Ephesians 6:15. “and having shod the feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace,”
The third item of armor is introduced by the shoes of peace. The verb shod means to bind or fasten under, because ancient sandals were bound on with straps–so “to put on shoes/sandals.” We, as believers are responsible for shodding our feet, putting our shoes on. The Roman legionaries wore heavy sandals (caliga, a low half-boot) with soles made of several layers of leather 3/4 inch thick, studded with hollow-headed hobnails. They were tied by leather thongs half-way up the calf.
with the preparation of the gospel of peace.
Our feet are to be shod hetoimasia “with the preparation.”—in readiness The verb form means “to make ready, prepare” or “to be prepared.” In the Septuagint It translated Hebrew words meaning “established place, foundation “fixed resting place, base”. The idea is that this military equipment for the feet was to give them a “firm foundation” or “firm footing”. And, if you think about it, believers who have been shod with preparation and readiness for the battle will be able to stand.
of the gospel of peace describes the preparation, the readiness, the foundation as having it’s source in and “of the gospel of peace”. The term “gospel” is first used in Ephesians in 1:13 13 In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of the promise, In Eph 3:6 the Good News is 6 to be specific, that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel, And, in Eph 6:19, Paul specifically asks for prayer that he will proclaim the Good News of Salvation boldly 19 and pray in my behalf, that speech may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak. So, why is it the Gospel of Peace that we’re talking about in the middle of all of this warrior armor? Before we were saved, we were at war with God. Eph 8:5-87 5 For those who are in accord with the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are in accord with the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. 6 For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, 7 because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, 8 and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. We were on the same track as Satan, because of sin, living in the enemy’s camp, following the way of the world. But, because the Gospel, the Good News of salvation is that we no longer are at war, at enmity with God! Jesus paid our sin debt, atoning, paying for our sin. Allowing God to look at us, and say “justified”; just as if I’d never sinned. There is peace with God. Paul states that he was privileged to preach about this peace, this union Eph 3:9 9 and to enlighten all people as to what the plan of the mystery is which for ages has been hidden in God, who created all things; 10 so that the multifaceted wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places. (Eph 3:8–10). Therefore, it is this gospel of peace with which the believers have shod their feet in readiness., believers have shod their feet in their readiness to preach the gospel of peace, standing in the Truth of Jesus, the Word against the onslaught of evil forces, with surefootedness, not slipping, firmly grounded in the Gospel of Peace, which makes us ready to stand against the devil and his angelic hosts and demons—the real enemy that we fight against.
Prepared for the Battle
Paul wants us to be prepared for the travails of life in this difficult world, “having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace” (Eph. 6:15). If you are to be engaged in an armed conflict, you can’t afford to go unshod; you need proper footwear. The Romans understood this, so they equipped their soldiers with sturdy studded boots. If you lost your foot-ware, then you were going down, and were going to be trampled and stabbed. Not only that, so were all of the rest of your companions in the formation! That’s why this piece of armor is mentioned. Having faith in Jesus—the centrality of our Salvation as the main fact in our lives that keeps us from being pushed down by all of the slings and arrows that come against us! In Isaiah 52:7 the prophet declares how beautiful the marshaling up of God’s army on Earth, the believers is saying: How beautiful up on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.” It’s coming together in belief, under the Banner of Christ, Salvation, proclaiming He is Lord, proclaiming Our God Reigns that causes the enemy to quake in his boots. The enemy is not afraid of us personally, and doesn’t really care what we have to say to him. But he is concerned when we stand up for Christ on our feet, able to stand as a witness for Christ, despite all of his fiery darts, persecutions, trials and tribulations. God will get us through them. Isaiah 43:2 “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, Nor will the flame burn you And when God has delivered us through these troubles, then we have something to proclaim about the effectiveness of the Gospel, the mightiness of our King, the power of the Lord of Hosts. When we have put our faith in the Gospel, our trust in the Person and Work of Jesus, this gives us something to brag on God about! Paul makes the same connection when he cites both the prophet Joel and Isaiah in Romans 10: For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” (Rom. 10:13–15)
Proclaiming the Gospel
The task of being a herald is simple and twofold: to get the message right and to get the message out. To begin with, we need to get the message right.
Matthew 28:19-20: Known as the Great Commission, Jesus instructs His followers to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them and teaching them to obey His commands.
Matthew 28:18-20 18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. 19 Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to follow all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” In Mark 16:15: Jesus commands His disciples to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. This task is central to the Christian faith, as it involves sharing the gospel—the “good news” of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection—with others. In Romans 10:14-15: Paul highlights the necessity of preaching for people to believe, stating that messengers are essential for spreading the gospel. The Apostle Paul, exemplified the commitment to evangelism. In Romans 1:16, he declares, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, then to the Greek.” Paul’s missionary journeys, as detailed in the Book of Acts, demonstrate the practical outworking of this commitment, as he traveled extensively to spread the message of Christ.
The Holy Spirit plays a crucial role in the proclamation of the Good News. In Acts 1:8, Jesus promises His disciples, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” The Holy Spirit empowers believers to speak boldly and effectively, guiding them in their mission to share the gospel.
Jesus, Our Warrior and Proclaimer of Peace
These gospel sandals are yet another piece of the armor of God that Jesus wore first, in our place. Jesus came not merely as herald of the good news of our salvation but as its accomplisher. He laid down his own life for our sins so that we who were God’s natural enemies could become his friends through simple faith in Christ. Through his death and resurrection, we have peace with God. As Jesus announced in his very first sermon, he is the Spirit-filled servant of the Lord from Isaiah 61 whom the Lord had anointed to proclaim good news to the poor; to heal the brokenhearted; to proclaim liberty to the captive and freedom to the prisoners; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor; to comfort all who mourn; to provide for those who mourn in Zion; to give them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, festive oil instead of mourning, and splendid clothes instead of despair.
Receive the Good News
Who needs to hear this good news? We ourselves are the first people who need to hear this good news of peace. We often don’t have the unshakable peace that the gospel should bring us. We are discouraged by our own failures, as well as by the curses of our idols when we let them get a foothold on us. We need to hear the news that our God reigns and that he has provided us with the profound cleansing that makes us right with him. The gospel of peace likewise gives us persistence in declaring the good news in the face of the difficulties and challenges of life. We have been made right with God. We have a glorious inheritance stored up with Christ. God has planned a wonderful future for us in a place where there is no more death, no more pain, no more frustration, no more tears. This present warfare is not all there is; our successes and failures do not define our existence. This struggle against Satan and his forces will not last forever. This long road march will have an end; there will come a time for slipping off these boots and easing into robes of righteousness for a celebration of the victory!