Feet Shod with the Preparation of the Gospel

Before a soldier would ever lift his sword, he laced his sandals. For him, sure footing could be what turned the tide in the heat of battle. The shoes of the legionnaire did not fight the battle, nor did they have any offensive quality. They burrowed lightly into the dirt and helped the soldier to stand his ground.

Paul writes to struggling Christians about their common goal: to win a spiritual war. This passage encourages believers to prepare for constant battle with evil by living out and living in light of the victory achieved by Christ. The “preparation of the gospel of peace” is not a riddle to the readers. Peace has already been explained in his greeting (Eph. 1:2), in his declaration on unity in doctrine (Eph. 4:3), and by describing Jesus as the author of peace and capable of mending the tear between Jew and Gentile (Eph. 2:14-18). Paul was aware of the cultural pressures in Ephesus and might have found the image of a soldier taking charge against the enemy an inspiration to help cut ties with idolatrous living and disunity with the body. While there are certainly offensive qualities to the armor, the stability that ties it all together is the gospel. As the primary focus of “fighting,” the result will be more soldiers in the fight rather than painful physical hostilities.

The gospel is the minister of peace between man and God (Rom. 5:1; Phil. 4:7). The center of that gospel is Jesus. Being the believer’s peace (Eph. 2:14), He created and preached peace (Eph. 2:15, 17). Everyone who finds His message is called to live as someone who is concerned with bringing about peace (Matt. 5:9). In doing this, God gives peace with Himself, bringing others to reconciliation (2 Cor. 5:19-21).

Paul urges them to “be strong,” “stand,” and “wrestle” (Eph. 6:10-12), indicating proactivity in all areas of acquiring this armor. That same dynamic action is described in procuring the sandals by the concept of “preparation” (Eph. 6:15). The role of the gospel of peace is to produce personal peace through our newfound connection to Jesus (Phil. 4:7). The result will always be the ambition to reveal the peace of Jesus; this might be on a personal level, but it could also be seen on an evangelistic level.

In an effort to secure domestic peace, God helped the Israelites during the final plague in Egypt. To be spared from the death of the firstborn, they were partly instructed to eat with sandals on their feet (Exod. 12:11). Having shoes on one’s feet is the picture of readiness. The passage from which Paul quotes is Isaiah 52:7: “How lovely on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news of happiness, who announces salvation, and says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns!’” Paul borrows from praising imagery for those “who bring[s] good news.” This reveals the outward function of both the armor as a whole and this specific item. None of the pieces of armor should be viewed as isolated. Therefore, each item produces the same goal. While there are forces of darkness in the world, we only attack Satan. While there are great personal attacks in the world, we only defend against Satan.

The Christian should expend great effort in finding the peace that is in the gospel. Look for the assurance of salvation (1 John 5:13), the unchanging promise of grace (Eph. 2:8-9), and the finished work of Christ (Heb. 12:2). When Christians pursue this perspective, then they are ready to dig their heels in and withstand Satan’s attacks mentioned in the next verse. Only then will they be adequately prepared to reach out to the rest of the world that is in need of this same peace. Jesus said, “Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest” (John 4:35). Tie up the sandals of readiness with the gospel of peace, not to fight the world, but to defend His peace. Showing the world that they, too, need the peace that only Jesus can give them in a world fractured by sin and suffering.

-Tyler Hill