Spiritual Warfare Part 5 | Shoes of readiness that comes from the gospel of peace

The list of titles for the Child in Isaiah 9:6 ends with the title ‘Prince of Peace.’ Peace between kingdoms is obtained in two ways. One, by agreement/treaty/covenant and two, by procuring it on the battlefield. And indeed Christ brought us peace in these ways—firstly by fulfilling the stipulations of the old Covenant and making way for the New Covenant, and Secondly by His work on Calvary, He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him (Col 2:15).
After the announcement about the birth of Jesus was given to the Shepherds, the angelic host praised God saying: Glory to God in the highest, and on earth PEACE among those with whom He is pleased!”

Eph 6:15 reads: and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.

Shoes are very important for any activity, whether it is a sport or dancing or an occupation. The right footwear is crucial for success. The Roman army was the best equipped in its time for battle. Needless to say, their uniform included well-designed shoes, known for their flexibility and strength, which could take them through any terrain.

As Christians, we are to put on the shoes of readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.

WHAT IS THE READINESS THAT COMES WITH THE GOSPEL?
As with the other pieces of armour we have seen, this also has a subjective interpretation and an objective interpretation.
The subjective interpretation is that we put on these ‘shoes’ when we share the gospel with others. Thus we put on the shoes by our obedience to share the gospel with others.
The objective interpretation is that the gospel of peace is the basis of our readiness; we are at peace with God because of the gospel, and is not dependent on our obedience.
While there is certainly a relationship between disobedience and vulnerability to the devil’s schemes, according to the text, the protection from these shoes lies in how the gospel helps us to stand and not in what we do with the gospel. If it is dependent on our performance, it is not much use to us against the devil at times when he is trying to trip us up from being obedient.
The belt of truth is not about our sincerity but in the word of God, the breastplate of righteousness is not our sanctification but in Jesus’ righteousness, and the gospel-peace-readiness shoes is not our obedience but in the gospel of Christ. We are to be strong IN the LORD and in the strength of His might.

HOW DOES IT WORK IN OUR DAY-TO-DAY LIFE?
Let’s see how it bears up against the four schemes of the devil.

Scheme #1 TEMPTATION: Shoes give us the spiritual agility to change tactic and to flee. People try to find peace and purpose in their idols—careers, family, etc. But it is the gospel of peace that teaches us that we can find true and grace, rest and lasting satisfaction in God alone. We can pursue these other things as secondary pursuits to the glory of God, and we will not fall when these other things fail.

Scheme #2 DEPRESSION: Peace from God is based on our peace with God. Phil 4:7 reads: And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Scheme #3 DECEPTION: Those who have been truly impacted by the gospel are seldom deceived by Satan, because they do not deny any aspect of the gospel. For instance, those saved by the gospel of Christ do not deny penal substitution—when we know how deserving of God’s wrath we were and knowing that Christ took the penalty on Himself, so we go free. Similarly, those most blessed by the gospel do not deny salvation by faith alone, Justification by grace, Imputation of Christ’s righteousness to us, and so on. So also, those who know that we could never have come to Him on our own do not deny God’s sovereignty and having been chosen and predestined. The gospel of peace makes us ready to stand against the devil’s deceptions.

Scheme #4 DIVISION: The word ‘Peace’ indicates a state of no war and no conflict. We read how this came about in Ephesians 2:13ff: “you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace . . . that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.” This amazing unity has been accomplished by Christ, who had made it known to Satan that the church stands united with God and united cross-culturally with one another. This is why we read in Eph 3:10 that “through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.”

The gospel of peace makes us agile, equipped, and ready for every good work.