This sermon covers two more pieces of the armor of God—the shoes and the shield. The first the “readiness given by the gospel of peace.” This is an allusion to Isaiah 52:7 which is about peace and salvation that is announced. Key terms such as feet, the gospel preached and peace are found in that passage. We describe the type of military shoes that the Roman soldier had that would enable him to stand firm when under attack. They were designed for secure footing which is in keeping with command to “stand” which controls this who section.

Peace is a gospel term and was previous taught in Ephesians 2:14-16 which we review in this sermon. It is first of all peace with God that results in peace between Jew and Gentiles who believe the gospel and are part of the “one new man.” Jesus also promised peace for those who trust in Him. We cite “peace with God” in an application of Romans 5:1 which means the reconciliation of enemies. We were not merely misguided people, but enemies of God who were facing His wrath. The shield of faith is an analogy of the large, thick, heavy shield of the Roman soldier that was designed to stop burning projectiles and not catch fire in the process. Paul’s application is to the attacks of Satan against believers as he accuses us.

Our faith in God’s promises through the gospel stops these attacks and enables us to stand firm. This faith is based on the objective promises of God, not our subjective feelings about how much faith we have. The accuser is overcome by the blood of the Lamb which gives us right standing and our confession of trust in Christ alone that we will not give up no matter how intense the battle.