Recovered In Christ

When I was a child, I used to wear my father’s coat when I role played as a super hero. My friends would be dressed up as bat man, or a fairy princess, while at home I used to create elaborate hiding places and forts in closets and under tables creating entire worlds that were my kingdoms to play in, the final, and most powerful touch would be the putting on of my father’s coat. To me, my father was infallible. An original Syrian bull who’d never met his match in intensity or honor. I used to lay awake at night listening to his stories about surviving growing up alone at age 7 in the poorest sections of Damascus, Syria. This was a man who’d put himself through school, immigrated to Canada and raised a family through the sheer power of his will and love for his family. This was a man who had once killed a scorpion with his bare hands while in the Syrian desert as an army soldier. This was a man who turned his back on his own yearning for his homeland, uprooting himself many times in order to protect 3 daughters and a wife from the effects of the chauvinism he found.  So while my friends were donning the comic book hero outfits…I was running around with my father’s coat on. His smell, his presence seemed to linger in it and I felt and behaved invincibly.

Through the years I have retired my Kingdom role play games (mostly!) and have long forgotten the memory of his coat. Except that the Lord brings it to my attention again and again in studying scripture and being pulled ever so deeply into the Lord’s mind and understanding. I have read many quotes and articles regarding the “armor” of God, that Paul wrote about in Ephesians – many are very good. Solid and helpful. But still, they’ve lacked the thrust of God’s intent and mind.

When most of us read about the “….putting on the armor of God…” we hear so many things like putting “God” on…imagining yourself covered in his righteousness and dressed for battle. Ready to rumble because you’re decked out in God’s qualities. Holding up your faith to protect yourself from the raining darts of attack on you. True – But that’s not all of it. We are putting on our father’s coat. It’s his armor. He is the one who wore this when he delivered the Israelites in Exodus, this is also his outfit that Isaiah talks about – from which Paul speaks! Compare the 2 passages below, one is from Isaiah, and the other is Paul’s reference to it in Ephesians.

In context, this passage is referring to God working salvation for Himself. He has found no one who has or could overcome the injustice in the world, God Himself comes down as a warrior-redeemer and executes justice against the enemies of Israel. That is where Paul’s “armor of God” comes from.

“Truth is lacking, and he who departs from evil makes himself a prey. The LORD saw it, and it displeased him that there was no justice. He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no one to intercede; then his own arm brought him salvation, and his righteousness upheld him. He put on righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on his head; he put on garments of vengeance for clothing, and wrapped himself in zeal as a cloak. According to their deeds, so will he repay, wrath to his adversaries, repayment to his enemies; to the coastlands he will render repayment.”  Isaiah 59:15-18

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 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 rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.” Ephesians 6:10-20

But what is this armor that God Himself is wearing…both to make war with his enemies to destroy them and to deliver his people – us. His armor is Christ Himself. Christ is the “righteousness of God” Christ is “salvation”, Christ is the “Truth” that is fastened around us as a belt. Christ is all of it. We therefore PUT on Christ as our armor as God did and does. For the armor of God is His Son, Jesus Christ.

“And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.  The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.  Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy.  Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.” Romans 13: 11-14

“Paul explains the decisive plan that God has enacted in the death and resurrection of Jesus, setting Christ as the head over all things, “far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come” (Eph 1:21). This has resulted in the creation of the Church, the Body of Jews and Gentiles united in Christ. Thus, the wisdom and glory of God’s plan set forth in Christ is now demonstrated through the Church to all the spiritual rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.

God is in the business of reclaiming and redeeming the world for Himself from the spiritual world-rulers that have dominion in the present age. This follows – rather, fulfills – the pattern set forth in Israel’s Exodus and rescue from Exile. He is executing this plan in Christ and demonstrating it through the Church, the Body of Christ. In this sense, we – not merely as individuals, but as the Church – bear the armor of God. We are a “holy temple,” God’s presence in and for the world.” – Tim Ip

What is this gospel of peace? What is this peace? Absence of conflict? A good feeling? What is the original problem? Separation. Sin has separated us from God…what has God’s promise and plan always been? The good news is that God has reconciled us to him through Christ- RECONCILIATION is the original meaning of peace. Katallasso – the ancient Greek work to reconcile. *

“We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.  God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” 2 Corinthians 5:20-21

“How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.” Isaiah 52:7

My father’s coat was meaningless in my childhood to all my friends. They could not benefit from it because they were not his children. Many people continue to try and use the “armor” of God as some kind of shield and cloak formula without understanding that the only way it can work to defend you is if you are his child. Is he your father? My father’s armor is Christ. Therefore my armor is Christ. I live in Him as He lives in me. For what purpose? To defend myself from accusations and attacks? To live a quiet and abundant life? What is the armor for? Why am I standing? For what? ….for one reason only. That I may open my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel. The news that Jesus Christ has come to offer salvation to all who would hear and believe.

“To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.” Ephesians 6:19-20

“Now have come the salvation and the power
and the kingdom of our God,
and the authority of his Messiah.
For the accuser of our brothers and sisters,
who accuses them before our God day and night,
has been hurled down.
They triumphed over him
by the blood of the Lamb
and by the word of their testimony;
they did not love their lives so much
as to shrink from death.
Therefore rejoice, you heavens
and you who dwell in them!
But woe to the earth and the sea,
because the devil has gone down to you!
He is filled with fury,
because he knows that his time is short.” Revelation 12:10-12

*There are two words for reconciliation in Greek.  One word “diallasso” means to reconcile two parties who are    mutually hostile toward one another.  The second word “katallasso” means to reconcile two parties where only one party is hostile toward the other. “Katallasso” is the word used for reconciliation to God. This means that it is man who is “hostile” towards God and has become rebellious by means of his inherent sin nature.  It means that mankind is the enemy of God and it is man who needs to be reconciled  to God.

Literally, “katallasso” means to change or to exchange (originally referring to money).  It came to mean a change from being one’s enemy to being one’s friend.  This is the meaning throughout the New Testament.  At salvation, the believer is reconciled to God.  This means that the believer is no longer God’s enemy but that peace has been made as a result of the person’s change of mind towards Christ (the true meaning of repentance).  (Romans 5:10) – Stan Simonton