Figures of speech abound in the Bible. God's penmen often illustrated divine truths by comparing it with objects from everyday life. The parables of Jesus dealt with fishing, farming and vineyards, things the residents of Palestine were familiar with.

The apostle Paul often compared our vocation with that of an athlete. He tells us if anyone "competes is athletics, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules" (2 Tim. 2:D. Near the end of his life, he said he had "fought the good fight," and had "finished the race" (2 Tim. 4:7).

Another figure of speech Paul used dealt with the military. He told a young evangelist to "wage the good warfare" (1 Tim. 1:18) and to "endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ" (2 Tim. 2:3).

In the latter part of his life, Paul was constantly surrounded by Roman soldiers. He lived in the presence of the greatest military power this world has ever seen. When writing to the brethren at Ephesus, he tells them to put on the "whole armor of God" (Ephesians 6:10-20). The Roman soldier carried his shield, a sword and a spear and wore greaves, his breastplate and a helmet. But what about soldiers of the cross of Christ?

Since we are not fighting a fleshly battle, "the weapons of our warfare are not carnal" (2 Cor. 10:4). In our fight against the wiles of the devil, Paul mentions six distinctive pieces of armor.

"The girdle of truth": The girdle was not an ornament -- it was used to bind all the other pieces together and give the soldier freedom of movement. The center of our armor is truth. In John 17:17 Jesus said God's word is truth.

"The breastplate of righteousness": The breastplate of the Roman spearman was made of chain-mail. It was used to protect the heart and other vital organs. Our heart is to be protected by righteousness.

"Feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace": The sandals of the foot soldier were composed of thick leather soles studded with cleats of iron. This would give the soldier a firm footing during the battle. These sandals were designed to make it difficult to walk backwards. This is just as well since the soldier had little or no armor on his back. If he decided to flee from the enemy he would be better off to discard his armor. Our footing must be supplied by the gospel of Christ. "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace" (Romans 10:15).

"The shield of faith ": The Roman shield was composed of leather or wicker. It was usually four feet long by two and a half feet wide. The enemy often fired long arrows covered with ignited pitch. If an arrow were to strike a soldier his breastplate would stop the arrow from piercing him, but the pitch would fly off the arrow and set the soldier on fire. Our spiritual enemy does not always attack directly. The shield of faith can protect us from his advances.

"Helmet of salvation ": The helmet was made of leather and reinforced with bronze. We are to take, or receive, this helmet from God. It is our salvation.

"Sword of the Spirit": Unlike the legions of Rome, our only offensive weapon is the "sword of the spirit," the word of God (Hebrews 4:12). This was the weapon Christ used when attacked by Satan in the desert (Matthew 4:1-11). A soldier is never wasting his time while sharpening his sword.

Soldiers of the cross need to become more proficient in their use of our only weapon. Timothy was told to give himself to "reading, to exhortation, to doctrine" (I Tim. 4:13). Our armor is to be put on with prayer. Let us always realize we are mere foot-soldiers, God is in control.

Eric