Reflections on Isaiah 2:2-5, Romans 13:11-14, Ephesians 6:13-17

We live in a culture that glorifies war and violence. We are taught—paradoxically—that this is the way to peace. How do we, as followers of Jesus, who taught us instead to love our enemies, question this assumption? How do we offer other ways to go about bringing change in our world, ways that build up rather than destroy? As Christians we need to live into and tell another story, one that we know is life-giving, right and true.

According to Isaiah 2, God has and will teach us an alternative story, a different way of doing things. It is an approach that doesn’t ignore the inevitability of conflict. Instead it encourages us to trust in the power of God to hold things together without using weapons of force and destruction. “[God] shall judge between the nations, and shall arbitrate for many peoples; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more” (Isaiah 2:4).

In Colorado Springs, Colo., a father and son team, Mike and Fred Martin, have started a new venture called RAWtools. They have found ways literally to beat the metal from guns into garden tools. They do this publically so that they can involve people in the process and talk about why they are doing it. Their purpose is to help people unlearn the practices of violence and war. This is what we need: tools to help us unlearn what we have been taught and are being taught by the culture around us. We need to transform what is destructive in our lives and in the world into something that is life-giving.

This is Paul’s message in his letter to the church in Rome. Looking at these texts from Isaiah and Romans side-by-side, I was struck by something new. “Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light” (Romans 13:12). As in Isaiah, Paul is taking something used for war and giving it another, peaceful purpose: Put on the armor of light.

Like many good Mennonites, I have always had a problem with Paul’s use of military paraphernalia as a positive metaphor for the Christian life. I have found it hard to read chapter 6 of the letter to the Ephesians, where we are encouraged to “put on the whole armor of God.”

But perhaps with the words from Isaiah 2 ringing in my ears, I can think about this differently. Perhaps Paul’s co-opting of the armor of war for peaceful and productive purposes may just be what it means in practical, everyday terms for us to beat our swords into plowshares, our spears into pruning hooks and to study war no more.

Paul reminds us that changing the world starts with changing ourselves. “Let us live honorably as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealousy. Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 13:13-14a).

What are those things in our own lives that may be pulling us away from God and God’s ways? Revelry, drunkenness, debauchery and licentiousness may or may not be the things we struggle with, but I bet most of us can identify with quarreling and jealousy. We can also identify with greed and selfishness, which we sometimes justify as a desire to protect ourselves or our families. Perhaps we are hardhearted and self-righteous, dismissing the needs of those around us. Or perhaps we’re lazy, complacent, unwilling to enter what may push us out of our comfort zone or demand too much of our attention. This list could go on, but you get the picture. You know who you are and what it is that you struggle with.

All these pressures, these opportunities to act contrary to the leading of God’s Spirit, are real. They are so real that sometimes we lose hope. We feel caught in a way of living that is harmful to ourselves and others. But there is hope. Now is the moment to awake from sleep, Paul says. Wake up to the possibilities of change that God has to offer. Here’s something to help: Put on the armor of light.

Fasten the belt of truth around your waist and put on the bullet-proof vest of right living. If you’ve become skilled in rationalizing why it’s OK to fudge on your taxes or why you need the newest iPhone or tablet or why you are more deserving of these things than others, commit yourself to facing up to this. Put on the belt of truth, tighten it around your waist, even if it pinches. Let it shape you. Let it pull you in. Let the truth hold you together and set your feet on a new path. Then choose to act in ways that are right—right for you, right for your neighbors, right for the world. Acting rightly in the way of God’s Spirit is your protection, your bullet-proof vest, a valuable part of the armor of light.

“Take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one” (Ephesians 6:16). There are plenty of flaming arrows out there. Plenty of urgent and attractive messages whose purpose is to convince you to put yourself first at all cost. Plenty of vitriol against those who are different or think differently. Plenty of temptations to exploit the innocence or the blindness or the need of others for your own benefit. Plenty of reasons why all these things are OK. These flaming arrows are not to be taken lightly. They are powerful and can start real fires. We need protection. We need a faith that is strong and that covers us from head to toe. Take up the shield of faith; it is a vital part of the armor of light.

Take the helmet of salvation. Paul often speaks of changed thinking, the renewal of the mind. This is both an ongoing process and a new birth kind of thing. It is both the life-changing realization that we truly are acceptable in God’s eyes, and it is the need for us to keep working on what it means to live into this salvation. When we put on the helmet of salvation, it focuses and protects our minds. It doesn’t allow us to forget who we are. This right focus is a crucial part of the armor of light.

And finally, take up “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:17). Along with all the protection, we are given a tool, the sword of the Spirit. This is a powerful tool. It has the ability to effect change, to cut away what is creating harm and neglect. It can open up new ways of thinking. It can render hurtful messages powerless. The sword of the Spirit is empowered by God and therefore is never used to tear down but instead to prepare the way for building up. God’s word, as spoken from the mountaintop, is the word of peace among nations, among peoples, among friends and among enemies. It is the word of peace and well-being for our own lives. The sword of the Spirit is an integral part of the armor of light.

The nations—all of us—stream up to the mountaintop to hear the wisdom of God. We wish to learn. We wish to change the status quo, to live in a world that is peaceful and fair. On the mountaintop, God “shall judge between the nations, and shall arbitrate for many peoples.” Conflict still exists, but we learn peaceable ways of dealing with it. We repurpose the weapons of destruction. The violent way of the world is transformed. Thanks be to God.

What does this mean on a personal level? Paul lays it out for the church in Rome: “You know what time it is,” he writes. “Now is the moment for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers; … Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; … put on the Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 13:11-14).

In our everyday lives it is possible to live into this beautiful vision of a peaceful world. The weapons of war have become tools of peace. Military paraphernalia have been transformed into the armor of light. Pick up these tools, put on this armor, trust in God’s presence with you, then act as if you truly believe. Go out and change the world.

Betsy Headrick McCrae is pastor of Glennon Heights Mennonite Church in Lakewood, Colo. This article is adapted from a sermon she gave there.