The Girdle of Truth and the Breastplate of Righteousness

This transcript was generated automatically. Its accuracy may vary

Short Summary
The symposium explores Paul’s commission and the metaphor of the whole armor of God as essential spiritual protection for Christians, emphasizing its role in safeguarding the new creature—the transformed mind—rather than the physical body. Drawing parallels between Roman soldiers’ armor and Christian faith, it highlights the need for truth, righteousness, and steadfastness in facing internal and external spiritual challenges, underscoring the importance of diligent study, consecration, and practical application of God’s word to withstand evil in the present age.

Long Summary
Detailed Summary of the Symposium on “The Whole Armor of God” and Paul’s Commission

Introduction to Paul’s Commission and Ananias’ Role
– Paul’s commission was revealed to Ananias after Paul’s Damascus road experience where he was blinded for three days.
– God told Ananias to go to Paul because Paul was a “chosen instrument” to bear God’s name before Gentiles, kings, and Israelites.
– God also warned Ananias that Paul must suffer much for His name (Acts 9:15-16).
– Paul endured severe persecutions, including being stoned in Lystra and multiple imprisonments.

Paul’s Need for and Use of the Whole Armor of God
– God provided Paul with the “whole armor of God” to rely on throughout his ministry.
– The armor is a metaphor for spiritual protection necessary for all believers in the body of Christ.
– Paul’s experiences—being accused, threatened with death, and placed under protective custody by Roman soldiers—illustrate the dangers he faced.
– His journey to Rome was part of fulfilling his commission to witness before kings and emperors.

Roman Soldier Metaphor and Paul’s Impressions in Rome
– While in Rome, Paul lived with a soldier, becoming familiar with the Roman soldier’s armor and fidelity to duty.
– The armor symbolized readiness, protection, and obedience to the commander (Senatus Populusque Romanus—SPQR).
– Paul used soldierly metaphors in his epistles written from Rome, such as Philippians 2:25 (fellow soldier), Philemon 1:1, and 2 Timothy 2:3-4 (endure hardness as a good soldier).
– Armor is essential for a soldier to avoid injury while serving; similarly, Christians need spiritual armor to protect the new creature within.

Analogy of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
– Analogies were drawn from professions requiring PPE: engineers, firemen, hazmat workers, beekeepers.
– PPE is worn to enable loving and purposeful work while preventing injury.
– The spiritual armor is the PPE for Christians actively serving God in a hostile world.

Paul’s Ministry in Ephesus
– Paul spent three years in Ephesus, teaching both Jews and Gentiles.
– Initially, the Ephesians only knew John’s baptism (repentance). Paul taught them to be baptized in Jesus’ name (Acts 19:4).
– He taught in the synagogue for three months and then daily in the School of Tyrannus for two years.
– Miracles performed by Paul led many to renounce magic and idolatry, causing a riot stirred by Demetrius the silversmith over the goddess Diana (Artemis).
– Paul’s relationship with the Ephesian elders was deep and personal (Acts 20:17-38), involving teaching “all the counsel of God” publicly and from house to house.

Paul’s Epistles and Their Intended Audiences
– Paul wrote four epistles from Rome: Philippians, Philemon, Colossians, and Ephesians.
– Although Paul had never visited Colossae or Laodicea, he corresponded with those churches through Epaphras and Onesimus.
– There is scholarly discussion that the Epistle to the Ephesians might originally have been the Epistle to the Laodiceans (Colossians 4:16), possibly sent to Ephesus as a major port.
– This affects understanding of the epistle’s audience but does not diminish its spiritual lessons.

Purpose of the Armor: Protection of the New Creature
– The armor is not for protecting the physical body; Paul’s physical sufferings (2 Corinthians 11:24-27) were severe and not prevented by armor.
– The armor protects the “new creature,” the renewed mind and spirit created in Christ.
– 2 Corinthians 4:7 and 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 describe the power of God working through fragile vessels.
– Romans 8:28 assures that all things work together for good for those who love God.

Ephesians 6:10-12 and Spiritual Warfare
– Paul exhorts believers to “be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.”
– The spiritual battle is not against flesh and blood but against “principalities, powers, rulers of darkness, and spiritual wickedness in high places.”
– Satan disguises himself as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14) and has “deacons” or ministers who serve him, paralleling God’s servants.

Jesus’ Example and the Necessity of the Armor
– Jesus used Scripture (“It is written”) to counter Satan’s temptations, effectively using the armor of God.
– Believers face opposition and persecution when standing for truth (Matthew 10:16-20).
– The armor does not prevent attacks (fiery darts) but makes the new creature impenetrable if properly worn.

The Girdle of Truth
– The Roman soldier’s belt (cingulum) was essential for stability and was a mark of a true soldier.
– Christians are to have their “loins girded with truth” (Ephesians 6:14), representing readiness and firm foundation in God’s Word.
– John 17:17: “Sanctify them through thy truth; thy word is truth.”
– Full consecration requires giving up human will to do God’s will.
– 1 Peter 1:13: “Gird up the loins of your mind, be sober.”

The Breastplate of Righteousness
– Symbolizes justification and protection of the heart.
– The high priest’s breastplate represented the law’s letter and spirit.
– Imputed righteousness through Christ enables consecration and standing before God.
– Protects against Satan’s accusations and self-condemnation.
– God desires zeal and heart’s desire for righteousness, not perfection (Psalm 15:4; Matthew 5:10).

Importance of Ethical Living and Integrity
– Personal testimonies illustrated the cost of righteousness and ethics.
– Ethics defined as knowing the difference between right and wrong and acting accordingly.
– Isaiah 26:9 promises that the world will learn righteousness during God’s judgments.
– Hebrews 10:36 stresses patience to do God’s will and receive the promise.

Challenges and Tactics of Satan in the Last Days
– Before 1878, Satan’s tactics were physical persecution (e.g., Inquisition).
– Post-1878 (after the resurrection of the sleeping saints), Satan changed tactics to attacking faith and ideology.
– Examples: spiritism, evolution, atheism, rapture theories, political correctness, and moral relativism.
– 2 Timothy 3 warns of perilous times in the last days with people “lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God.”

The Role of Study and Heart in Spiritual Strength
– Isaiah 28:9-13 emphasizes the need for diligent study — “precept upon precept.”
– Proverbs 2:3-5 exhorts seeking knowledge as silver and hidden treasure.
– The heart’s desire for truth is critical; God guides understanding when hearts are kept in harmony with His Word.
– 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 describes spiritual weapons to cast down imaginations and bring thoughts into obedience to Christ.

Summary and Encouragement
– The armor is for the new creature to fight the flesh and spiritual adversaries.
– The girdle of truth and breastplate of righteousness are foundational pieces.
– The Christian soldier must be fully consecrated, equipped, and vigilant.
– The symposium concluded with anticipation for further talks on the whole armor of God.
– Closing encouragement: “May the Lord add His blessing.”

—

Selected Bible Verses Mentioned:

– Acts 9:15-16 – God’s commission to Paul through Ananias.
– Acts 19:4 – Baptism in the name of Jesus.
– Acts 20:17-38 – Paul’s farewell to Ephesian elders.
– Colossians 4:16 – Sharing epistles among churches.
– 2 Corinthians 11:24-27 – Paul’s sufferings.
– 2 Corinthians 4:7; 12:9-10 – Power in weakness.
– Romans 8:28 – All things work together for good.
– Ephesians 6:10-12,14 – Whole armor of God, girded with truth.
– 2 Corinthians 11:14 – Satan as an angel of light.
– Matthew 10:16-20 – Jesus’ warning about persecution.
– John 17:17 – Sanctification through truth.
– 1 Peter 1:13 – Gird up the loins of your mind.
– John 14:27 – Jesus gives peace.
– Psalm 15:4 – Integrity in righteousness.
– Isaiah 26:9 – The world learning righteousness.
– Hebrews 10:36 – Need for patience to do God’s will.
– 2 Timothy 3:1-5 – Perilous times in the last days.
– Isaiah 28:9-13 – Learning knowledge precept upon precept.
– Proverbs 2:3-5 – Seeking understanding as silver.
– 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 – Spiritual warfare weapons.
– Malachi 3:2-3 – Refining of silver (truth).

—

This detailed summary captures the main themes, scriptural references, and practical applications discussed in the symposium on Paul’s commission and the whole armor of God, emphasizing the spiritual nature of the Christian’s warfare and the necessity of truth, righteousness, and consecration.

Transcript

All right, we’re going to be. We’re going to talk about a few background things before we get to the full armor of God. One of the things we want to talk about is Paul’s commission. Paul’s commission. This was told to Ananias.

You know, Ananias, and Paul goes to Damascus. He’s been blinded. He’s in darkness for three days. Ananias goes there, and Ananias is pretty scared.

But he’s told. Ananias is told. But the Lord said unto him, go for thee. He’s a chosen instrument of mine to bear my name before the Gentiles and kings.

Excuse me, brethren, I’ve got to do something.

I’m just getting back feedback from my own computer here.

He’s the chosen instrument to bear my name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel. So I will show him how much he must suffer for my namesake. So, and you may note that when you look at what he suffered, he was actually stoned in Lystra. He really had a lot of things going on.

But with this commission, God also supplied to Paul the whole armor of God. He applied to Paul this whole armor of God to put on and rely on throughout his entire walk.

Brethren, I’m sorry, I’m going to have to do something.

Know your speaker. Your speakers. Well, yeah, I would like to, but I can’t get to them at this point.

No. Yeah. Well, yeah, thank you. Yeah, I know, but I had to shut things down to get to it. Yes.

Now. Okay. All right. Start over, please.

So sharing has stopped. Okay. So we’ll. We’ll do this and think that you’re starting over. Yes.

Okay. Sharing. Don’t worry. You have plenty of time. Okay.

All right. So.

Okay.

So I’m off of sharing again. All right, sure. That’s what I want.

There we are. Hi.

Okay. Save it to the end.

So, all right, now I can think. So Paul had this whole armor of God himself. Whole armor of God himself. Now, when we look at the whole armor of God, the armor is a wonderful metaphor used by Paul to describe what everyone in the body of Christ must have to some degree. To some degree.

Now let’s see why Paul used this illustration to help the brother. We’re going to be talking about the. Mainly the breastplate of righteousness, but initially we’re going to talk about this whole armor of God. So when we look at Paul’s missionary journeys he went to when he was coming back from Jerusalem, he was falsely accused in Jerusalem by many Jews, and he was Threatened with death. In fact, he had to be taken in protective custody by 200 soldiers.

I can’t remember if it was like 70 horsemen, most powerful military force on planet Earth, and, and taken to Caesarea. So God really arranged. Paul had protective custody. He was not going to be killed. He had work to do.

So he goes to Caesarea and when he was in. So he goes to Caesarea and the Jews followed him there and they wanted to say, hey, Paul should be killed. So he’s before Felix and Agrippa and he’s being accused, and Paul says, well, if I’m a wrongdoer and I’m worthy of death, then fine, I’m happy to die if that’s really what the law should say. But I appeal to Caesar.

Well, which is interesting because Felix Interpreter said, well, he didn’t anything, he could go free. But he. Since he appealed to Caesar, we have to send him there. So Paul was sent to Rome. Up.

He’s sent to Rome, you know, on this very interesting trip through the Mediterranean where he continued to fill his commission because he was supposed to witness before kings and emperors and etc. So of course, well, when he was in Rome, why armor? Well, appreciate Brother Wes was talking about that a little bit. But I think in Rome, where it really hit home in Acts 28:16, when he entered Rome, Paul was allowed to stay by himself with a soldier who was guarding him. So he wasn’t put in prison, he was living with a soldier.

And here Paul would become.

Thank you. Paul would become intimately familiar with the duties and the armor of a Roman soldier, and he was impressed. This impressed Paul greatly. Not only the uniform of the soldier, but the fidelity of each soldier to his commander and his mission.

You gotta, and we want to see what the, what the armor is really about. Well, this Roman soldier, you may have seen this model spqr, which is Senatus Populus Romanus. Please all say no. It means the Senate and the people of Rome.

In other words, that’s who they’re serving. That’s what they should be serving. It seems to be kind of like the Marines. Semper fidelis. Semper fi.

You know, always faithful. Well, just as a true Christian is consecrated to do the will of God and lay down his life in God’s service. Well, during and after Paul’s time in Rome, he used the metaphor of soldiers. Now, he used armor, we know that, armor of light. But he didn’t use the metaphor of soldiers until his.

Except while he was in Rome and in three epistles, in addition to the whole armor of God that we’ll be considering. So if you look at Philippians, while he was Things that were written in Rome, Philippians 2:25, I suppose it necessary to send you Epaphroditus, my brother and companion in labor and fellow soldier. So he’s using that. He’s really impressed by this man he’s living with and his fidelity to his mission, his commanders and his armor flamen, you know, and to our beloved Apphia and Archippus, our fellow soldiers in the church in my house. So this is written from Rome.

And then of course, writing to Timothy, he uses this twice. Thou therefore endure hardness as a good soldier. No man that wareth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life, similar to what Brother west was just telling us, that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier, and we know who has chosen us to be a soldier. So.

Well, why is armor necessary for a Roman soldier? Well, if you simply don’t want to get hurt, don’t become a soldier. That’s simple. You don’t want to go into battle and be threatened with arrows and darts and, you know, swords and stuff. Just don’t become a soldier.

Then you don’t even need the armor. But if you want to serve as a soldier, you need the armor to prevent injury during your service. That’s what it’s all about. That’s really what it’s all about. So prevent injury while you’re fulfilling your service.

This is called protect personal protective equipment. That’s what it is, and there are all sorts of us in all sorts of walks of life, in fact, as an engineer, and the thing is, you wear the personal protective equipment while you’re doing something you want to do or you have to do. If you just don’t want to get hurt, you just don’t do it, whatever that activity is, just don’t even go there.

Very simple. But as an engineer, I had to go through hundreds of companies and I’ve been in coal mines and lead smelting plants, foundries, I’ve worn hard hats, I’ve worn hard hat, self rescuers, hearing protectors, safety glasses, face shields, heavy boots, steel toed shoes, gloves, leather aprons, and it goes on and on. But I really enjoyed what I was doing. I wanted to be there. Well, these are, this is personal protective equipment.

Here’s some more. Here’s a fireman. Now, firemen love their job. We’ll talk about that in a second. They want to be firemen.

Here’s a guy. Hazmat. Suit, and I’m not sure if he really loves it or not, but he knows he’s got to do it. Now, beekeepers, nobody has to be a beekeeper.

They love to be beekeepers, but they don’t want to get stung, so they wear this. So it’s so they can get the job done, to do things they really want to do, to protect themselves. Again, if you don’t want to get hurt, just don’t even do it. Do something else. But it’s when you love something you love and you know it’s dangerous, you have to have the ppe.

So now firemen, Firemen, they don’t just grab a bucket and throw water on the flame. I mean, that’s silly. They’re just asking. This is, of course, not a fireman. They don’t just run in the burning building with a bucket of water.

They wear the helmet, the heavy coat, the boots, the gloves, the pants, et cetera. In fact, here’s a fireman and I spoke to a professional fireman in preparation for this. I said, do the guys you work with, do they really like being firemen? He said, they love being. There’s nothing.

They love being firemen. There’s nothing they would. They would rather do. They love their jobs. They are willing to put themselves in, at risk, in harm’s way to help others.

But while they’re doing it, they’re going to use the proper ppe. They’ve been trained. They know what they need to do. Well, here’s a fireman loving his job. You notice he’s carrying this elderly woman out.

Well, here’s why does he have a big smile on his face? Here’s why she told him. This reminds me of my wedding night.

So, I mean, he’s not thinking about danger or getting hurt. He just wants to help this wonderful lady who is so appreciative of what he’s doing. So this whole armor of God In Ephesians 6, Paul is sharing information about the necessary personal protective equipment that each one of the body of Christ needs, needs to do the job, which they love. Is there anybody here does not love standing for the truth, sharing the truth, being an ambassador for Christ? Anybody?

No. You love that. Well, while you’re doing that, while you’re doing that, you need protective equipment. We’ll see. It’s not just simply from things outside, but a lot of it is for things inside, in things inside.

So before we get to Ephesians, we’d like to look at Paul’s experiences with the Ephesians Now, Paul, he spent three months with the Philippians, a month or a year and a half with the Corinthians, and three years with the Ephesians. Three years.

Initially, all they understood was John’s baptism, and he told them, look, in Acts 19:4, this is the baptism of repentance. But you need to be baptized in the name of Lord Jesus. So he is really initiating their consecration into Christ, the proper consecration. So now they understand he is holding them by the hand and guiding them all the way through here.

He taught in a synagogue for three months, and there were Ephesians with him, not just the Jews, but others, and there were Jews who were paying attention to him, and they’re following him. But we find that he entered the synagogue and continued boldly for three months, reasoning. Not just say, hey, believe what I say, but reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God. But when some were becoming hardened and disobedient, they were speaking evil of the way.

So they’re speaking evil about what Paul was talking about, and he withdrew with them and took away the disciples. So there were, I’m sure there were Jews who were becoming his disciples, and they said, yeah, we’re going to leave. This isn’t right.

So then he taught in the school of Tyrannus for two years. This school was a large, cavernous building, apparently, and in the morning it was very cool, and that’s when they had the secular lessons, and they said, paul, you want to use this in the afternoon? It’s too hot for us, but be my guest.

So for two years, every day, he was teaching in Ephesus. Two years, reasoning daily in that school to both Jews and Gentiles, and Paul also, while he was there in Acts 19:11, he was performing extraordinary miracles.

People gave up their magic, their idolatry, you know, from other reprints that people said, hey, you know, there’s all this magic. We’re going to burn these books. These books were worth 50,000 pieces of silver. I mean, that’s an incredible amount of money at that time. Well, then Demetrius, he was a silversmith, and they made the things for the little shrines for Diana.

He starts a riot. He says, hey, look, he’s cutting into our business. Everybody knows Artemis or Diana is our God. Look at what he’s doing. There’s this riot, this big riot, not only in Ephesus, but also in all Asia.

This Paul has persuaded and turned away a considerable number of people, saying that gods made with hands are no gods at all, and they, and they. When they heard these Things they were. Excuse me, they were full of wrath and cried out, great is Diana of the Ephesians.

Well, later the riot was stopped, but the. The Ephesian brethren were there. They were probably right in the midst of this, seeing all this happening. Very important.

Then when we get to Acts 20, on his way to Jerusalem, he left Ephesus. He comes back to that way, and what he wants to do is he wants to see the Ephesian elders. In other words, they’ve been in the way long enough. They now have elders in their class. This class is becoming mature.

They’ve been with the APostle Paul for three years, learning daily from him, and he says to them, from Meletus he sent to Ephesus and called to him the elders of the church. You know that from the first day I came into Asia, and after what manner I’ve been with you at all seasons, serving the Lord with all humility of mind, and with many tears and temptations which befell me, and by the lying of weight of the Jews, and he’s saying, you’ve seen this. You have seen this.

You’ve lived this with me.

And how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have showed you and have taught you publicly, and from house to house. For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God. So the Ephesians brethren had a tremendous course in the truth, in standing for the truth in the principles of. Of the principles of the truth from the Apostle Paul himself, and at Paul’s final departure in Acts 20:37, and they all wept sore and fell on Paul’s neck and kissed him.

So tremendous. I mean, he had really the deepest relationship with Ephesians than he had of any of the Ecclesiastes. There’s just no question about that. Well, while in Rome, Paul wrote the four Epistles, Philippians, Philemon, Colossians, and Ephesians. Paul had been in Philippi, as we said, for only three months.

But in the epistle to them, he said, I thank my God upon every remembrance of you. I remember you. I thank God for that. Therefore, my brethren, my dearly beloved, and long for my joy and my crown, Paul sent this personal In Philippians, he sent personal greetings to Euodia, Sintichi, and Clement.

Now, Paul had never been to Colossae. So he said to them in Colossians 1:4, since we heard of your faith, we heard of your faith in Christ and of the love which you have to all the saints. Now Epaphras was in Rome, and he was from the Colossae. He was in Rome with Paul and shared the faith of the brethren in Colossae, and Onesimus was also from Colossae.

So he could say, hey, you know, the brethren there, they’re getting this message, they’re Christians, you know, so he’s heard. He’s just hearing about. Paul showed his concern even for brethren he had never met. Colossians 2:1, he says, for I would that ye knew what great conflict I have for you and for them at Laodicea. Now, he’d never been to Laodicea either.

And for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh, and Paul wanted them to share his Epistles, these epistles with each other. So he said, and when this epistle is read among you, cause that it be read also in the church of Laodiceans, and that ye likewise read the Epistle from Laodicea. So these places where Paul had never been. So if we look at Paul’s travel, we can see the two yellow dots.

The two yellow dots, that’s Colossae and Laodicea. The blue dot with the white, that’s Ephesus, and you can see in his travel, he bypassed these smaller towns, Laodicea and Colossae, when he went to this large port city, this large metropolitan area of Ephesus, and he wanted them to exchange and share these lessons. So it may seem that this Epistle to the Laodiceans is lost.

But actually that may not be the case. That may not be the case. Now, Paul used. Notice Paul used the exact same phrase that he said to the Colossians. He says, since we’ve heard of your faith and of the love which ye have to all the saints.

And here’s what he wrote in Ephesians 1:15. Wherefore also after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and the love unto all the saints. Does that seem out of character? He was there for three years. He didn’t hear of the faith.

He established it. He saw it, he developed it, he nurtured it, he helped strengthen it. They saw all of his, they saw all of his experiences. He also said in Ephesians 3:2, assuming, assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given unto me. Well, there was no assuming necessary.

They had seen it, they had lived it. They were next to him. He was in their houses, he was in their Ecclesiastes. He was teaching them. But the Ephesians fully knew.

They fully knew Paul’s stewardship giving to them. Paul was with them longer than any other Ecclesia. So saying, I’ve heard of your faith, this would be incongruous. This would be out of character for this loving brother. It would be impersonal and unreasonable.

Well, and we’re going to get to the reason why I’m even bringing this up in just a minute. Well, Cony Baron House, and I don’t know if you’ve read that, but there’s a wonderful book on the life and Epistles of St. Paul that I have the 1854 copy where he goes over this and he tells us that the names of the Ecclesiastes are not found in the earliest copies. Copies of the epistles, they’re just not there. The authors quote and Gunnybar and Howson quotes several authors and sources to verify this, and their assertion is that what we recognize as the epistle to the Ephesians is actually the Epistle to the Laodiceans which Paul talks about in Colossians 4:16.

And as Ephesus was a major port city, a copy of this epistle was likely addressed and sent to them. I mean, that was the major port city. If you’re going to get to Laodicea, you’ll probably get from the sea, you’re going to go through Ephesus on the way, and if you’re going to go back to the sea from Laodicea or Colossae, you’re going to go through Ephesus. So a copy of this was likely addressed to them and later thought to be originally sent to them.

Now, I’ve made, I have a, if you would like a copy of a couple chapters, I’d be happy to send that to you. To me, because I years ago when I was reading through this, I said, wait a second, he’s been there for a long time. You read Acts 19 and 20 and you read Ephesians, you say, these don’t gel. You know, these don’t gel. He wrote Ephesians after he’d been there for over three years or wrote this epistle.

Well, I also checked with, I called Brother Jim Parkinson about this, talked with him twice, and he said, well, this issue is well known. It’s verified by many scholarly folks who are familiar with the early manuscripts that Ephesians was likely written, you know, like addressed to the Ephesians, that the Laodiceans was actually, you know, a copy was made, put Ephesians on it, send it to them, so they get the benefit of it as well. Okay, so why, why am I bringing this up? Why even bother well, this does not discount any of the information in the Epistle. All the lessons are vital, correct, and wonderful.

We need them, we benefit them. They’re definitely ordained of God. But it does affect the audience for whom the Epistle was intended. The audience. Paul was trying to warn these new brethren in Laodicea and prepare them for the trials and experiences in the narrow way, things that they had never experienced but the Ephesians brethren had seen and experienced firsthand.

They were there. They saw virtually everything that Paul went through. But this armor does not. Keep in mind the armor does not protect the flesh. Paul’s physical trials included lots of things, you know, we won’t go over well.

2 Corinthians 11:24. He says, Five times, I received 40 stripes, save one. I was stoned in Lystra, suffered shipwreck, perils, and waters, robbers, wilderness. In the wilderness, weariness, hunger, painfulness, cold nakedness. Well, the armor didn’t protect against that.

The arm is for the new creature. The flesh is what’s on the altar. The new creature is not the flesh, and there are many, many Christians we know of who were burned at the stake. They had the full armor of God, but it wasn’t going to prevent the flames from destroying their flesh.

So we want to see what this armor is for. It’s for the new creature as we go on here.

The armor is for the health and safety of the new mind, the new creature. Second Corinthians 4, 7, 9. We have this treasure, this new creature in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God. The power may be of God. We talked about that yesterday.

This power, the same power that raised up Jesus to the divine nature, is the power that God is using us in our everyday lives. We are troubled on every side, but not distressed. We are perplexed, but not in despair. We are persecuted, but not forsaking. We are cast down, but not destroyed.

That’s what this armor. Because we have this armor, this is the new creature. It’s being talked about because of this wonderful armor that God provides to us. If we do the work to put it on, we have to put it on. Paul knows this armor and what it is for.

And this when he was talking in Romans, Romans 8, 28. We just had a nice, nice talk about Romans Romans 8, 28. I like the first three words, and we know. Here’s one. Speaking from experience, Paul is not a newbie, and we know all things will work together.

You have that armor on. Doesn’t matter about the flesh.

And we know all things work together. Paul shows their source of strength as well as their powerful enemies in Ephesians 6:10. Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might. Not your might, but his might. 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 and powers, and against rulers of darkness of the world, against the spiritual wickedness in high places, and we are no match for them.

But with the armor provided by God himself, we are. Wow.

2nd Corinthians 11:14.

And no marvel, for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore, it is no great thing if his ministers now notice. The word ministers come from Diaconus. Deacons. Gee, we have deacons.

So does the adversary. So does Satan. He has deacons, and they’re also transformed as the ministers of the deacons of righteousness. Satan has many willing deacons, men and fallen angels to help him.

I appreciate brother Russell talked about the papacy, says it doesn’t matter how degraded, how fallen, how terrible. One person, person, anybody was. Papacy always had a position for them where they could serve. You know, Satan’s great masterpiece, he had lots of willing servants. So now Jesus himself thwarted Satan.

How? Well, he used the whole armor of God. With it is written, he knew the scripture. He had that armor. It is written.

Now, when I first heard the truth and I was consecrated, I thought that everyone would welcome this wonderful truth. I mean, who wouldn’t want this? Well, I was wrong. I had some tense experiences and I realized my need for the armor. But again, excuse me, I need this armor.

But this armor does not prevent the fiery darts from coming our way. But it does make us impenetrable, make the new creature impenetrable if the armor is used properly. So now, Jesus told his disciples that they would encounter resistance when they shared the truths they they knew at that time. Matthew 6, 10:16. He says, behold, I send you forth a sheep in the midst of of wolves.

Be ye therefore, wise as serpents and harmless as doves, but beware of man, for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scorch you in the synagogues. Well, this happened to Paul. Maybe not in the synagogue, but he was beaten five times. Matthew 10:18 and you shall be brought before the governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles. This happened to Paul as well.

Matthew 10:19 but when they deliver up, take no thought of what ye shall Speak. For it shall be given unto you in that same hour what ye shall speak. For it is not ye that speak that the spirit of your Father which speaketh in you. Well, Paul lived that as well and so do we.

Now here’s a little puppet. Now Jesus did not mean that God would use you as a mere puppets and animate your mouth. No, no, what he meant was that since you know the truth, do not be fearful about how to express the truth when the time comes. I mean, it’s in there. When a time comes, somebody you’re witnessing, you’re asking, just say what’s in your heart.

Say what’s in your heart. In fact, at the Indiana State Fair, we were just there two weeks ago, this happened a couple years ago, I encountered, and this is not the man, but look at that happy face at the Indiana State Fair one morning. This is a Monday morning where all the happy folks are gone after the weekend, and the fundamentalist evangelicals, they’re the ones who were there sort of policing the fair. So he comes up to me and he says, what’s your message?

What’s your message? He sees the chart. So I smiled and I said, oops, hold on a second page up. Come on. Oops, here we go.

What’s your message? I replied, well, it’s just what the angel said. Just what the angel said to the shepherd in the field in Luke 2:10. Fear not. God is not a God to be feared.

Behold. Which means pay attention, pay attention. I bring you good tidings of great joy. What shall be to all people, and the rest of our message has to do with how the rest of the Bible explains how Jesus sacrificed makes possible God’s plan of blessing for the church and all mankind.

They walked off. They had nothing to offer. They could not sell eternal torment after that. You want to contradict what the angels said? The angels of God can’t do it.

They’re gone. They’re gone, and you know, you rather know Brother Tim Allen.

I stayed with him down in Alabama and he shared with me whenever he’s talking to somebody, talk about a scripture that everybody should know, they may not be churchgoers, but if they’ve seen it, the nativity seen, and if there’s any scripture there, this would be the scripture. So I thought, what the simplest, most basic message, and that’s what I share with these folks, and they were totally disarmed. The darts couldn’t even fly.

Couldn’t even fly. So thank you, dear Brother Tim. Now the Roman soldier, this belt, this girdle or it’s called a cingulum. The Roman soldier had his loins girded with this cingulum, which you can see with these leather straps coming down in front of the groin essentially, or all across the front, and this was the mark of a Roman soldier which gave stability and foundation to the entire outfit.

And by law, only a Roman soldier was entitled to wear this. If somebody else has a cingulum, they’re going to be arrested.

Now this we as soldiers of Christ, we have our loins girt with the truth. How many folks other than the brethren really have this truth? Can you think of any? Nobody. They may have elements of the truth, layman’s home and a few others, and they’re doing what they can.

But the ones who really have their loins girt with the truth where they have given up their human will to do God’s will. That’s the brethren consecrated brethren. We are set apart by God himself through this truth in John 17:17. Sanctify them through thy truth. Thy word is truth.

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God, and I think this the Spirit of God. In other words, the influence of God should be evident in our lives, and that’s the same. That’s the evidence.

That’s the influence God has put there. This shows the family resemblance. I mean, how many folks have. They look at their kids and they say, what’s a mini me? You know, looks just like them, acts like them, sounds like them.

God wants that family resemblance in us, and of course, this requires full consecration unto death. It is by the death of the human will that we enter into the holy of the tabernacle and begin to have the proper appreciation of the deep things of God. We no longer live for self to do our own will, but we do the will of God. Well, Peter tells us in 1 Peter 1:13, wherefore gird up the loins of your mind and be sober.

And I appreciate in the sixth volume, page 91 says, it is the new mind, the new will, that is the new creature, Brother says, at several places accepted of God and called, and it alone is being dealt with that once again, the arm is not for the flesh, it’s for the new creature. It’s the new creature that’s being dealt with. Then we will begin to see and appreciate being the holy. We’ll begin to appreciate Those promises in second Peter 1:4, exceeding great and precious promises, whereby we may be partakers of the divine nature.

Well, it is because of this because of this truth that Jesus could prospectively say in John 14:27, Peace, I leave. He said it prospectively. They didn’t have the peace at the time what he’s saying this, but they would have it later. Peace I leave with you. My peace I give unto you.

Not as the world giveth, give I unto you. But let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. Notice when Jesus was taken. You know he’s at the house of the high priest. Peter denies him.

You know, they all scatter. But at Pentecost they had this peace. Nothing was going to scatter them then.

But we gain and live this peace from the renewing of our minds that we may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. We no longer do even the will of a perfect human being. After all, that’s exactly what Jesus sacrificed. He sacrificed the life and the will of a perfect human being to do God’s will. It’s not the will of a perfect human being to die, it’s to live.

But he gave that up to do God’s will even unto death.

Well, the girdle indicates servitude. We have many pictures of that. We have the high priest in his garments of glory and beauty, and also, if I had one of the under priests, you know, in their white garb, they also had a girdle. That girdle indicates servitude service.

As the high priest and the under priest wear girdles indicating servitude and our loins to be girt about with the truth so that we can withstand in this evil day. You can’t serve the Heavenly Father if you don’t know what that service entails. So we have to study. We have to know God’s will. We have to know the truth and know the proper way to do service.

And when we, when we are doing that, when we have that, we can now withstand in this evil day. Now, the evil day, you know, Brother west talked about that day, you know, the entire gospel age. Yes, that’s true. Especially true in this. In this last.

This last thousand years. But if we look at before 1878, what were Satan’s methods? Well, he sought to persecute and destroy the body members physically. Yeah, let’s get rid of them. I mean, Jesus was resurrected, right?

But what about his body members? You kill them, they’re just gone. So destroy them physically, as in the Inquisitions, burning them at the stake, and these are some Justinian monks who were associated with Martin Luther. They went in the wrong place, and they were burned at the stake.

But after the resurrection of the sleeping saints in 1878, the adversary realized that Revelation 2:10 was real. Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give you a crown of life. All of a sudden, they’re tens of thousands, tens and tens and tens of thousands of divine beings, which he apparently is aware of.

And he sees that his former methods only serve to strengthen the resolve of the saints, and one that reminds me that early, you know, in the first two centuries when Christianity was not popular and the brethren knew that every day where they lived, their faith, it could be a death sentence to them. That made them very strong. That strengthened their resolve. Strengthened their resolve.

But after 1878, he changed his tactics to destroy the ideology and faith of the saints so that they would become weak and lose their grip on the promises and be vulnerable, to lose their crowns, and he came up with many new ideas. For instance, spiritism. Well, they’re not really dead. They’re still alive somewhere.

You can talk to them. Let’s have a seance, and that drew a lot of people, especially in Brother Russell’s day. How about evolution? Okay, well, man, really wasn’t.

It came from monkeys. I mean, a lot of people I taught at a university. Now, thankfully, I was in engineering. We’re actually allowed to think, whereas folks in some of the other areas, they clamp down. You teach something, you teach anything other than what the party line is, you’re going to lose your job.

So evolution. Oh, how about atheism? I thought this was an interesting picture of atheism. Sealing of the 16th century chapel. Adam says, no, thanks.

No thanks. Don’t need it. Don’t need it. So. Or rapture.

How about rapture? I was on a flight coming out to Portland one year and had. Had. They served a meal. I told the stewardess, I ate my dessert first.

She says, are you a Baptist?

I said, no. Why do you ask? She says, well, Baptists believe in the Rapture. They don’t know when it’s going to happen, so they always eat their dessert first, because, after all, there’s no dessert in heaven. So Rapture.

And, you know, 20, 25 years ago, it was very, very popular. I had a secretary who. She was a rapture. So we have this kind of stuff, political crashness, situational ethics, lgbtq, whatever, you know, all sorts of crazy things that people think they’re coming up with it. I think Satan has a big, big role in all this.

So he’s changed his tactics. Well, Paul warned Timothy, this one who should Be a soldier that in the last days perilous times would come. For men would be lovers of pleasure more than, and lovers of their own selves and covenants and boasters. Lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God.

Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof. From such turn away. That’s how it was in the Presbyterian Church. They all dressed nice, they talked nice, but what did they know? And you get them away from the church for the next six days and things change a whole lot.

But we see this influence all around us. In fact, it pervades our life. Even when you go to the gas pump, there’s a TV screen turns on and it’s trying to pump my mind with advertisements. So either I’ll buy something or advertisements to try to change my thinking. Thank you.

No, I already like the mind that the Lord is trying to transform. Don’t you try to transform it. So we must put on the armor by making the truth our own, as in Isaiah 18. Excuse me, Isaiah 28:9. Whom shall he teach knowledge, and whom shall he make to understand those that are weaned from the breast, milk drawn from the breast.

For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, etc. With stammering lips and another tongue. Will he speak to his people. Well, I really love this because the word of God is intentionally scattered. It’s scattered.

So if you’re going to understand it, you have to topically collate it. What’s it really saying? Are you willing to go through the work to put all these things together? Oh, now it will make sense. That’s what Brother Russell did for us.

We also get to do that ourselves. So only those who are willing to do the work of gathering those precepts, these concepts, will be able to hear what God is speaking to them. That’s how he speaks to his people, as in Proverbs 2, 3. This on my desk at home. Yea, if thou criest after knowledge and liftest up thy voice for understanding, if thou seeketh her as silver, and searcheth for her as hid treasure, then thou shalt understand the reverence of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.

That’s what it takes. He says, here’s the way. Here’s how you do this. Now, silver really illustrates the purity of the truth at the Lord’s return in Malachi 3 2, and we know that silver in the tabernacle.

It’s in the posts. You know the post, the ones in the holy. They have this silver socket, it represents reality, truth. Verity and I appreciate Malachi 3, 2. Who may abide the day of his coming. His coming.

And who shall stand when he appeareth? For he’s like a refiner’s fire full of soap, and he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver. That silver is the truth. What’s he going to do with it?

He’s going to use it to purify the sons of Levi and purge them as gold and silver that they may offer unto the Lord an offering of righteousness. Now, we offered ourselves that consecration, but the real offering that God is most interested in, as we mentioned yesterday, the work he really wanted to do was raise his Son to the divine nature. He wanted it to be completed. Well, Paul said in 2 Timothy 4, 6, he says, for now I am read. Here’s Paul.

He’s an old saint. He knows his days are very limited. He says, for now I am ready to be offered and the time of my departure is at hand. Is at hand. That’s what this silver for.

This silver is. This silver. Now, it is the heart’s desire. It is the heart’s desire for the truth that is necessary for learning the truth, and this is a very important reprint.

The heart more important than the head. When I first heard that, looked at it, I thought, well, wait a second. It means you just have to love God and you don’t have to study. Or what does that mean? So I read it.

Here’s what it means. We are not competent to keep our heads. We are competent and responsible for the keeping of our hearts. If we diligently keep watch and guard our hearts from evil, and in full harmony with the Divine Word and its spirit of the truth, righteousness, love, God will do the rest. He will guide our imperfect reasoning faculties and we shall know his doctrines.

So in others, in our studies, it’s not. This is not devoid of study, but in our study, he’s going to say, here’s what this really means. Now, have you ever studied something for years trying to understand it, and only later the Lord opened the understanding to you? That’s happened to me many times, and our hearts burn within a. Wow.

I got it now, thank you. So we have to use the truth to bless and not injure. 2nd Corinthians 10:13, 10:3. It says, for though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty.

Through God to the pulling down of strongholds, casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalted itself against the knowledge of God and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. Who’s he talking about here? Who are these thoughts? Who are these high things? We must cast down the imaginations and every high thing in ourselves.

We can’t convince others. We can give them evidence. Maybe they’re receptive. But who’s really on trial here? Who’s really on trial?

What are we warring against? We’re warring against the flesh. We must bring our thoughts into captivity to the obedience of Christ. We must put on Christ as Brother west said, as Paul said. To do this, we must have the loins, our loins girt our minds girded with the truth.

We have to have those principles in everything we do, in everything we say. Any discussion, this is what the armor is for. In F375, the new creature will put on the armor of God that it may be able to fight a good warfare against the weaknesses of the flesh. That’s our flesh. That’s our flesh.

That’s our chief foe, as Paul said. But I keep my body under and bring it into subjection, lest by any means when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway. In F599, chief amongst the foes of the new creation is the old man, the old will. That’s we really have to have the armor on the new creature to fight against the enemy that is with us constantly. Constantly.

With this armor, with this girdle. A thousand may fall at thy side and 10,000 at thy right hand, but it shall not come nigh thee. You can know the truth. You know as Paul says. You know the truth.

And you say, well, I may not have love, but I have all knowledge. Sorry, that’s not going to get you anywhere. That’s an armor really of love. So we must have this breastplate of righteousness as well. The breastplate of the high priest was a symbol of the law in letter and spirit.

And the breastplate was over Aaron’s heart, showing that this righteousness, defined by God, was precious to him. The armor breastplate also represents our justification provided by the imputation of Christ’s merit, and this enables us to approach God in consecration. For those who truly seek to know God, we are told, draw nigh unto God, he’ll draw nigh unto you. God will first, then bring us to Christ.

He says, if you want to know me, you got to know my son first. Everything I’m doing is involved with him.

No man can come to Jesus except the Father. Draw him. So we come, we learn of him. We learn of him that with faith in the ransom Jesus says in John 14:6, I am the way, the truth and the life. No man can come unto the Father for consecration but by me.

And with the imputed righteousness of Christ, our consecration is acceptable to God. Well, this truth of our justification, our accepted consecration and our relationship to God will deflect any darts thrown by Satan to question our standing as God’s sons. Even when we fall, we’re told the righteousness of the law might be filled in us who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. He’s not expecting perfection. He’s expecting determination and zeal and heart’s desire.

God wants our heart’s desire to be for absolute righteousness. I appreciate brother Steve Pomgren. He said to me one time, God gives us an impossible task and then watches to see how hard we try. I really like that the righteousness will cost us something. Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Many people may understand what right is, what the right thing is, but they don’t. Few really want to do it, especially if it’s going to cost them something. When I was working. I’m sorry, I’m running over a few minutes over time, brethren, but when I was working at the University of Illinois, I was in charge of accreditation of our engineering department, and we’d have to collect all these, all this data.

And the head of undergraduate program said to me, well, Harry, why don’t you just make up some data? You know, they’ll never know. I said, I can’t. I’m sorry. This is a, you know, this is PhD professor.

I said, I won’t falsify data, and it’s only then did he really understand, really. Oh, I guess that’s what I suggested. So it was going to create more work for us to do that. But I appreciate isaiah or Psalm 15:4, he that sweareth to his own hurt and changeth not.

You know, it costs you something to do the right thing. That’s okay, you do it, and I was thankful for that opportunity. I also gave a required lecture on ethics to students. These were sophomores in engineering.

And I said, could you please tell me what ethics are? What does that mean?

Nobody, of course, it’s big class, nobody wants to take the chance. I said, it’s knowing the difference between right and wrong. That’s what ethics says. Okay. So I asked them, how many think you’re ethical people?

And all the hands go Up, I said. How many think you’re unethical people? No hands go up, I told them. You should raise your hand for both of those questions, because that’s why we teach engineering ethics. We won’t tell you teach ethics your whole life.

But if you’re going to be an engineer, you have to do it right, and here are the things you have to do. But don’t think that somehow your conscience is going to guide you, because when pressure’s on, so it’s why ethics must, must be taught. But in the future, there’ll be a wonderful ethics training program. Isaiah 26:9.

When the judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness, and that won’t be a 50 minute lecture, that’ll be complete. So, brethren, our training program is now. We must learn these things now so that we can stand and withstand in this evil day. We can’t teach others in the kingdom unless we have the lessons ourselves.

You can’t teach what you don’t already know. Blessed are they that keep judgment, and he that doeth righteousness at all times. Here is the patience of the saints, that they keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus and Hebrews 10:36. For we have need of patience that after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. So, brethren, we want to keep that girdle of truth, that mark of the soldier of Christ tightly fastened, and the breastplate of righteousness continue continually over our hearts.

We look forward to the following talks as we continue our study of the whole armor of God, and that’s not our closing hymn. It’s been changed to this. So thank you, brother. May the Lord add his blessing.

Click Here for the PDF transcript.