One of the most striking teachings in Paul’s letters is the image of the Christian Soldier in Ephesian 6: “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 powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil. Therefore, put on the full armor of God.
Stand firm, with the belt of truth 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. Take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish 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.”
The Christian is seen as a soldier in the army of Jesus Christ, who marches before us as our general to a victory which is inevitable, a victory against the power of Satan. “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood,” Paul tells us, but against spiritual powers far beyond our human strength. That is why we need the spiritual armour Jesus provides for us in the passage quoted. In the world of Paul’s day, the Roman soldier was a familiar daily sight, and it is his armour that inspires this passage. The Roman armies were considered unstoppable, which must, like the armour, form part of the human picture on which Paul’s image is based.
When the Romans celebrated a victory, there would be a triumphal procession through the streets of Rome with the victorious general following in his war chariot at the end, a crown woven of laurel leaves on his head. The laurel wreath was a sign of victory awarded also to poets and athletes (Dante Alighieri traditionally wears one in his portraits); in other words, a crown that was won rather than inherited, as was the gold-and jeweled diadem of a king. Paul sees himself as a soldier in Christ’s army, sharing in the triumph of his victorious general, which is why he speaks of receiving the “crown of righteousness” in his Second Letter to Timothy, from which we read today.
A soldier is fit, well-trained, motivated and obedient. The last of these is essential if victory is to be won. A soldier must act as an extension of his general’s tactics. A Christian soldier becomes fit through prayer, which brings him close to God and prepares him for battle against the enemy, Satan. His training is knowledge of the faith and the ability to communicate it. His motivation is the sure knowledge that Jesus has won the victory over Satan by rising from the dead.
And if we are to share in his victory, we must be obedient to his Word.
A soldier does not choose where he is to fight; he goes unquestioningly where his general sends him. So must we. We must keep fit through constant prayer, well-trained through ongoing learning about our faith. That same faith must sustain us in confidence of Jesus’ victory over Satan. We must listen to God and obey him at all times, no matter what he asks of us or where he sends us so that we, too, may one day share in his victory, that each one of us, too, might receive the “crown of righteousness” which He has prepared for us.
Fr Phillip
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