Foundation of Armor

Foundation of Armor

10/5/16

Everyone likes to be protected and to have the best possible defense at the ready when trouble has been spotted.  Accurate and up-to-date armor is required for such a defense posture and for offensive measures as well.  It is the responsibility of the person or group using such armor to maintain its upkeep and status while using the chosen protective devices.  God also has His armor so that His children can protect themselves from our true enemy when the attacks invade our lives.  Maintenance and thorough wise inspections are necessary when placing God’s armor on because just as physical protection the spiritual aspect of our existence totally depends on the well suited and properly addressed attire.  Do we know the foundation of such an all-purpose spiritual armor?

There was a very tense period of time after World War I concluded with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles.  The majority of the nations around the world directly involved in the fighting or not suffered considerably due to this massive conflict that claimed millions of lives and ruined countless amounts of families.  It has been stated that this gigantic war touched every family in Europe that was in existence during that time period and thus was dubbed the “War to End All Wars”.  Little did humanity know that even after this terrible event had concluded war would still ravage nations in the future.  Some leaders saw this fact as an opportunity to build up their arsenals and use these articles for offensive purposes at a later time yet others ignored these calls and maintained the current status quo for their protection.

During WWI, Poland was an exemplary army and posed as a major threat to the opposing enemy.  Their military minds and hearts functioned at top speeds and conducted one of the finest hours in Polish military history.  The Polish military fought on level terms with the best militaries from around the world and built a reputation for having one of the finest cavalry systems ever established.  The Polish cavalry proved to be an essential fighting force for the armies it supported and gave a great deal of strength to those armies as well.  The usage of horses was not a new concept in warfare and some of the mightiest victories were won with excellent combat tactics using such procedures, the Polish advanced at this tactic during WWI and was proven to be such a force.

Armored vehicles and its concept were in its infancy when WWI broke out and while armored vehicles made an advance statement they really proved to be a hindrance in trench warfare.  The interwar years gave rise to the modern engine which demonstrated more power and resulted in faster speeds for those who dreamt of riding in the mechanized horse.  Some people within the military had greater ideas for the armored carriers and weapons and thus implemented certain new tactics by using these scaled down versions of WWI tanks.  While few nations supported this new armored concept many scoffed at the chance to be involved in the development of such a new weapon.

Poland fell into this scoffing category and due to its positioning and ideologies at the military top with horses still ruling the hearts of the leaders and thus groomed as the future of the Polish military.  As further developments in armored technology advanced some of Europe’s most powerful armies accepted this new mobile tank technology and began producing these giants for their protection.  As we all know, Germany, France, and Britain all had tanks in their Order of Battle but it was the Germans who had the military masterminds behind the tactics of this warfare and used it to their advantage while making plans to sweep through all of Europe.  Poland and its horse cavalry units were obliterated in minutes because a sword coming up against an armored tank is not even a contest. Poland had failed to upkeep its military standard with the rest of the pack and through their choices was slaughtered and their country overrun within a few weeks.  The world then was witness to one of the greatest travesties that mankind had ever known World War II.  Most of us can conjure up a notion of what atrocities occurred during this time period and what the consequences of the unprepared conditions of such nations, groups, and people resulted.

Many of us are familiar with the New Testament passage of Ephesians 6:10-18 states and how it gives the Spiritual Order of Battle for our protection against our eternal enemy.  But while these great protective devices are excellent tools for our defense and offensive objectives against our enemy many of us do not understand what the foundation of these tools are and where they originate, we must always keep in mind that in this spiritual war there are no squires present.  It does not matter if a person watches another person dress this armor nor does it matter if we put on the armor itself if we do not understand its foundational material and how it works.  Remember the old cartoon where a young boy was chosen to go out and fight against the enemy who was calling his unit out?  The young boy did not have any armor or protection at all so the other men in the unit gave him a piece of theirs which was huge on the boy and served the young boy no purpose because while it was great armor for them end it was way too big for the boy.  The unit did not take into consideration first that the young boy may be called upon to fight; totally unprepared. 

So, how do we really know that truth is supposed to be guarding our loins, or how to use the shield of faith, or even what the helmet of salvation actually means and all of the remaining pieces of the protection that God wishes for us to survive our fight? It is these questions that God wants us to understand so that we may have the full armor of His Word and to wisdom to know where the origins lie with His armor.  It is always loosely stated that God takes care of all our needs and that He is our provider for all necessities.  This is one of the foundational truths of God and one that cannot change, but if we do not live within His confines and laws our wisdom becomes intelligence and therefore we fall short because of our own choice of limitations.  See, a bullet will not penetrate a sheet of armor that is properly made and correctly put into place, but if the sheet of armor does not have these perfect standards present a person who is adequately trained can fire a bullet into the weak areas and cause serious damage to those inside the tank or armored vehicle.  ALL aspects of that armor need to be understood for both the defensive and offensive sides of the battle and the same is true for the spiritual Armor of God.

It does not matter if one is referring to an individual home or a nation, those in charge of such must be aware that there are enemies out there that wish to do you and your establishment harm.  On all levels of habitation, we must have the capability to defend ourselves and it goes without saying that God believes in this tactic because He has given us the prime examples of defensive and offensive armor so that we may complete the mission that His Son gave us to do.  Remember, God is a complete God so if He speaks concerning one aspect of our lives He means for the same to be true in the remaining portions of our lives. Therefore, we must understand where the Armor of God receives its power and authority and where it originates.

There are a few more passages that we must use in this article in order for us to understand the foundations of the Armor of God and while the example used so far has been from the New Testament, the remaining passages will come from the Old Testament.  In Genesis Chapter 15: 1-17 gives us a look of who initiates a covenant with mankind and the person who initiates this binding and legal contract is God which means that everything that occurs in mankind’s life is subject to this contract.  It is through the Covenant that we have our protection and receive the protection of God.  This Covenant is not one that God can just get out of or find the loophole so that He can void His will.  Through the words of His Word, God personally burns and consumes the sacrificial offering of Abraham which means that God began this Covenant and He ended it with this example. There is nothing left after total consumption by fire.

The word God used in Ephesians Chapter 6:11 is the same translated word “God” as is used in Genesis Chapter 15:1 when God speaks to Abram and tells him not to be afraid for He is his shield.  Now, while Hebrew is considered, and is, to be a higher language than Greek, I find this very interesting that both the words Lord and shield are used in this verse and represent identical meanings for our lives.  This verse also ties the foundation of the Armor of God to the Covenant that mankind has with God.  This means that as God identifies Himself to Abram in this vision God initiates the process of His Covenant with mankind which means that this Covenant cannot be broken or violated by God.  Covenants were not unusual in the Old Testament times but many all of them were human originated, not through God.  It is the origin of this Covenant that differs, mankind will almost always find or initiate ways to overturn these agreements, God cannot, God’s Covenant is 100% intact and eternal at all times.

In Genesis 15:1 God uses the word shield and describes Him as such an instrument for Abram’s protection.  In Ephesians 6:16 states that the shield of faith is above all the most important tool and weapon we have against our enemy.  I find it fascinating that this word “shield” God uses in the Old Testament to describe Himself and that Paul uses this word as an identifier to the Armor of God.  Both settings use two words that define both the origins of the Armor of God and those are Covenant and God, a coincidence that proves to be a fact.  There will be more to come concerning Covenant and how important it is in our lives in the near future.

Genesis 15 explains this process of Covenant and what it means to both God and mankind.  In ancient, Middle East, this ritual was popular with all the land and had a great deal of substance to its fulfillment.  When two human groups, various peoples, etc performed this ritual it had every stability of being taken seriously especially in times of need, and as we all know, when humans get involved with these types of circumstances things can become a bit technical and hairy when good times fall apart.  Humans love to find ways to escape such pacts and justify their means by actions of the other parties involved, a disgrace to the definition of the word covenant.  But when God makes a Covenant with mankind it is totally opposite of what humans believe and many times wish to adhere to which in the end can prove to be very costly for the human.

God is perfect in every way possible, so much that our limited and finite minds cannot comprehend this perfection.  God is also eternal and our minds fall into the same category of non-compliance with this truth.  It is this aspect of God that He brings to the Covenant table, which marks a completely different level of play according to the definition of Covenant.  Once God makes His Word manifest He cannot withdraw it, rescind it, or change it in any way because if He does then He is a liar and cannot truly proclaim that He is the original Creator of everything.  This means that once His Covenant with mankind has been established He cannot go back on His Word and therefore cannot violate the Covenant He has established.

God is eternal and it is through this eternal and pure status that defines the Covenant as all binding for eternity.  This means that the originator of Covenant cannot in any way break what He has established and since it is eternal there is, by this portion of the definition alone, no way that the Covenant can be broken which in turn means that it can only be violated.  Also, since God is God and is pure and holy in every manner He cannot violate this Covenant in any way, shape or form either.  With this fact stated, that means that there can only be one party involved in this Covenant that can do wrong, you got it the human.  The question that is now presented is why would anyone wish to violate this eternal agreement with God?

Through this definition of Covenant and everything that it stands for means that the very defensive and offensive measures God has originates from Him. And since Genesis 1:1 States that in the beginning God, this means that God was already present when the beginning of life itself was made.  This everlasting presence is a subject that is difficult for us to fathom but at the same time, it is the foundation of faith that we so desperately need as the children of God.  God who is eternal cannot die or fade away and if He serves as the origin for the Covenant that means that by default Covenant cannot fade away or die either.  Then this means that Covenant is the foundation or covering for the Armor of God which Galatians mentions.  This means that if we do not fully live within Covenant measures we are in violation with life itself and cannot receive total benefits from what God has provided. Covenant separates us from the world and it is the world which serves as the holding ground for God’s eternal and immortal enemy Satan, who is our eternal and immortal enemy as well.  God has provided us with the perfect spiritual defense through His Armor and at the same time this holy and pure armor can be used as the perfect offensive weapon to advance God’s Kingdom.

This is why it should come as no surprise that our enemy does his best to deceive us by telling us that we do not need to always live under the protection of God’s Covenant.  Western societies and other populated associations have come to believe this notion that they can handle the situations on their own, especially when they have accepted the lie that no spiritual condemnation awaits anyone after we draw our last breath or even before this second arrives.  This false sense of security is the basis on which Satan uses in order to keep us away from God and the plan that He has for each one of us.  It is also a lie that we believe that when attacks come our way that the Armor of God that we have had on will adequately protect us when the same person strikes.  The Armor of God CANNOT fit properly if we do not fully understand its presence and know how it works. The Armor of God is a full-time position and nothing less and it is our responsibility to ensure that we know every detail about that armor for it is the one defense that we have to thwart the attacks from the enemy.

Now we have the basic understanding about a vital piece of information concerning our lives and how we need to be prepared for the attacks of our enemy.  The Armor of God is the perfect gift of the One who loves us the most and this armor is easily obtainable and easily maintained if we only obey God’s Ways and keep His commandments.  I wish that I could say that the societies around the world have fully accepted this truth and wartime weaponry but I cannot.  I cannot even say that God’s Church has accepted these weapons against our enemy.  We have lost the concept that the Armor of God protects our spiritual vitality; we have not correctly understood the meaning of Covenant and thus not understood God Himself.  The Armor of God is the only way possible that we can survive the attacks from our spiritual enemy, but if we cannot define our enemy we surely cannot define what can protect us either and that is the God’s honest truth.

Without obeying Covenant there is no possible way that the Armor of God can fit us correctly.  Without obeying and believing in God totally there is no way that we can obey Covenant either.  And if we cannot or do not obey God and Covenant there is no way possible that we can live with the protection of the Armor of God.  That is why we need to “put on” the “full” Armor of God and not part of it.  100% participation is required for the armor to be effective, not 50% or even 99%.  It is through the belief in God, obeying His Covenant and receiving His protection that forms the foundation of our existence and advancement of God’s Kingdom. 

It is this truth that God provides that represents protection and not governing and dictating laws that so many think the Old Testament screams.  Our lives are far too valuable to God to have limiting values placed over our heads and hearts but that is exactly what our enemy tells us and what he wishes for us to believe.  That lie is the #1 reason why people doubt God’s existence and His presence around and in our lives and it is this lie that many people die and are eternally separated from God, which is in itself a crack through which Satan shall attack our spiritual lives.  No matter how much we contend against it, if we do not have the true foundation under our feet at all times our existence as humans cannot survive, the physical is already no longer in doubt but our eternal is sure taking the stage.

These examples are living proof that God’s Word is not dead but it is alive and well and provides us as the only source of wisdom against our enemy.  You want to know how the Church is doing, look at its Covenant status and through this status one can easily ascertain the vitality of the Church.  How far we have fallen by not fully accepting God’s Word for its deep and meaningful truth is the question we need to ask ourselves, with “ourselves” being defined as the Church.  To use the Armor of God we must first understand the enemy, and then understand what each piece of this holy protective device is used for and provides us.  

This is a continual study effort on our part and one that God shall never force us to complete.  If we choose to accept this protection we automatically come under the Covenant laws of God because that is exactly what choosing God means but just as easily we can become subject to the wiles of our enemy when we choose to violate this Covenant.  The entire Word of God is connected and relates to our lives as one entity.  It is our responsibility to live through these promises of God and live accordingly.  The Word of God is alive and while it continues to grow we need this growth in our lives so that its truth and values can be maintained in our lives; if only Adam and Eve had understood and believed in this truth from the outset.  Living in Covenant is a restorative setting that God desires for all of His children.  God understands that there is no way that we can change the truth that our lives represent everything that goes against His Kingdom, but when we live under the Blood Covenant of His Son, all sins are washed away from His sight.  It is this Armor that provides us with the beauty of holiness before God.

DLB