Don’t Miss the Point

There are some who claim that having our “feet sandaled with readiness for the gospel of peace” means that we should always be ready to carry the gospel to others. That interpretation certainly fits in with Romans 10:15: “How beautiful are the feet of those who announce the gospel of good things!” but this is not, in my opinion, what Paul had in mind when he wrote the words of Ephesians 6:15.

In Ephesians 6 the apostle is dealing with one thing only—the Christian’s engagement with the Devil. He said: “Our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against … the spiritual forces of evil” (v. 12). His purpose is to show us how to stand against the “tactics” of the Devil. Although Paul was an evangelist with a strong evangelistic spirit, he was not thinking here of evangelizing, vital though it is. He was rather picturing a Christian who is under attack by Satan, warning us that unless our feet are firmly shod, we can easily be knocked down and disabled.

Those who claim that the phrase the “readiness for the gospel of peace” relates to evangelism miss the point of his exposition. No one would deny the importance of always being ready to share Christ with others, but the readiness to which Paul is referring here is the readiness to stand firm on the truths of the gospel. In other words, he is saying: don’t get into a fight with the Devil in your bare feet. Make sure you are well shod, for if you are not, he will most certainly get the better of you.

Further Study

Ps 119:97-105; Isa 40:8; 1Pt 1:23-25; 2Tim 2:15

How did the psalmist view God’s Word?

Why is God’s Word a sure foundation?