August 21, 2025 - Good Morning! It’s Thursday, August 21.
One of the most famous passages in the Bible is found in the 6th chapter of Ephesians. There we hear the voice of the Apostle Paul teaching us about the “Armor of God.” His lesson features a list of six items that make up our spiritual weapons - The Belt of Truth, The Breastplate of Righteousness, The Shoes of the Gospel, The Shield of Faith, The Helmet of Salvation, and The Sword of the Spirit. This passage is often the theme of pastor’s sermons, and there’s enough wisdom here to fill a “month of Sundays.” Two quick thoughts this morning.
Ephesians is one of the four books in the New Testament known as the Prison Letters. Paul was under house arrest when he wrote to the churches in Ephesus, Philippi, and Colossae, and to his friend Philemon. During this two year imprisonment, Paul was in constant contact with Roman soldiers, and may actually have been chained to one of them. And so he had ample opportunity to observe their uniform and their weapons of warfare.
Paul mentions six weapons in this passage, but only one is offensive - The Sword of the Spirit. Since the other five are defensive, and because Paul encourages us to “stand firm,” many people have surmised that the Christian’s posture in the battle is of a passive nature. But the Greek word that Paul uses, translated as “stand,” is in the active tense. The Apostle is encouraging us to be active, to be bold, to be agents of change in our culture, as we use our “sword,” the Word of God, to make a difference in the world.
Meet you back here tomorrow,
David
cindertex50@yahoo.com
