I grew up hearing about the armor of God—the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, feet of the Gospel, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit.

But what I did not realize is how perfectly the armor of God goes with the Cross of Christ.

Background

For anyone who may be scratching their heads over the armor of God, it comes from this passage in Ephesians:

Wherefore take unto you the whole armour 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 all the fiery darts of the wicked.And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

(Eph. 6:13-17)

There is such richness to each piece. For example, the only offensive weapon in the list is the sword of the Spirit, God’s Word. And the head in Scripture is a position of authority, just as Christ’s salvation in our lives provides authority and direction for everything else we do.

But this isn’t an article about the armor of God; it’s an article about the Cross.

My Question

The first time I realized that there was a piece of armor missing, I was shocked.

There’s no armor for the back.

Think about it: you have a breastplate, a helmet, footwear, and a shield. But there is nothing covering the soldier’s back.

Was it an oversight? Or is there a reason for the glaring omission?

Fully Armed

Behold Jesus.

Weary from a sleepless night, torn with soul-anguish from His impending death, shuffled from ruler to ruler for judgment. He was falsely accused. He was mocked. He was used for others’ personal gain. Faultless, the Perfect One was found worthy of death.

The Son of God was stripped of His clothing. He was cruelly flogged; the beating alone could cause death to its recipient. He was mocked in front of a whole band of soldiers.

This man did not look armed; He looked helpless and defeated.

But He wore the full armor of God.

While numerous witnesses lied about His character, He wore the belt of truth and spoke no falsehood.

When the soldiers stripped away His clothes, He still wore righteousness like a garment.

As the nails violently pierced His feet, they were at that moment preparing the Gospel of peace for the world.

When doubts and reproaches fell on Jesus along with the physical blows, He wielded the shield of faith and persevered.

The soldiers who shoved a crown of thorns onto Jesus’ head had no clue that He was even then wearing the helmet of salvation which would soon be revealed to the world.

Through all the tortuous trial and crucifixion, Jesus grasped the sword of the Spirit even when His hands were pierced. Never did He lean on His own desires or His own strength—and that sword won a mighty victory.

But the last piece of armor came when the soldiers laid Jesus against the cross.

For the first time, there was a piece of armor for His back.

That armor did not look like a defense. It looked like defeat. But it proved the mightiest piece of armor.

Jesus did not shun the cross. He endured it for the joy set before Him (Heb. 12:2). When He put on that last piece of armor, He completed that which was needed for us to enter into Him. He won the victory in His moment of seemingly greatest weakness.

His Armor for Us

Our armor is indeed meant to protect us—but not in the world’s way of protection. We are protected unto God’s work, not from the battle.

We may be wounded. We may experience pain, even clothed in armor. But, clothed firmly in the armor of God and joyfully up taking His cross (Mt. 16:24), we will find victory in every situation.