The Armor of God – Shoes of Gospel of Peace

The Armor of God – Shoes of Gospel of Peace

The book of Ephesians (where the text of the Armor of God) is quite interested in the walk of the Christian. This theme continues through the book even to the end, as Paul describes the Armor of God.

“having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace” (Eph 6:15)

In Ephesians chapter 2, he begins by noting how before we were saved, we walked in the same way that everyone else did in this world, conducting ourselves to the lusts of the flesh and were by nature children of wrath. He follows this up by describing the amazing grace of God that has redeemed us, his kindness that has come to us as a gift, noting that we are his workmanship, created in Jesus Christ for good works that God prepared beforehand for us to walk in (Eph 3:10).  

The gospel is a gospel of peace. We once walked in wrath, according to the lusts of our flesh at war with God. Now, we walk as redeemed people, walking in the Holy Spirit each day.  We are not just at peace with God, but we are agents of peace. This also resounds with the message of righteousness we explored last time, Romans 8:1-11 expounds that well.  

The term “gospel” in our vernacular, often is summed up by the fact that Jesus has died for our sins; the good news that we are charged to tell everyone about and save the lost. That is good news, and that is a part of the gospel.  

Jesus died in our place. Jesus also showed us how to walk, as holy people – and the fact that he does that in us too is good news too, that often does not get celebrated.  

Shoes are important things in armor. There are obstacles on the battlefield. Stones that one can trip on. The dropped weapons of fallen soldiers. Embers from torches and even hazards that may have been placed there on purpose. If we trip barefoot, it hinders our ability to stand again and continue our walk.

In the same way, a consistent relationship with the ongoing grace of God in our walk-in righteousness undergirds our way, making it less likely that we would fall and more likely that we would brush it off if we ever did. 

Yes, the gospel is the good news that we should all be ready to tell. Consider the good things that God has done in your life and get comfortable telling people about it. But, the gospel is not just for the unsaved, it is for us too. It is armor and an important preparation for our lives. It prepares us in our daily walk, it helps us overcome anything that may cause us to stumble, and if we ever find ourselves in a moment of conflict, it is a sure footing of peace for us to stand on.  

And, we have all begun this, as with every journey it begins with the first steps that we took when we were saved.  

I hope that encourages you