A Moment Aside --- 26 June 2020

     I always found it strange that Paul compares the Christian's life to the armour of a Roman soldier in his letter to the Ephesians. (Ephesians 6:10-18) He also alludes to this in the letter to the Romans as "the armour of light." (Romans 13:12) It might not be so strange since the people he was writing to would have seen the Roman legionaries often. The rider in the picture above is not a depiction of a Roman; I like the quote and the picture is nice.
     Many people take these passages and envision a knight. That's not the case. Knights in full armour came much later than Paul's letters. He is describing a soldier of the Roman empire with specific equipment. He writes: Therefore take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness. As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace. With all of these,[c] take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
     The belt of truth is a reference to a special belt (the "military belt') the soldiers wore that protected their legs and hips as well as showing them to be a soldier. No one else but soldiers could wear it and it was the insignia of one in the service.
     The breastplate of righteousness is pretty much self-explanatory, although the Roman armour for the torso was distinctive. (See the picture below)
     The shoes were again specially made for the soldier and allowed long marches.
     The shield of faith reflects the large Roman shield that you could cover your whole body with.
     The helmet of salvation in Roman terms covered the whole face and the back of the neck, while leaving the ears open for hearing and the eyes uncovered but protected for seeing.
     The sword of the Spirit reflects another distinctive piece of equipment, used only by the Roman soldiers.
     The most telling thing about this set of armour was that it was meant for use by troops working together, not a "knight" working alone. Some of the armour provided protection for the soldier to the left or right of the subject talked about. Just so, we are not alone in our struggle with sin, death, and evil in our lives. We move in God's grace and we move in the company of other Christians who aid us and whom we aid.
     We're all in this together and working together in God's grace, we can see each other through what may come. The Spirit has dressed us in all the armour we need, so watch to your left and right for your comrades.

Roman legionaries in full armour

The Lamb is the light of the city of God.