We were singing this song a few weeks ago when I noticed yet another word I have been singing all my life without understanding. So I spent some time looking it up and in the process discovered something else too. This song is another one of those gems that alludes to a scripture in nearly every phrase. Grab your Bibles—a King James if you can since that is what these older songs are based upon—and follow along below.
Soldiers of Christ, arise, (2 Tim 2:3)
And put your armor on, (Eph 6:11)
Strong in the strength which God supplies, (1 Pet 4:11)
Through His Beloved Son; (Matt 3:17; 17:5)
Strong in the Lord of Hosts, (over 250 verses)
And in His mighty pow'r, (Eph 3:20)
Who in the strength of Jesus trusts (Isa 12:2)
Is more than conqueror. (Rom 8:37)
Stand then in His great might, (Eph 6:10)
With all His strength endued; (Luke 24:49)
And take, to arm you for the fight, (2 Cor 10:2-4)
The panoply of God.
That, having all things done,
And all your conflicts past, (Eph 6:13)
You may o'ercome through Christ alone,
And stand complete at last. (Eph 4:11-16)
Here is the first thing I learned from this exercise: I know Eph 6 so well I tend to skip over it whenever it’s referenced. Don’t do that! I never realized half those other phrases were in those verses. Don’t ever think a scripture is too familiar to be worth looking at again.
And here is the thing that had me looking in the first place: what in the world is a “panoply”? Webster tells me it is 1) a full suit of armor; 2) something forming a protective coating; 3) a magnificent or impressive array. God gives us such a complete suit of armor, such a strong protective coating, and such an impressive array of weapons that there is absolutely no excuse for failing to overcome. If we fail to use the resources at hand, we have let Satan win. Look at Ephesians 6 again. With this armor we can “stand against the wiles of the devil,” (v 11); we can “withstand in the evil day” (v 13); we can “quench all the fiery darts of the evil one” (v 16)—all of them, not just some.
Notice verse 13 one more time. Wherefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and, having done all, to stand. If we do not overcome, then we did not “do all;” we did not take full advantage of the panoply. We left something out, or something off, or something undone. God has given us everything we need, and our own negligence is no excuse. We did not behave like a faithful “Soldier of Christ.”
For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete. 2Cor 10:3-6
Dene Ward
Soldiers of Christ, arise, (2 Tim 2:3)
And put your armor on, (Eph 6:11)
Strong in the strength which God supplies, (1 Pet 4:11)
Through His Beloved Son; (Matt 3:17; 17:5)
Strong in the Lord of Hosts, (over 250 verses)
And in His mighty pow'r, (Eph 3:20)
Who in the strength of Jesus trusts (Isa 12:2)
Is more than conqueror. (Rom 8:37)
Stand then in His great might, (Eph 6:10)
With all His strength endued; (Luke 24:49)
And take, to arm you for the fight, (2 Cor 10:2-4)
The panoply of God.
That, having all things done,
And all your conflicts past, (Eph 6:13)
You may o'ercome through Christ alone,
And stand complete at last. (Eph 4:11-16)
Here is the first thing I learned from this exercise: I know Eph 6 so well I tend to skip over it whenever it’s referenced. Don’t do that! I never realized half those other phrases were in those verses. Don’t ever think a scripture is too familiar to be worth looking at again.
And here is the thing that had me looking in the first place: what in the world is a “panoply”? Webster tells me it is 1) a full suit of armor; 2) something forming a protective coating; 3) a magnificent or impressive array. God gives us such a complete suit of armor, such a strong protective coating, and such an impressive array of weapons that there is absolutely no excuse for failing to overcome. If we fail to use the resources at hand, we have let Satan win. Look at Ephesians 6 again. With this armor we can “stand against the wiles of the devil,” (v 11); we can “withstand in the evil day” (v 13); we can “quench all the fiery darts of the evil one” (v 16)—all of them, not just some.
Notice verse 13 one more time. Wherefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and, having done all, to stand. If we do not overcome, then we did not “do all;” we did not take full advantage of the panoply. We left something out, or something off, or something undone. God has given us everything we need, and our own negligence is no excuse. We did not behave like a faithful “Soldier of Christ.”
For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete. 2Cor 10:3-6
Dene Ward
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