The Whole Armor of God

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood...
(King James Bible, Ephesians 6:12)

Paul was a Roman.

Yes, the apostle was raised a devout Jew and later became a Christian, but he was a citizen of the Roman Empire. He lived in a Roman world. In his Epistle to the Ephesians, Paul wrote to an audience of Christians living in a Roman world, under Roman rule. They had all seen Roman legionnaires and were familiar with the armor and weapons carried by a typical Roman soldier. As contemporary Christians, when we think of the whole armor of God, we have a tendency to picture Sir Lancelot on his horse. We are using the wrong imagery. We are missing the powerful symbolism of Paul's analogy. There are deep and specific meanings in each of the symbols Paul uses--symbols that we gloss over or fail entirely to understand--symbols that Paul's audience readily understood.

The battle is real, and we must be prepared to stand.

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Praise for The Whole Armor of God:

What comparisons was Paul really making when he talked about the whole armor of God? Well, he was most familiar with Roman armor, and an analysis of it leads to fascinating insights. This book combines history, weaponry, and scripture into recommendations for the purpose of a righteous life. I zipped through the text and enjoyed the photos. Altogether enjoyable and educational.

Martha Rasmussen - Utah

As a lover of history and an expert on ancient weaponry, David Belt is certainly qualified to explicate for us Paul's well-known injunction that we "put on the whole armour of God" (King James Bible, Ephesians 6:11-17). In this interesting and vividly illustrated volume, he ably describes for us what the various implements that Paul mentions--such as the breastplate, shield, and helmet--would have looked like and how they would have functioned in Paul's time. But more importantly, he explains the spiritual significance of Paul's imagery, drawing widely upon the scriptures and some of his own experiences to help us better understand how we can spiritually fortify ourselves to fight the most important battles in our own lives.

Eric D. Huntsman, PhD - Brigham Young University