The Light of the Gospel
Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God,
we do not lose heart.
But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God's word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone's conscience in the sight of God.
And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing.
In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers,
to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ,
who is the image of God.
For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who said,
“Let light shine out of darkness,”
has shone in our hearts to give the light
of the knowledge
of the glory of God
in the face of Jesus Christ.
The Nature of True Apostleship
This, then, is how you ought to regard us:
as servants of Christ
and as those
entrusted with the mysteries
God has revealed.
Now it is required that those who
have been given a trust
must prove faithful.
I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court;
indeed, I do not even judge myself.
My conscience is clear,
but that does not make me innocent. It is the
Lord who judges me.
Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time;
wait until the Lord comes.
He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and
will expose the motives of the heart.
At that time each will receive their praise from God.
Now, brothers and sisters, I have applied these things to myself
and Apollos for your benefit,
so that you may learn from us the meaning of the saying, “Do not go beyond what is written.” Then you will not be puffed up in being a follower of one of us over against the other. For who makes you different from anyone else?
What do you have that you did not receive?
And if you did receive it,
why do you boast as though you did not?
Already you have all you want! Already you have become rich! You have begun to reign—and that without us! How I wish that you really had begun to reign so that we also might reign with you!
For it seems to me that God has put us apostles on display at the end of the procession, like those condemned to die in the arena. We have been made a spectacle to the whole universe, to angels as well as to human beings. We are fools for Christ, but you are so wise in Christ!
We are weak, but you are strong! You are honored, we are dishonored! To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless. We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; when we are slandered, we answer kindly. We have become the scum of the earth, the garbage of the world—right up to this moment.
Paul’s Appeal and Warning
I am writing this not to shame you but to warn you as my dear children.
Even if you had ten thousand guardians in Christ, you
do not have many fathers,
for in Christ Jesus I became your fatherthrough the gospel.
Therefore I urge you to imitate me.
For this reason I have sent to you Timothy, my son whom I love,
who is faithful in the Lord.
He will remind you of my way of life
in Christ Jesus,
which agrees with what I teach everywhere in every church.
Some of you have become arrogant, as if I were not coming to you.
But I will come to you very soon, if the Lord is willing,
and then I will find out not only how
these arrogant people are talking,
but
"what power they have"
For the kingdom of God
is not a matter of talk but of power.
What do you prefer?
Shall I come to you with a rod of discipline,
or shall I come in love and with a gentle spirit?
We are from God, and whoever
knows God listens to us;
but whoever is
not from God does not listen to us.
This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth
and the spirit of falsehood.
Do your best to present yourself to God
as one approved,
a worker who does not need to be ashamed
and who
correctly handles the word of TRUTH
These are the elements of God's armor as described in Ephesians 6 ESV:
The Armor of God
- The Belt of truth
- Breastplate of righteousness
- Shoes with the readiness of the Gospel of peace
- Shield of faith
- Helmet of salvation
- Sword of the Spirit, the Word of God.
The armor of God is an analogy
in the Bible
that reminds Christians about the
reality of spiritual battle
and describes
the protection available to them.
Each piece of armor has a distinct purpose
and means of defense against temptation and evil.
Armor of God in Scripture
"Finally,
be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
Put on the
full armor of God,
so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.
For our struggle is
not against flesh and blood,
but against the rulers, against the authorities,
against the powers of this dark world
and against the spiritual forces of evil in the
heavenly realms.
“Therefore, put on the full armor 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
With this in mind,
be alert and always keep on praying
for all the Lord’s people.”
(Ephesians 6:10-18)
“Every other piece of the full armor of God is attached to the belt of TRUTH.
If you don’t begin with truth, you’ll never defeat the enemy.
And Jesus said God’s Word is
TRUE
(John 17:17).”
How to Apply It:
- Pursue the truth on a specific topic, but don’t forget to grab hold of the whole of Scripture. Don’t just study the parts that come easy for devotional reading. Press into the whole counsel of God’s word.
- Pray with God’s word. Use the word of Truth as a template to guide your prayers.
- Memorize the truth for quicker access when you need it. Cover your world with Scripture on post-it notes, screen savers, décor, and anything that will help you remember God’s word in the spiritual battle.
The Breastplate of Righteousness“…
with the breastplate of righteousness in place…”
(Ephesians 6:14).
What It Means:
Righteousness means being made right.
Sometimes Scripture refers to righteousness that Christ gives us –
His righteousness
(2 Corinthians 5:21).
Sometimes Scripture refers to righteousness that
God carries out through us,
like “the righteous acts of the saints”
(Revelation 19:8).
In daily spiritual battles, both varieties of righteousness protect the heart.
We need the
complete righteousness of Christ,
but also the continuing righteousness
that comes as a response to God’s GIFT
The enemy tempts with all kinds of sinful entanglements,
but righteousness protects our hearts.
God’s instructions are often viewed as killjoys or burdens.
But obedience to God is a protection for your heart
from being wounded by sin.
How to Apply It:
- Soak in and obey instructions from the Lord. If there’s an area of life that feels like it gets easily tangled up in sin, ask a church leader to share some scriptural truths that might help you walk in the Lord’s plan more fully.
- Ask a trusted person to pray for you if you are struggling with obedience. All Christians struggle, but none were meant to struggle alone. We make easy targets for the enemy when we do not obey God.
The Gospel of Peace“…
and with your feet fitted with the readiness
that comes from
the gospel of peace”
(Ephesians 6:15).
What It Means:
Peace is an attribute of the Lord’s very person and character
(Galatians 5:22).
In Greek, peace means oneness or wholeness.
The gospel, which means
GOOD NEWS,
is the forgiveness of sins and access to and
oneness with God through
FAITH in Christ.
This oneness with the Lord produces peace.
Ephesians repeatedly reminds us to “stand”
and “stand firm.”
One of the easiest ways for the enemy to succeed in shaking
us loose from standing firm is to tempt us with worry.
When we carry anxiousness and worry with us,
We are robbed of Peace
But the gospel of peace keeps our feet anchored and standing firm.
How to Apply It:
- Ask the daily Lord to remind you of His gospel work on your behalf.
- Set your security and identity in His work and not yours.
- Surround yourself with Scripture about the truth of your place with Christ into your heart. And remove the input that steals your sense of security in Christ.
The Shield of Faith“In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith,” (Ephesians 6:16).
What It Means:
When Paul wrote this passage,
Roman soldiers carried shields that were covered with heavy animal hide.
Before a battle,
they would dip their shields into the water so that when
fiery darts hit them, the wet hide would extinguish the darts.
In a similar way,
a Christian’s shield of faith
needs to be regularly dipped in the water of God’s word
to be replenished and fully functional –
because
"faith comes by hearing
and hearing by the
word of God”
(Romans 10:17).
How to Apply It:
- If your faith feels less confident than you wish it did, ask the Lord to increase your faith (Mark 9:24).
- Find verses that feed your faith and fill your world with them.
- Set your faith in God’s righteousness, not on a circumstance.
The Helmet of Salvation“Take the helmet of salvation,” (Ephesians 6:17).
What It Means:
Salvation comes the moment we place our trust
in Jesus’ death and resurrection
as the payment for our sin.
But salvation is also worked out through a
lengthy process of sanctification.
The helmet of salvation (like the breastplate of righteousness)
rests on the work of Christ to save us,
but also involves us as we journey with the Lord
and allow Him to work that salvation into every part of our thoughts.
The battlefield of our mind is the primary place spiritual battle is fought.
The Lord works His freeing truth into our perspectives
while the enemy fights for strongholds
to bind us
(John 10:10).
How to Apply It:
- Surrender thoughts that don’t line up with Scripture. As Colossians 3:2says, “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.”
- Remember the Lord’s character and faithfulness in Scripture as well as in your life experience.
- Wash your mind with the renewing of God’s Word. As Romans 12:2 says, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing, and perfect will.”
What it Means and How Jesus Applied It
The explanation of
this piece of armor is right there in the verse –
it is the word of God.
And it is the only piece of armor that is both defensive and offensive.
“When we are tempted, the most effective weapon
that God has given to us as believers
is the sword of the Spirit,
which is the
Word of God.
“Jesus modeled this so beautifully
during His temptation
in the wilderness.
When the devil tried temptation after temptation against Him,
Jesus used the sword of the Spirit
(see Luke 4:1-13).”
When the devil tempted him three times,
Jesus responded with the
truth of God’s word –
every time.