(Ephesians 6:10) Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. (11) Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. (12) For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. (13) Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. (14) Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; (15) And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; (16) Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. (17) And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: (18) Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
We have discovered in verses 10-14 that in this unseen spiritual warfare that rages through the ages for the saints of God that our strength and authority are in Christ alone, and that by "putting on" the Lord Jesus Christ (Rom 13:14), we make no provision for the flesh to fulfill its lusts. (Rom 13:14 HCSB) But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no plans to satisfy the fleshly desires.
God has provided spiritual armor for us in this battle, as a soldier would have armor in physical warfare, and that armor is described in terms of bodily armor of protection. HOWEVER, if we carefully examine each piece, we discover that each piece finds itself complete in Christ Himself. For example: He is the TRUTH. He is our RIGHTEOUSNESS. He is our PEACE. He is our SALVATION. It is His FAITH in us. He is the WORD of GOD.
But as we look at verse 15 - Consider:
(15) And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
The first thing we ask ourselves is - what is the purpose of the feet? The answer, of course is to stand and walk. That being the case, we then consider the following regarding those feet:
1) They are "shod" - the soldier needed sure footing to enable him to march and to move quickly when necessary. The Roman sandal or military shoe was bound by a thong over the instep and around the ankle, and the sole was studded with nails to permit sure-footedness. We are standing on the promises that cannot fail and it is by the living Word of God that we shall prevail. In Christ we are sure footed, not slipping and sliding around in uncertainty, but standing confidently.
2) "The preparation of the gospel of peace" is a fitting way of stating that a Christian must be prepared with the gospel which has peace as its message. The lesson we learn is that PEACE comes through STRENGTH! We cannot be weak and wimpy in this battle, but must stand as David did before Goliath, seeing not a giant, but the God beyond the giant. It is only in the slaying of this giant that peace comes. That is why this Prince of Peace has said, "Think not that I came to bring peace on earth. I came not to bring peace, but a sword." The PEACE comes only when the VICTORY is won and we are yet still in the midst of the spiritual battle. The gospel is the good news that personal peace is ours until permanent peace is universal when the Prince of Peace reigns in Righteousness.
3) The "walk" of the believer in the world is to be one of peace as much as lies within us. We are to seek peace and pursue it. We are to live peaceably with all as far as possible, even with those who hate us. We love our enemies sincerely, not tongue in cheek, not hypocritically, but sincerely. We pray that even those who hate us might come to the saving knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. As we walk among men, we are peace makers, not merely peace lovers. We speak the truth in love.
This is how God has called us to live and it is how Jesus lived before us and lives in us. Peace - His peace rules and reigns in our hearts as we walk in the light as He is in the light and have fellowship one with another.
BLESSINGS!
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