PUTTING ON GOD’S ARMOR
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil… Fasten the belt of truth around your waist and put on the breastplate of righteousness. As shoes for your feet, put on whatever will make your ready to proclaim the gospel of peace. With all of these take the shield of faith … Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God.
Ephesians 6:13-17 (selected passages) NRSV
While on a Mediterranean cruise ten years ago, Sandy and I stopped in Ephesus, which is in modern Turkey. We toured the ruins of the city, a major port in Biblical times. Paul spent time preaching there and so did John. The early church in Ephesus had started to have problems several decades after the Resurrection. The problems came from two directions. There were those who continued to follow pagan deities, such as Artemis , while claiming to be Christian. Then there was dissension from those within the early church who engaged in inappropriate acts. Paul wrote a letter to the local leaders which included the verses above.
The Temple of Artemis in Ephesus was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Built in 323 BC, the temple was 450 feet long, 225 feet wide, and 60 feet high. The 127 columns which supported the structure were gilded with gold and silver. There were Christians who still covered all bases by also participating in festivals for Artemis and engaging in the drinking and sexual immorality which were part of Artemis worship.
There was a group within the early Christian church called the Gnostics. Gnostics claimed that their salvation came through direct knowledge of God through mystical visions. Once a Gnostic had such visions, the individual ceased following the rules of the early church. Gnostics denied the incarnation of Jesus and engaged in sexual immorality, which caused dissention and jealousy among the more faithful Christians. The existence of a significant number of Gnostics in Ephesus was a serious threat to the unity of the early church and the survival of believe in Jesus as the Son of God and our Savior.
Armor was designed to protect early warriors and is still being used by military members today. Paul considered the Gnostic heresies and Artemis worship as coming from the devil and something that needed to be fought against vigorously by the church. His use of the armor references conveyed the seriousness of the those problems to those in Ephesus who were trying to follow the teachings of Jesus.
Today, as the Christian church as a whole and the United Methodist Church, specifically, deals with new types of dissention, we still need those pieces of God’s armor – truth, righteousness, the gospel of peace, faith, salvation and the Holy Spirit. We need to remember that we are followers of Jesus. The phrase popular in the 1970’s, “What Would Jesus Do?” is just as relevant today as it was during the first centuries of the Christian church.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, help us to know and apply your teachings in our everyday lives. May we put on your armor when facing those who would move the church away from the gospel of peace. Amen.
Carol Rice
