Leaving the Idolatry of Money (Day 23)

Put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armour of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.

Ephesians 6:11-18

If we leave aside the imagery in Paul’s description of the armour of God, he advises that we put on truth, righteousness, peace and salvation and use the word of God, all in an attitude of prayer. The list is not the same as his list of ambitions for Timothy to pursue but they describe the same sort of lifestyle.

It is by these qualities and lifestyle that we wrestle against rulers and authorities, against the cosmic powers ruling over the darkness in the world, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. This is why, in the passage about the armour of God, it is to enable Christians to stand. ‘Put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil… That you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.  Stand therefore…’

We can have confidence in these qualities: they are the ‘armour of God’. They are what protects God himself and are more than adequate for us living in a society controlled and measured by financial criteria!

John expressed Jesus’ mission the most succinctly when he wrote, ‘The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil’ (1 John 3:8). Jesus sends his disciples to join in that work and to work the same way as he works. Jesus pursued his mission by a seamless blend of words and deeds and so should his disciples. We may not be able to teach with the authority that Jesus taught, and we may not be able to work miracles to help people as Jesus did, but we teach and help where we can and to do so seamlessly. If there is a distinction between evangelism and good works, then it is the distinction of two sides to a coin.

‘Do not be conformed to this world’, St Paul wrote to the Christians living in the city at the heart of the Roman Empire, ‘but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect...’ (Romans 12:2).

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Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.  

Handling money and dealing with debt can be complicated and neither the author nor anyone else involved in the production of these Reflections is responsible for any action you take, or fail to take, based on what is written here.