Alternative Armor of God
The Simple Armor of God in 1 Thessalonians
For many who have grown up in church, the image of the armor of God is a familiar one, rooted in Paul's vivid description in Ephesians 6. Yet around ten years before he wrote this, he offered a shorter, but no less potent, picture of the armor Christians need to put on. This version is simpler and, I would argue, easier to remember.
"For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation" (1 Thessalonians 5:7-8, ESV).
We Are Soldiers Walking at Night
The picture that Paul uses here is that of a soldier walking in the dark. We walk in the midst of our enemies, with dangers on all sides. Walking in the pitch black of the night requires a heightened sense of awareness. You are walking with eyes wide open, head on a swivel, staring into the dark distance, listening closely for enemy footsteps. You listen for the sounds of bowstrings and for whispers. Every noise puts you in a hyper-vigilant state.
Sobriety for a soldier is purely practical at this point. When intoxicated, you dampen your ability to perceive the world around you. If you have ever been out and encountered someone who has drunk too much, you will notice they lose their ability to control their own volume. In a life-and-death situation, this means danger not just for yourself but also for those around you.
While a soldier is not in battle every second, when marching with his unit, he must not be caught unaware. Removing one's helmet or breastplate could mean the difference between life and death in the case of a surprise attack. Paul's praise for their use of these virtues does not negate the believer's need to be constantly ready. As a friend of mine who is a youth camp pastor often says, "Take a day off, get eaten by a lion."
"Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour" (1 Peter 5:8, ESV).
Faith, Hope, and Love
Paul, in 1 Corinthians, says that faith, hope, and love are the greatest.
"So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love" (1 Corinthians 13:13, ESV).
He echoes this sentiment in 1 Thessalonians in his praise for the believers:
"We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Thessalonians 1:2-3, ESV).
Faith
Faith is the trust and confidence in God and His promises. It involves believing in what is unseen and relying on God's character and His Word. In the broader context of the chapter, faith is necessary for understanding and living out the Christian life. It enables us to endure the attacks of the devil and the world, which seek to question our hope in Christ. Faith helps us believe that we are forgiven and preach when it is unpopular. While faith includes the future, its primary focus is on the present: by faith, we are forgiven and believe that we currently have eternal life. It enables us to obey in the moment.
Hope
Hope is the expectation and desire for a future good, rooted in the promises of God. It is the assurance that God will fulfill His promises and that believers can look forward to eternal life with Him. In this passage, hope is closely tied to love, indicating that love gives depth and meaning to hope. It is "future-facing faith" that keeps one going when all seems lost. Faith helps you persevere when arrows start flying, but without hope, the fight becomes pointless.
Love
Love (agape) is the greatest of the three virtues. It is selfless, unconditional, and sacrificial. Paul describes love as patient, kind, not envious or boastful, not arrogant or rude. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things (1 Corinthians 13:4-7, ESV). Love is not just an emotion but an action that reflects God's nature and is essential to the Christian community. It covers a multitude of sins and opens doors to relationships, enabling a powerful witness in enemy territory.
Breastplate of Faith and Love
The breastplate was for the protection of vital organs. To receive a gut or chest wound in battle often meant either a quick death or a slow and painful one. To be caught unaware without protecting the core of one's being and life would be foolish when marching in the army. Faith and love serve as the means of protecting a Christian. Love shields us from the division and lies that the devil would sow among the church to keep us apart spiritually. It frees us from the bonds of selfish pride and strengthens us to continue in the midst of affliction. Without love as a breastplate, we will fall to the temptations laid for us in the dark.
Helmet of Hope
Hope, while similar to faith in that it is a belief in God's promises, is future-facing faith. It sustains us when everything seems lost. When we take off the helmet of hope, we remove key protection. While you might survive for a time with a wound to the stomach, you cannot survive an arrow to the head. Therefore, the helmet of hope is essential for enduring the spiritual battle.
Putting on the Armor
Love
"We love because he first loved us" (1 John 4:19, ESV).
The only way for love to serve as the breastplate that guards us is to recognize the source of our own love. We don't work up love from within ourselves; instead, we receive love from Jesus, and it overflows from our hearts to others. We forgive because we have been forgiven; we love because He loved us. If you desire to put on the breastplate of love, spend some time meditating on the love that God has shown you in Christ.
Faith
"So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ" (Romans 10:17, ESV).
If we desire to put on the breastplate of faith, we can only receive it clearly from one source: the word of God. We need not only to read the Word privately but also to hear it preached on Sunday. We need to hear it in encouraging words from our brothers and sisters in Christ. By accepting God's promises, we are protected from the hidden attacks of the devil.
Hope
"Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope" (Romans 5:3-4, ESV).
Hope is a helmet forged in the fires of battle. It is built like a muscle that grows stronger and stronger through each affliction embraced with rejoicing. If you desire to keep the helmet of hope on, seek to find joy in the midst of trials, knowing that faith in the present builds up our hope for the future.
Conclusion
The armor of God is not just a metaphor but a call to spiritual readiness. By embracing faith, hope, and love, we stand equipped to face the darkness, protected by the virtues that guard our hearts and minds.