…and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace… 

                                                                                                       Ephesians 6:15 

The next piece of armor pertains to standing in the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Namely, that Jesus died to give us life, pardon, forgiveness, salvation, reconciliation, redemption, and a whole host of other wonderful spiritual gifts. I believe that “having shod our feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace” carries with it a twofold message.

First, we are to stand in the truth of the gospel for ourselves. It would be quite impossible for us to share with others something for which we have not received nor experienced. But secondly, I believe that this “preparation of the gospel” is a call to go and share this amazing message of salvation by grace through faith with everyone in whom we come in contact.

I believe that we should be prepared to encounter at least three different types of people in regards to the gospel. The first group are those who seem disconnected or uninterested about the things of God. For these people it might be valuable to begin with why Jesus’ death was necessary in the first place. Romans 3:23. Isaiah 53:6, James 2:10, and Romans 5:18 are all good beginning points in explaining the common problem that all of us have, namely that we all have a sin nature and consequently have all transgressed God’s Law. We might think of this as sharing the “bad” news in order to demonstrate the need for the “good.” The goal of this approach is to lead the person to repentance (a change of mind prompting a need to call on God for salvation (Romans 10:13).

But not everyone is uninterested in the things of God. There are many people who desire to be saved but may experience some spiritual obstacle keeping them from making that decision. For these individuals, I believe a clear and concise approach is appropriate since their desire signals that repentance has already taken place. Take Paul’s response to the jailer as an example:

The jailer asked the question: “What must I do to be saved?” (Acts 16:30b)

Paul’s response was clear and concise: “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, you and your household” (Acts 16:31).

Nothing complicated about that. The man’s interest demonstrated that the events that had previously taken place were enough to cause him a moment of pause, leading him to ask the question.

But there is a third group that we must consider when preparing to confidently stand in and share the gospel. These are born again believers, those who already belong to Christ and are already heirs to His kingdom. As strange as that may sound, confidence and spiritual security can wane over time in the lives of those who begin adopting a works mentality in regards to their salvation. That message is very common and seems to be dominating much of the spiritual conversations of believers today. But no matter how much mankind attempts to add good works as a means of obtaining or keeping salvation, we only need look to scripture for clarity on the issue. As clear and concise as Paul was with the jailer, consider this declaration on salvation:

…that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved…

                                                                                                                 Romans 10:9 

Compare that with the words of Christ: 

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. 

                                                                                                                           John 3:16 

As rudimentary as these verses are, they give us a solid foundation on which to stand, giving us the ability to “shod our feet” with the gospel. Notice that faith or believing in Jesus is the criterion for salvation in both of these passages as well as Paul’s declaration to the jailer. The Bible is not leading us astray rather it is providing us an effective weapon in which we can defend against the lies of the enemy.

I believe all too often, as we attempt to move into spiritual maturity, there can be a real danger of losing the very foundational truths that the gospel carries. This would be similar to moving towards Calculus only to forget how to add in the process. Spiritual maturity means that we add to our knowledge but we should never forget the spiritual foundation on which we stand, the Person of Jesus.

Confidently standing in the gospel ourselves and effectively sharing this good news with others makes this piece of armor highly effective as we go into spiritual battle. Just remember what scripture says:

“How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things!” 

                                                                                                             Romans 10:15b