"....girded...with truth,..breastplate of righteousness,..shod your feet with...the gospel of peace;...tak[e] the shield of faith....Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God." (Ephesians 6)
In Romans 13:14, the Holy Spirit commands us to, "put on the Lord Jesus Christ." This, my friend, is "how" we, "put on the whole armor of God."
Each weapon is a description of Jesus. Jesus is, "the Truth." Jesus Alone is, "our righteousness." The Gospel is Jesus Christ, not about Jesus Christ. Jesus, "is our peace." The Bible refers to what man calls "Christianity," as, "the Faith of Jesus." Jesus is our, "Salvation." And, Jesus Christ Himself is, "the Word of God."
Now spiritual pundits can exegete these passages, and that is good. But I also say that we need to get the picture very, very clear: Spend less time on attempting to understand and define breastplate, footwear, shield, helmet, and sword, and place our attention on what is the Holy Spirit's "assignment," which is, as our Lord Jesus Christ tells us, "He shall glorify Me."
Father, in Jesus' Name, I confess that I do not fully understand the "meanings" of some of the Biblical imagery. I just want them/You! Amen.
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When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"
Hebrews 12:2
Hebrews 12:2