the real enemy (vv. 14–17)—the belt of truth, the breastplate of
righteousness, the shoes of gospel peace, the shield of faith,
the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, better
known as the Word of God.
That’s some tough stuff there. Heavy metal. But look
beyond the creative, warlike imagery to see the real staying
power behind each piece of battleground equipment:
Truth is God’s standard—the unchanging,
objective benchmark of the Bible by which we
govern and align our lives.
Righteousness means right living—the process
by which we apply this truth to our lives and, by
His Spirit, produce conduct honoring and
pleasing to God.
Peace is the deep, inner, eternal stability the
believer possesses by virtue of relationship with
Jesus, a sense of balance that’s not subject to
external circumstance. It’s also the quality that
enables us to live harmoniously with others.
Faith is the application of what one believes—the
process of putting feet to our beliefs and living in
light of it... in practical terms.