Last week I blogged about spiritual warfare and today’s blog is an extension of last week’s. I stated that Satan uses three main devices against us: temptation, deception, and accusation. These schemes of Satan lean more to how he seduces us. When we think of Satan’s attack what do we mean? I hear a lot of people use the word attack (including me) when describing what Satan does to us. Satan definitely wants destroy us but I would like to explore what attack really means, or explore what Satan can accomplish in his attacks. We see a lot of scripture that says Satan was destroyed through the cross like 1 John 3:8 “Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil” So if we see Satan lost how can he continue to attack?
The best example I can give on how Satan attacks work on this side of the cross is, if I am sitting in my living room and there is a massive storm outside, a really bad storm where you can hear the rain hitting the roof and the wind is blowing so hard the rain hits the windows. All the while I am sitting in a comfy recliner next to a toasty warm fire. Am I experiencing the rain? Or am I cold and wet? No. Even though it’s nasty outside I am cozy inside. In matter of fact the warmth and protection of my house from the storm outside makes me feel cozier. You see, Jesus is the house! We are protected and covered by Jesus! Although we can hear the temptations, deceptions, and accusations of Satan, it is just like rain hitting the roof, because of the absolute truth that we are in Christ. I believe sometimes when we believe Satan is bigger than he really is, it is like we put on our rain coat and open our umbrella inside the house to protect ourselves from the rain, when it’s a dry cozy 70 degrees inside our house.
How does this happen? How are we protected from the “attacks” of the enemy? By the Cross! Ephesians gives us this imagery of putting on the whole Armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-20), “so you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.”
Belt of Truth: We know that God has given us his Holy Spirit to know his Truth (1 Corinthians 2:6-16), and Truth and Gospel are synonymous, making the belt of Truth the understanding of the work of Christ on the Cross. This is absolute Truth and central to our faith: the Atonement.
Breastplate of Righteousness: We have been made right by God; we have been justified before God. This is, as Luther calls it, “the great exchange.” We give Him our filth; He gives us His righteousness. This happened at the Atonement.
Shoes of Readiness, given by the gospel of peace: We are prepared by the Gospel, given the Truth, through the atoning work of Christ by which we now have peace with God. This gives us a readiness to withstand the schemes of the devil and share the Gospel of peace with others (1 Peter 3:15). The Gospel of piece comes from the Atonement.
Shield of Faith: which extinguishes all of the flaming darts: We know the darts are predominantly the accusation, deception, and temptation of the evil one. Scriptures tell us, “in all circumstances,” take the shield of faith. And where is our faith? That we absolutely stand with Christ, in right relationship to God by the Holy Spirit—again because of the atoning work of Christ. I John 5:1-12 says that our faith is that we have victory. (Please note vv. 4-5)
Helmet of Salvation: Again, this was done by the atoning work of Christ; he has reconciled us back to God. Salvation encompasses everything: that he paid the penalty (penal substitution); he not only paid for our sins but removed them (propitiation/expiation); he has justified us therefore making us right before God and giving us His righteousness (justification); so that we can have peace with God (reconciliation). Christ paid the price (ransom) and redeemed us (redemption).
Sword of the Spirit: This is given to us from Genesis to Revelation, the full story of God. What is the story of God? Christ’s death and resurrection on the cross to bring His people back to himself. The central theme in the bible is the humiliation of our God on the cross to pay man’s debt.
So we see through this, that the armor of God is the work of Jesus Christ on the Cross by the Gospel of Peace, Belt of Truth, Helmet of Salvation, Breastplate of Righteousness, Shield of Faith, and the Word of God. Again, I’m not saying there isn’t anything for us to do. I’m saying that the very thing that saved us, which is the Cross, is the very thing that destroyed the Enemy. And understanding this truth is what sets us free from the “attacks” of Satan.
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