Armor generally refers to protective or defensive gear consisting of shield or buckler and helmet as well. They are meant to cover head and face and chest or torso mainly against arrow, spear club or any other offensive weapons. The concept of armor of faith is metaphorical when used to describe protective or defensive gear against non-physical but spiritual warfare. God or YAHWEH was the source of defence for the Jews Isaiah 57: 17. They are god’s people but to receive God’s protection they need to trigger it off by their faith in and obedience to the laws of God. Whenever they drift off from faith and worship of YAHWEH they fall prey to their enemies that were all over around them. Strong faith and obedience to God made the walls of Jericho to fall without any physical weapon of war.
In the New Testament the emphasis is on spiritual warfare that requires the strong armor of God to defend believers. They are constantly being attacked by the devil and its cohorts already defeated on the cross by Christ. To be on God’s winning side, believers must always put on the full armor of God made up of truth, righteousness, the gospel of peace, faith, salvation and better still the sword of the spirit which is the Word of God Ephesians 6: 14-18, James 4: 7, Matthew 4: 1-11 and 1 Peter 5: 8-9.
Paul in Ephesians 6: 11-13 declared: “Put on the armor of God so that you may take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the power of the dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground and after you have done everything, to stand”. In view of the foregoing, Warren W. Wiersbe wrote “The Christian life is not a playground; it is a battlefield”.
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