Part Five of Ten: Shod with the Gospel

The Roman soldier was practically unbeatable. They were a fierce lot as we are learning in this study. His clothing not only protected him but he could use them offensively as well. The soldier was physically strong and virile and was not scared of anything. They lived for one thing, destroy the enemy.

If we want to be victorious in our lives the goal in our lives is spiritually to destroy the enemy but only through Christ and the clothes with which He gave us. It’s strange that Paul would use the word peace to describe an offensive weapon. So why did he? Well, lets look at that in the context in which Paul wrote the verse.

And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; [Ephesians 6:15 KJV]

The shoes of the Roman soldier consisted of two pieces of metal, the greave, and the shoe itself. When worn, they looked like boots. The greave surrounded the legs and rested on top of the shoes. This protected him from any onslaught. The shoes were of two pieces. They held the top half and the bottom half together with strong multiple pieces of leather. The bottom piece had spikes in them and when in combat, they could have been as much as 3” long.

When Paul spoke, “And your feet shod. . .” he was saying ‘shod’ with the word Hupodeomai, which is a compound word, Hupo and Deo. Hupo means under and deo means to bind. When they are together it means binding something very tight and firm on the bottom of ones feet. Spiritually, Paul is telling us firmly to tie peace around our lives. If we don’t firmly fit peace around our lives, Satan can knock it out of place. We must therefore position peace around our minds and emotions the same way the soldiers made sure to bind their shoes extremely tight onto their feet.

The word ‘preparation’ is the Greek word etoimasin and means readiness or preparation. When the soldiers had their shoes tied very tightly, it gave them a sure footing with the idea that there shoes were going to stay in place. Therefore etoimasin means solidity, firmness, or solid foundation. Spiritually, what Paul is saying is if we have peace as the foundation in our lives, we have a sure and firm footing.

Paul continues with “And having your feet shod with the preparation with the Gospel of peace,” the Greek word ‘peace’ is eirene, which is a prevailing peace, or a conquering peace. Paul is saying that this peace is so strong that we will prevail over all the circumstances in our lives. We are constantly under siege by the enemy so if we want victory and a firm footing in our lives, then it’s time to get dressed brothers and sisters. We must shod our feet with the preparation of the Gospel of peace. God’s plan for all of us is that this prevailing and conquering peace will dominate our lives.

Therefore, brothers and sisters, lets get dressed every morning. The enemy waits for us to get up so he can bombard us with chaos. On the other hand, when we get up, kneel, the enemy yells, “RUN! He’s up.” Or “RUN! She’s up.” With Christ we are unbeatable.
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Next week: The shield of faith