Put on the Full Armor of God

Too much has been done hatefully “in the name of Christ.” Wars have been fought, people have been persecuted, laws have been passed that oppress and marginalize… all in the name of Christ. And as a result, the idea of Christianity has become maligned with the idea of persecution, of judgementalism, of fundamentalism. It’s a religion that in the eyes of many hurt by it is full of hate and hurtful rhetoric.

How did a gospel of love and acceptance get so perverted?

How did faith and beliefs get so twisted?

One of my other half’s favorite set of verses in the Bible is Ephesians 6:10-18, otherwise known as the passage that talks about the full armor of God. Now some tend to think that this is about militarizing those of Christianity, wrapping ourselves up in this idea of Christian nationalism and arming ourselves with weapons to fight abominations and our fellow mankind. But it’s not. Has anyone actually read what the letter states we are supposed to arm ourselves with?

1. Belt of truth
2. Breastplate of justice
3. Shoes of peace
4. Shield of faith
5. Helmet of salvation
6. The sword of Spirit

Wait… wait.. come again? What is this armor? Peace? Justice? Faith? Salvation? Truth? Spirit? How can THOSE be part of battle? And what exactly should we be fighting against, if not our fellow man and the culture that surrounds us?

Now this is just my opinion, and I am quite a pacifist as it is but….

We should be fighting with the idea of justice against any injustices anywhere and welcoming those who have been marginalized, from the immigrant fleeing war and fighting in their own countries to the lost child who is told they are less than because their gender doesn’t match the way they present on the outside. We should be fighting with faith against the apathy that sees children in low income areas lose their free lunches because if is deemed “socialist” to love the least of these yet claim they protect “the children” all in the same. We should be fighting with love against the hate that spews rhetoric that if one isn’t for the Ten Commandments in every classroom and speaks out for the freedom of all religions, they are against Christianity. We should be fighting with kindness against those that tear down others and battling to send the message that the second greatest commandment of all is love thy neighbor as thee loves thyself, even if they don’t look like you, act like you, think like you, or worship like you.

Put on the full armor of God… that love, that peace, that hope, that joy, that justice and mercy, that humbleness and self-control, that patience, that kindness, that charity, that gentleness that is spoken of. Wrap yourself in it to show others that hate cannot win, that sorrow can be fleeting, that desolation is not the end and that love always is the answer when there seems to be no other way. Make that the magic of your story.

And for those that were curious, the other half loves this verse because to him, it’s a set of verses about always being prepared to do what is necessary…. not because it evokes an idea of battle.

Stay magical, friends.

Write your own story.

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