes allowed them to—in the words repeated four times in Ephesians 6:10-14—stand firm in the battle.

Often, the soldiers would be fighting in slick or muddy terrain. The grass and soil might get trampled and become slippery with dew, rain, or blood. The spikes on the bottom of the sandals helped the soldier maintain his footing in battle. It helped the soldier stand firm.

It is similar to the shoes that many athletes wear today. Track, soccer, football, and baseball shoes all have some sort of spikes or plastic knobs on the bottom to help the athlete maintain their speed and footing while playing on the field.

The sandals of the Roman solider provided similar stability. While they sandals did not provide much in the way of protection, they certainly helped soldiers stay on their feet in the midst of battle. After all, a soldier flat on his back because he tripped or slipped is at a great disadvantage to an enemy solider who is still on his feet.

So these sandals had one purpose: to keep the soldier on his feet.

The spikes and studs on the bottom of the sandals were also used as weapons. When enemy soldiers fell before an advancing Roman legion, the Roman soldiers would stomp on the fallen combatants, thereby inflicting greater harm and damage on the soldier, making it much less likely for them to rise up and fight again.

What then are the sandals for the Christian?

The Sandals for the Christian

In Ephesians 6:15, Paul states that the sandals are the preparation of the gospel of peace.

There are three key terms in this phrase that must be considered before we can know what the sandals are for the Christian: preparation, the gospel, and peace. Let us consider the central term first, the gospel.

The word gospel means “good news,” and when it is used on Scripture, it refers to all the good news about Jesus.

The gospel is not just the good news about everlasting life and how to spend eternity with God. The gospel is also about how to live this life now, in friendship and fellowship with God and with each other, and also in fulfillment of who God made us to be. The teachings and example of Jesus show us the truth about all such things.

So the biblical gospel is every truth related to the person, work, and teachings of Jesus Christ, not just about how to gain eternal life, but also how to live our lives now as God wants and desires.

Lots of people get confused about what the gospel is and how to share it with others. That is why there is so much confusion in Christianity today about the nature and message of the gospel.

And while it is true that the gospel is centered on the person, work, and teachings of Jesus Christ, it is essential to recognize that there is one central truth of the gospel which forms the foundation for all other gospel truths.

The one central gospel truth is this: Jesus gives eternal life to those who believe in Him for it.

This truth can be stated in various ways. For example, we could say, as Paul does, that justification is by faith alone in Jesus Christ alone, or as we read numerous times in the Gospel of John, eternal life is by faith alone through Jesus Christ alone.

The gospel is good news and this is the best news there is. But you must get this central truth firmly set in your mind before the rest of the gospel makes any sense. If this central gospel truth is not firmly planted in your life and theology, the gospel of good news quickly becomes bad news.

You see, there are lots of Christians who think that in order to gain eternal life, or keep eternal life, they have to perform a set of good works.

Some Christians think they have to get baptized, or attend church, or read their Bible and pray every day. Others believe that they have to live a good life and try to obey the Ten Commandments in order to keep their eternal life or prove that they have it.

But as soon as they start to add these sorts of good works to the central promise of the gospel, eternal life is no longer free, but becomes something we have to work for in order to gain or keep.

And when eternal life is something we have to work for, it is no longer attainable, because we can never be good enough, or work hard enough to gain, keep, or prove that we have eternal life.

Eternal life is based solely and completely on the promise of God that He gives eternal life to anyone and everyone who simply and only believes in Jesus for it (cf. John 3:16; 5:24; 6:47). Only by recognizing the freeness of the gospel are we then able to live our lives with assurance, stability, and peace.

This is why Paul calls refers to the gospel as the gospel of peace.

Once we know that we have eternal life through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone, peace enters into our lives because we no longer have to worry about where we stand with God.

We no longer have to strive to perform enough good works.

We can know with complete certainty and assurance that we are part of the family of God, that He has accepted us and welcomed us into His family, and that there is nothing we can do to separate ourselves from His love (Rom 8:38-39).

There is great peace in knowing that we are safe and secure in the arms of God.

When you do not know that you are safe, your life becomes filled with doubt and fear, which causes you to stumble and fall into the mud and muck of life. You also become fearful of stepping out in faith to follow Jesus into dark and dangerous places on the battlefield of life.

If you don’t know for sure that you have eternal life, or if you are afraid that there is something you can do which will cause you to lose your eternal life, then you will become immobilized with fear.

But when you know without a shadow of a doubt that you are safe, then you can step out in faith to follow Jesus wherever He leads, because you know that He will never let you fall, that you are safe and secure with Him.

Such knowledge will also allow you to interact with other people in ways that bring peace to their lives also.

Paul calls these sandals the gospel of peace, and this is not just peace with God, and personal peace in your life, but also peace with other people.

Ephesians 2 is all about how Jesus created peace on the cross, not just between God and ourselves, but also between ourselves and all other people on earth. Jesus broke down the religious dividing walls of hostility that exist between various groups of people.

Jesus showed us, through His sacrificial death on the cross, how to die to ourselves and create peace with other people.

So the gospel truly is a gospel of peace. It brings peace to our own lives, and it also creates peace between ourselves and other people.

So the gospel of peace is the good news about Jesus that leads to peace in all areas of our lives.

The third key term, then, is preparation.

Paul writes that we are to shod our feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace. The sandals are not precisely the gospel itself. Rather, the sandals are the preparation of the gospel.

The preparation of the gospel is accomplished in two ways. We become prepared in the gospel by first knowing what the gospel message is, and then secondly, by preparing and planning to share it with others through our words and our actions.

Just as the sandals helped keep the soldier on his feet in battle, being prepared to share the gospel with others will help you stay on your feet as a Christian.

If you are not really clear what the gospel is, and if you don’t really know how to share the gospel with others, then you don’t really know if you yourself have believed the gospel or if you have believed the right thing, or believed enough.

We must, as Peter writes, always be prepared to give an answer to anyone who asks to give the reason for the hope that we have in Jesus Christ (1 Peter 3:15).

Just like with the other pieces of spiritual armor, it is not enough to own the sandals, you have to put them on. In order to get firm footing on the slippery ground of life in this world, you need to put on your sandals.

You need to get those steel-studded soldier sandals so that you can have firm footing and not slip around in fear and uncertainty while on the field of battle. And Paul says we put on the sandals by being prepared with the gospel of peace.

You must be prepared by knowing how the gospel impacts your own life, and you must be prepared in knowing how to share and live the gospel with others. This is what we learn in the final section: how to strap the sandals of the gospel on your feet.

Putting on the Sandals

We already know from the previous section what the gospel is, but it is important to elaborate on the gospel a little bit further in order to properly prepare ourselves with the gospel.

The gospel is every truth and concept related to the person, work, teaching, and ministry of Jesus Christ.

This means that there are thousands and thousands of gospel truths. After all, since the entire Bible is somehow related to the person and work of Jesus Christ, this means that every biblical truth is a gospel truth.

Since there are so many gospel truths, this is why the gospel presentations of Christians becomes so garbled. Some Christians prefer to share one set of truths, while other Christians prefer to share a different set of truths.

For example, many Christians like to talk about the death and resurrection of Jesus. And these are good things to talk about, for they are gospel truths (cf. 1 Cor 15:1-8). But other Christians like to get into prophecies about Jesus, or how all people are sinners in need of grace. These too are gospel truths and can be mentioned.

But you can see how it gets confusing for Christians and non-Christians alike. One person shares one set of gospel truths and another person shares a different set, and both claim that they are sharing the gospel.

But if we can focus on one central idea, this helps bring every gospel explanation into proper focus. There is one central gospel truth to which all other gospel truths point, and it is this: Jesus gives eternal life to anyone who believes in Him for it.

Or to state it another way, eternal life is received by grace alone through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone.

This is the central truth of the gospel which must always be kept in mind, and which must always be our focus. Once we keep this truth in the center, all other gospel truths flow from it and support it.

So is it true that Jesus died on the cross and rose again from the dead? Yes. And you can share these gospel truths with people if you want. These truths helps support and defend the idea that the promise of Jesus can be trusted. If Jesus was just any other person, then when He died, He would have stayed dead.

But the fact that God raised Jesus from the dead, proves that Jesus was who He said He was, and is able to offer what He offered, namely, eternal life. The death and resurrection of Jesus proves that Jesus can give eternal life to those who believe in Him for it.

Can we talk about prophecy and human sinfulness? Sure! Prophecy about Jesus helps show that God was planning and preparing the world for the truth that would come through Jesus, which is that we don’t need good works and religion to earn our way back into God’s good graces.

From the very beginning, God predicted and promised that He would send a Messiah who would show the world the one true way back to Him, which is through faith alone in Jesus. Due to our sinfulness, we can never be good enough to work our way into God’s family, so He freely welcomes us into His family when we believe in Jesus.

Do you see how the one central truth of the gospel helps bring clarity to every other truth of the gospel? The truth of eternal life by grace alone through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone is the central, unifying truth of the gospel which pulls all of the rest of the gospel truths together into a coherent whole.

When you keep this central truth in mind, you can share a lot of other gospel truths with others without sounding like you are speaking gibberish. You can share a lot of truths, or a few truths. You can answer questions and objections they might have. The gospel becomes simple to share with others, because you no longer have to worry if you have shared enough truth or the right truth. You have one simple truth to share, and everything else flows from that.

When you share the gospel with others, keep it simple and keep it scriptural. Share the central gospel truth with others the same way Jesus did. Whenever Jesus told someone about how to receive eternal life, He told them to believe in Him for it. If this was good enough for Jesus, it should be good enough for us. We do not need to try to change these words or improve upon them. For example, I hear many Christians invite others to do one of the following things:

Believe and ___________ (Repent, confess, be baptized, etc.).
Accept Christ as your Lord and Savior.
Repent of your sins.
Confess your sins.
Be sorry for your sins.
Be willing to give up your sins.
Confess Christ.
Follow Christ.
Accept Jesus as your personal savior.
Commit/submit/surrender your life to Christ.
Put Christ on the throne of your life.
Turn your life over to Christ.
Give your heart/life to Christ.
Let go and let God.
Believe in God.
Have faith.
Believe that Jesus died on the cross.
Ask/invite Christ into your heart/life.
Pray this prayer.
Walk an aisle.
Come forward.
Raise your hand.
Sign this card.

Some of those things are good things to do. Some of them are even biblical things to do. But not a single one of those is stated anywhere in the Bible, or ever used by Jesus, Paul, or any other biblical author, as a way to receive eternal life.

In fact, a person can do or believe every single one of the items on that list, and still not believe in Jesus for eternal life.

Some of the items on that list are good works, so when we use them, we are telling people to perform good works in order to receive eternal life.

So when Christians start to use practices and phrases like these as a way to share the gospel, it gets confusing for them and for those who hear us.

Rather than use such muddled messages, let us use the words that Jesus used and simply invite people to believe in Jesus for eternal life. It’s simple; it’s clear; and it’s biblical.

Now, this central gospel truth about eternal life also helps us in our own life. As indicated earlier, it helps keep us on our feet as followers of Jesus. If you don’t know that you have eternal life, then you will be uncertain about what you need to do, or how good you need to be, in order to gain eternal life.

This uncertainty creates much fear and instability in your life.

But once you believe in Jesus, and you know that you have eternal life as a result, you no longer have to worry about whether you are doing enough, or obeying enough, or performing enough good works.

Instead, you can step out in faith to follow Jesus without fear because you know that He will keep you safe and secure, no matter what.

Once we know we have eternal life in Jesus, we can begin to practice all the rest of the gospel truths that are contained in Scripture. After all, if the gospel contains every truth related to the person and work of Jesus Christ, and since many truths related to Jesus are about how to live our life here and now, then this means that the gospel contains many truths about how we are to live.

The gospel is not just about what we believe or what we say, but also about what we do.

But again, if we think that we need to live a certain way in order to gain or keep eternal life, then we will live in constant fear and will never be surefooted on the field of spiritual battle.

But maintaining a hold on the central truth of the gospel, that eternal life is the free gift of God to anyone who believes in Jesus for it, helps us then maintain a proper perspective on the purpose of every other gospel truth. Many of the other gospel truths are given to help us live in this life the way God wants and desires.

When we live out the truths of the gospel, we will get rid of sin in our lives, because sin trips us up and causes us to stumble into the muddy ground at our feet. When we live out the truths of the gospel, we will love our enemies, forgive others, and serve those who mistreat us and abuse us.

In other words, we will be creating pockets of peace in our lives and in the lives of those around us. We will be standing on our feet in the field of battle, living out the truths of the gospel of peace with those who surround us. We will have our feet firmly planted on the ground.

So do you have your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace?

You must first know that you have eternal life by faith in Christ.

This will then allow you to know how to simply and clearly share this message with others.

And finally, the clear and central gospel message will enable you to live out the rest of the gospel in your life right now.

This is how you shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace. Knowing the central truths of the gospel, knowing how to share it with others, and knowing how to live in light of the gospel will greatly aid you in staying on your feet during spiritual battle. It will keep you from becoming muddled and unclear as you bring good news of peace to a world that needs to hear.

Good Questions About the Death of Jesus that Make no Sense

By Jeremy Myers

11 Comments

A reader sent an email today with these questions:

If Jesus died in the place of others, why does everyone else also die?
If the penalty for sin is hell forever, and if Jesus paid the penalty for all the sins of the world, why is Jesus not the only one in hell forever?
Did God punish Jesus by making him die and go to hell, or did God reward Jesus by raising him up from death and lifting him up to heaven?
If Jesus died on a Friday afternoon and rose from the dead by the next Sunday morning, was the penalty for all the sins of the world less than two days dead?
If God punished Jesus for all the sins of others by making him die on a cross, why are Judas Iscariot, Pontius Pilate, and Caiaphas not all heroes and saints for fulfilling the will of God?
If people should rejoice at the suffering and death of Jesus, as if his pain were their gain, should they mourn his resurrection and ascension, as if his gain is their pain?
If we live because Jesus died, do we die because Jesus rose to live again?
If people go to heaven because Jesus went to hell, do people go to hell because Jesus went to heaven?
Did the crucifixion of Jesus cancel the sins of others, or was it really the worst sin of all?
Would God be just if He punished the innocent in place of the guilty?
If Jesus paid the penalty for all the sins of others, and salvation in unconditional, is not everyone saved, no matter what he believes, says, or does?
If the purpose of Jesus was to die, why did his story not end with his death?
If good deeds make no difference, because no one can earn salvation, why did Jesus say so much about what persons should and should not do?
How could the penalty for sins be paid hundreds of years before those sins were done?
If Jesus, like a scapegoat, took away our sins when he died, did he bring back our sins when he came back from the dead?
How could Jesus be a substitute to go in our places and also be a leader and example whom we should follow?
If we do not follow Jesus, but he goes one way so that we can go another way, how do we expect to end up where he is?
If Jesus were God, and God demanded that Jesus die to pay the penalty for the sins of everyone else, did God commit suicide?

As I read through these excellent questions about the death of Jesus, I realized that I couldn’t answer ANY of them because I didn’t accept the presuppositions that were within each question.

For example, with question #1, I do not believe Jesus died in the place of others. I do not believe in “substitutionary” atonement.

With question 2, I do not believe that the penalty for sin is hell forever.

With question 3, I do not believe that God punished Jesus by making him die and go to hell…

And so on throughout the list of questions….

This is the problem with the vast majority of theology today. We are asking wrong questions because we are beginning with wrong ideas about God, Jesus, sin, and hell.

All of the questions above disappear when we learn just a few things from Scripture. Like what?

God does not require punishment for sin, or blood payment to forgive.
God is infinitely gracious, forgiving, and loving.
Jesus didn’t die to appease God or buy forgiveness from God.
Hell isn’t what you think…

Start with those ideas, and the way you read and understand the Bible will forever be transformed. If you want help, here are three books to get you started:

(#AmazonAdLink) The Atonement of God
(#AmazonAdLink) Nothing But the Blood of Jesus
(#AmazonAdLink) What is Hell?

Enjoy!

Taking Up the Sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:17b)

The Sword for the Soldier

The Sword for the Christian

Taking up the Sword

Putting on the Helmet of Salvation (Ephesians 6:17a)

The Helmet for the Soldier

The Helmet for the Christian

Putting on the Helmet

Conclusion

Taking Up the Shield of Faith (Ephesians 6:16)

The Shield for the Soldier

The Shield for the Christian

Taking up the Shield

Putting on the Sandals of the Gospel (Ephesians 6:15)

The Sandals for the Soldier

The Sandals for the Christian

Putting on the Sandals

Good Questions About the Death of Jesus that Make no Sense

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