Ephesians 6:11-18
Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints. (KJV)
Wow, okay, re-reading that I'm realizing all I want to say may not fit in one post, so this may turn into a series. This scripture has been on my mind for, well, quite a while now. I've heard it taught and preached on before of course. But a while ago when I read it, something stood out. Something no one had ever mentioned before. Combat distance.
Don't run away just yet, please. I have often heard Christians referred to as "Defenders". I'm a bit of a nerd when it comes to nuances of words. Defender, to me, implies that we have the high ground and the enemy is attacking. It implies that Christians are holding back the line of enemy invasion. But if we take a look at the armor and weapons we are given, that doesn't make much sense. If you are in a defensive position behind a wall, you don't really need a breastplate. Or a shield. And what exactly are you going to do with a sword? Throw it at the enemy? Great job! You are now weaponless.
The armor we are given is not for the defensive position. It is for the offensive position. It is for the battlefield from a day when the battlefield meant hand to hand combat. We aren't holding back the invasion, the invasion already happened. The enemy is the one with a strong footing in the world. Christians are the invading force. Now, I'm not talking about a Crusade; "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood". But in the spiritual battle it seems to me like Christians have the illusion of an advantage from their defensive position. Our armor is not helpful from that position.
One more quick point. "About all taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench the fiery darts of the wicked". Did you catch that? We are told here what the wicked have to work with. Fiery darts. Scary. But, not super helpful in a hand to hand fight. Only helpful from a distance where they can work up some momentum to hit their target. So, if we go into the fight knowing and expecting it to be hand to hand combat distance not only will our armor and weapons be actually effective, the enemy's weapons won't work nearly as well. Hmm...
