We are on the threshold of one of the most famous and dramatic junctures of the Pilgrim’s Progress: Christian’s clash with Apollyon in the Valley of Humiliation. Knowing what lies ahead, Watchful will not walk him to the gate until he is dressed for battle. They take him again to the Armoury, and ‘harness him from head to foot with what was of proof’. Bunyan draws on the powerful imagery found in Eph.6, which is worth re-reading in full:
…put on the full armour of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish 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. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.
Indeed, this is such a powerful passage, and Bunyan’s portrayal of it is so vivid, that the ‘armour of God’ has taken on an almost mystical quality in popular Christianity. This is in part due to our lack of experience in actual spiritual warfare. Our lack of understanding has created a vacuum, that has allowed sometimes quite bizarre ideas to take root.
Paul (and later, Bunyan) have something much less picturesque in mind. In big picture terms, Paul is making two key points in Eph.6. The first is that the disciple of Christ is to be ‘dressed’ in Christ. Paul is NOT drawing his imagery from the Roman soldiers he is chained to. He is drawing on the ancient writings of Isaiah, and showing how we must put on Christ (something he exhorted us to in Eph.4:24). What does it look like to ‘put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness’? God’s holiness is portrayed in battle imagery throughout Isaiah: belt (Is.11:5); breastplate (Is.59:17); feet ready to proclaim the Gospel (Is.52:7); helmet (Is.59:17); shield (Is.31:5); Sword (Is.49:2). Paul is at times quoting Isaiah word for word! This also helps us with Christian’s [Bunyan’s] concern that ‘he had no armour for his back’. Is.58:8, the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. There are, after all times when it is entirely appropriate to flee temptations and evil desires (e.g. I Cor.6:18 & 10:14; I Tim.6:11; II Tim.2:22)
The second point is that Paul is teaching us about what must characterise us if we are to stand against the devil’s schemes. Over the years I’ve stumbled across various ideas about ‘putting on the armour’. But I think Paul is teaching something much less esoteric. If we want to stay faithful to Christ in the midst of the struggles of life, we need to be people who are well versed in and committed to the truth of Scripture (so that we can recognise false teaching, and the lies of Satan. It is the knowledge of the truth that leads to Godliness, Titus 1:2); be those who have cultivated righteous character and who know how to resist the temptations that come from Satan and the world, and our own evil desires; we need to be those actively engaged in sharing our faith; those whose faith is settled and consistent, and who are secure in their salvation. We need to be those characterised by prayer in all circumstances.
A pilgrim shaped by such holy habits is less likely to fall into sin, to be lead astray, to be plagued by doubt and insecurity. They will know and trust the Lord even in the face of suffering and in the midst of struggle. They will not be distracted by the temptations around and within. They will not be deceived by competing visions of God, or understandings of what it means to be human. They will not be debased by patterns of addictive or uncontrollable sin. They will not be defeated by the spiritual schemes and aggression arrayed against them.
They will, in short, ‘stand’. Others won’t. Indeed, if we aren’t adorned in such characteristics, we have already fallen.
Questions to ponder:
How much is the militancy of Christian discipleship a feature of your spirituality? How does that find expression?
Where do you find support as you seek to ‘put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness’? How do you support others in this quest? How could you do so today?
