What is the purpose of the armor of God according to the Bible? The purpose of the armor of God is to be able to stand against the wiles of the devil, withstand in the evil day, and having achieved all things, te staan. Because we don’t wrestle against Vlees en bloed, but against principalities, against powers, teen die heersers van die duisternis van hierdie wêreld, teen geestelike boosheid in hoë plekke (Efesiërs 6:11-13). But what does this mean?
Living in the evil day
When we look around us, we see that we live in the evil day. The loyalty to God and the love for God decreases and the ungodliness (goddeloosheid) increases. But this already happened in the days of the apostles. In those days the devil also went about stealing, seeking whom he could tempt with his lies and leerstellings, renouncing God, and destroying (John 10:10, 1 Petrus 5:8). Because that was the devil’s purpose and that is still the devil’s purpose since his nature and his will have not changed.
Although the message in many churches may have been changed by people, the truth of God and His Word will never change.
As the day ofJesus’ return is approaching, the devil becomes grimmer, because he knows that his end is near. The devil knows what his final destination and the final destinations of all the adversaries of God will be. That’s why he tries to victimize as many people as possible and take them with him into the eternal lake of fire.
How does he victimize the people? By tempting them in the flesh and letting the flesh reign as king in their lives. Because as long as the flesh reigns as king in the lives of people, the people shall obey and serve the devil (lees ook: ‘Die mag van die duiwel word deur sonde aangedryf’)
The Word teaches us how we can stand against the wiles of the devil and stand in the evil day, and that’s by putting on the armor of God.
How do you put on the armor of God?
Want julle is almal kinders van God deur die geloof in Christus Jesus. Want almal van julle wat in Christus gedoop is, het hulle met Christus beklede (Galasiërs 3:26-27)
When you are baptized and wedergebore in Christus, you have put on Christ and are clothed with the spiritual armor of God, which is also your priestly garment. This change, that has taken place in the spiritual realm shall become visible in the natural realm. Jy sal stel die ou man af, who has the nature of the devil, en trek die nuwe man aan, who is created after the image of God.
Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God (KJV Romans 6:12-13).
Stop therefore allowing the sinful nature to reign as king in your mortal body with a view to obeying it [the body] in its passionate cravings. Bowendien, stop putting your members at the disposal of the sinful nature as weapons of unrighteousness, but by a once-for-all act and at once, put yourselves at the disposal of God as those who are actively alive out from among the dead, and put your members as weapons of righteousness at the disposal of God (KW Rom 6:12-13).
The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof (KJV Romans 13:12-14).
The night has long been on its way, and the day has arrived. Daarom, let us at once and once for all put off the works of the darkness, and let us at once and once for all clothe ourselves with the weapons of the light. In the same manner as in the day let us order our behavior in a seemly fashion, not in carousals and drunkenness, not in sexual intercourse and a dissolute abandon, not in strife and jealousy. But clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ and stop making provision for the sinful nature with a view to a passionate craving (KW Romans 13:12-14).
Wanneer jy wedergebore word, you are transferred from the kingdom of darkness into the Kingdom of God. You are no longer a servant of the kingdom of darkness and don’t serve the devil anymore. Therefore you shall no longer put your members as weapons of unrighteousness or weapons of darkness unto sin.
In plaas daarvan, you have become a servant of the Kingdom of God and you shall serve God. Therefore you shall put your members as weapons of righteousness or weapons of the light unto God (Lees ook: ‘The armor of light’ en ‘Die wapenrusting van die duisternis')
Wat is die doel van die wapenrusting van God?
Solank jy in Jesus Christus bly; die woord, you are clothed with the spiritual armor of God. You are saved in Him by His blood (helmet of salvation), you have been made righteous in Him and therefore you shall do works of righteousness (breastplate of righteousness), you shall walk in the truth of the Word and speak the truth (loins girt with the truth), you shall walk by faith in the Word, waarmee jy al die vurige pyle van die goddelose sal kan uitblus (shield of faith).
With and through the Word of God, which is your spiritual Sword, you shall divide asunder your soul and spirit and tear down every stronghold of the devil in your mind and around you (Sword of the Spirit).
You shall preach and bring the gospel of Jesus Christ to the people (feed shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace).
Bid altyd met alle gebed en smeking in die Gees, watching with all perseverance and supplication for all saints, that utterance may be given to them, so that they will make known the mystery of the gospel and speak boldly as they ought to speak. That’s the purpose of the armor of God (Efesiërs 6:10-20).
You don’t put on and put off the spiritual armor of God, but you are continuously clothed with the spiritual armor of God. Leastwise, as long as you stay in Christ and walk after the Spirit. Because when you leave Him and trust and rely upon your flesh, it won’t be long before the devil shall tempt you with his lies.
Without the spiritual armor of God, you are not able to stand against the wiles of the devil and you shall not be able to stand in the evil day. Why do you have to withstand the temptations of the devil and be able to stand in the evil day? So that you will stay obedient to God and His Word and don’t become disobedient to God and His Word and sin.
The devil will try everything he can to keep you away from the Word, aan steal the Word from your heart, and to make you enter sideways, which will lead you to destruction. He shall do everything he can to keep you in his power so that you stay ongehoorsaam aan God en Sy Woord.
Die duiwel kan jou verlei om te sondig, but can’t make you sin
Nou dan is ons ambassadeurs vir Christus, asof God jou wel by ons gesmeek het: ons bid U in Christus se plek, wees julle met God versoen. Want Hy het Hom sonde vir ons gemaak, wat geen sonde geken het nie; sodat ons die geregtigheid van God in Hom kan word (2 Korintiërs 5:20-21)
Ongelukkig, not many Christians study the Word for themselves. Daarom, they don’t know the true meaning of the cross, who they are in Christus, and what gesag they have received as the new creation in Him. They stay ignorant and through the lies of the devil, they stay in the bondage of sin and death. They don’t know how to be redeemed from sin. They stay the old man and live as slaves of the devil, sometimes even until the day that they die.
Maar die waarheid is, that you have been given in Jesus Christ all authority in heaven and on earth, to establish the Kingdom of God on earth and withstand the wiles of the devil.
The power of Jesus Christ is greater than the power of the devil.
Die duiwel kan jou verlei om te sondig, maar die duiwel kan jou nie dwing om te sondig nie.
Jesus was die Firstborn of the new creation, and loved God so much and knew His Father so well, that when the devil tried to tempt Jesus with promises from God’s Word, He didn’t give in to his temptations (Lees ook: 'I will give you the riches of the earth’).
Jesus was tempted by the devil all the time. Therefore Jesus is able to enter experientially into a fellow feeling with our infirmities because He was tempted and tested in all points just as we are, tog sonder sonde (Hebreërs 4:15-16)
Jy is die een, who decides to follow the example of Adam (die ou man) or to follow the example of Jesus (die nuwe mens). You decide whose words you believe and who you will serve: Jesus, who reigns in the spirit or the devil, who reigns in the flesh. There is only one, who can reign in your life and you decide, who it’s gonna be (Lees ook: 'Whose slave are you?’)
The old man blames it on the devil
The old man never wants to take responsibility for their actions, mistakes, or failures, but always blames others Many people blame the devil for their sins, but that’s not right. Because it’s not a secret, that we have an adversary; die duiwel, but a fact, because the Word has revealed it. That the devil tries to tempt people should not be a surprise either, because the Word has also made that known to us.
The Word has kept nothing hidden but has revealed everything. But because many don’t know the Word and therefore stay ignorant, the devil and his army can continue their destructive works in the lives of people without any interference
He works in the flesh and the Word says, among others that the temptations come forth through the desires of the flesh (James 1:13-15).
Daarom, as long as the flesh still reigns as king in the lives of people and the people stay carnal and walk after the flesh, the temptations shall always be present.
As long as people listen to their lusts and obey their lusts, they shall keep walking in sin.
Is the devil responsible for that? Geen, since after the koms van Jesus Christus and after Sy dood en opstanding, people have a choice, and have received authority and power to lay down the old
man (die vlees) and put on the new man (gees) and walk as sons of God after the Spirit.
Therefore the people decide, through their will, to obey the devil and give in to the temptations, which will bring forth sin and eventually death or to not obey the devil.
The people can blame the devil, or even blame God, but the truth is that no one is responsible than the people themselves.
Dis hoekom, it’s important to bekeer and become born again, so that your spirit will be raised from the dead and you become a nuwe skepping. As soon as you become a new creation it’s time to vernuwe jou gedagtes met die Woord van God, so that you will get to know the Word and the Truth and shall obey the Word. You shall become a doer of the Word and walk in faith after the Spirit in the will of God and are clothed with the spiritual armor of God and be untouchable.
‘Wees die sout van die aarde’
