In England,
the Church of England is called the Established Church. The meaning of this is that the church and
the civil authorities sit very closely together.
The Head of
State is also the Head of the Church.
Bishops in England have seats in the House of Lords – that might also
explain why in olden times people addressed their Bishop as “My Lord.”
What this
also means is that people of power and influence in society very often exercise
positions of power and influence in the Church.
And this is
still very much the case for the Anglican Church in Australia, even though the
Church is disestablished here – there is a complete separation of church and
state.
Because this
is our “normal” so to speak, we sometimes do not notice the subversive themes
in the Early Christian writings. Much of
the teaching of Jesus was a direct challenge to the Powers that Be of his day. The designation of Jesus as “Son of God” was
not just a theological statement. It was
a direct challenge to the Emperor who styled himself “Son of God” on Roman
coinage.
We are not
used to seeing the church as a small marginalised group of society that refuses
to collude with the powers of the Empire.
As a result we often miss some of the meaning implicit in Biblical
metaphors such as we read from Ephesians (6:10-20) today.
When you
live in a situation of occupation or dominion by a foreign power it is very
tempting to keep a low profile and be as compliant as possible so as to
survive, and maybe even get on well.
Rome held
onto its position of power by military force.
What Pilate was most afraid of at Easter time was a riot that he would
have to quell with disproportionate force – many would die. But he would do it.
The
political and religious aristocracy of Jesus day collaborated with the Romans
and so relied on the same military force to keep their positions of
influence. But Jesus and the early
Christian leaders pointed to another way.
So, when
Paul raises in our minds this metaphor of the Armour of God, he is not just
saying here’s a good metaphor for teaching something important. He is saying to the Ephesians, and all others
who have read it since, that we have a higher power that protects us – we do
not need Roman forces.
By using
this image of the protective armour of a Roman Soldier, Paul is saying quite
unambiguously that we should not put our confidence in that armour – rather we
should rely on the WHOLE ARMOUR OF GOD.
And the reason is clear – and simple.
Our real
enemies, against whom we need protection, are not flesh and blood, as in other
human beings. The powers that range
themselves against the Kingdom of God are described here as what we might call
“METAHUMAN” – they may be embodied in human beings but they are best described
as “the authorities” or “the cosmic powers of this present darkness” or “the
spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. With these images we get a sense that that
battle is with more than just human beings but with God as well.
Against
these forces, we human beings must be prepared to defend ourselves. And I must say that the meaning of each item
of the armour leaves us with something pretty flimsy against the cosmic powers
that seem to be in control of the universe.
What have we got?
Truth
Righteousness
Peace
Faith
Salvation
The Spirit, and
The Word of God
These hardly
seem to be the kinds of things that could win a cosmic battle. Well, in truth, they do not need to be.
With the
exception of the Sword of the spirit, all other items mentioned are defensive
or protective. We are not asked to take
up weapons that will vanquish the foe.
We are asked
simply to take up this armour so that we will be able to withstand our
opponents. The task of believers is to
defend themselves and the faith against the enemies of God, speaking boldly
about the Gospel whenever an opportunity arises. The battle itself is left to God.
Let us
praise God for the confidence we have in him and pray daily for the courage to
face whatever forces are railed against us and our faith confident in the Whole
Armour of God with which we dress ourselves each morning.
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