The Armor of God: Ephesians 6:10-18, Piece by Piece, With the Latin

Paul wrote it chained to a Roman soldier. He looked at the man's gear and saw the whole Christian life.

Ephesians 6:10-18, King James Version

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;

And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.

What the armor of God means

Paul was under house arrest in Rome when he wrote Ephesians, chained day and night to a soldier of the Praetorian Guard. He did not have to imagine the armor. It was sitting next to him. So he took the standard kit of a Roman legionary and gave each piece a job in the spiritual life.

The point of the passage is in the verb he repeats four times: stand. Not advance, not conquer, not win. Stand. The armor is defensive, every piece but one. Paul is telling you that the fight is real, the enemy is not human, and your job is to still be on your feet when the evil day is over.

The six pieces, one by one

The belt of truth. The Roman belt held the tunic up and the sword in place. Everything else hung off it. Truth goes on first because without it nothing else stays put. You cannot fight a liar while telling yourself lies.

The breastplate of righteousness. It covered the heart and the lungs, the two organs you die without. Righteousness here is not your own record. Paul says elsewhere it is Christ's righteousness put on you (Philippians 3:9). The breastplate protects you from the accusation that you are not good enough, because the answer was never that you were.

Feet shod with the gospel of peace. Roman military sandals had iron hobnails in the sole so a soldier could hold his ground on any surface. The gospel is what gives you footing. Peace with God is the ground you stand on, and you do not slide off it when the line is pushed.

The shield of faith. The scutum was a door-sized shield of wood and leather. Before battle the leather was soaked in water so flaming arrows hit it and went out. That is the exact image Paul uses: the fiery darts of the wicked are quenched. Faith does not stop the arrows from being fired. It stops them from burning.

The helmet of salvation. It protects the head, which is where the fight usually happens. Despair, doubt, the voice that says you are finished. Salvation is not a feeling you have to maintain. It is a fact you put on in the morning.

The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. The only weapon on the list. The gladius was short, made for close fighting, and Paul says it is Scripture. When Jesus was tempted in the desert he did not argue with the devil. He quoted Deuteronomy three times and the devil left (Matthew 4:1-11). That is how the sword is used.

And then the piece people forget, because it is not a piece of armor: pray always. The armor without prayer is a costume.

Who are we fighting?

Verse 12 is the reason the whole passage exists. "We wrestle not against flesh and blood." The person who cut you off, the coworker, the ex, the politician, none of them is the enemy. They are flesh and blood. The enemy is behind them, and behind you too when you act like them. Paul names the ranks: principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this world, spiritual wickedness in high places. The Church has always read that as the devil and his angels, the same ones St. Michael fights in Revelation 12.

That is why the Saints Go Hard collection puts Michael on the front with the flaming sword. He is the first one who ever put on the whole armor and stood.

The armor of God in Latin

The full verse in the Vulgate: Induite vos armaturam Dei, ut possitis stare adversus insidias diaboli. "Put on the armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the snares of the devil." Verse 12 begins Quoniam non est nobis colluctatio adversus carnem et sanguinem, "for our wrestling is not against flesh and blood." The word for armor, armatura, is the same word the Roman army used for a soldier's full issue of equipment.

How to pray the armor of God

A lot of people pray it as a morning prayer, naming each piece as they put it on. There is no fixed text, the passage is the text. Read Ephesians 6:10-18 out loud, slowly, and at each piece ask for what it protects: truth, a clean heart, steady feet, faith that does not burn, a mind that remembers it is saved, and the word of God ready in your mouth. Then finish with the St. Michael prayer, which is the same request in four lines.

Why it is on the shirt

Ephesians 6:11 runs down the spine of the Saints Go Hard collection because it is the verse that explains the saints. Michael with the sword, Joan with the banner, George with the lance, Benedict with the cross. Four people who put the armor on and stood. The saints never played soft, and the passage is the reason they did not have to.

"Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil."Ephesians 6:11

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