Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor
so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil.
Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.
Ephesians 6:13

Read: Hebrews 11:1-12:4, Ephesians 6:10-18
Pilgrim’s Progress Stage 3 Part 15

Relate: In the morning, before Christian is sent on his way, the women take him to two rooms: the Study and the Armory. In the Study, they show him records of days gone by. Here is learns the stories of those who went before, the servants of God whose lives and deaths were written down for the instruction of those who would come after. Moses is there, and Enoch, and Abraham. He learns of “the great cloud of witnesses” that the author of Hebrews names for exactly this purpose. Christian is being given historical roots. He is being shown that he does not walk this road alone. The path beneath his feet has been trod by generations of people who believed the same promises and trusted the same King as he does. And, in many cases, they paid a far higher price for it than he has yet been asked to pay.

Then they take him to the Armory. They are equipping him for battle because they know what is coming. Paul’s description of armor in Ephesians 6 would have been much more familiar to the earliest readers of Bunyan than it is for us today. At that time, the flintlock rifle had largely replaced the less efficient wheellock and matchlock guns. But even still, they could not rule the battlefield alone, and good plate armor could still deflect most shots that did not hit straight on from relatively close range. Most armies fought with a 1-1 ratio of pikes and guns, and the recent invention of early bayonets made those guns still more useful as melee than as ranged weapons. Sorry, the history nerd in me is shining through. The point here is that plate armor was still a few decades from being phased out, and the armor wasn’t symbolic as it is for us, but rather an incredibly practical and real part of baroque warfare. 

React: You don’t get decked out in armor if you aren’t planning to go to war. In modern movies, every time the hero is about to go into danger, they check their gun. This is called racking the slide. In reality, this would be done well before that moment, but Hollywood loves the dramatic effect of the sound. In many ways, this section is John Bunyan “racking the slide.” A battle is coming, and Christian needs to be ready. What about my life? When I read scriptures like Ephesians 6, do I read it as something symbolic and inspirational, or do I recognize that this is essential equipment for life’s battles? Am I even fighting battles? If my life seems too simple, easy, and safe, is it possible that this is because the devil doesn’t see me as a threat and has been leaving me alone? Am I fighting for God’s Kingdom, or am I just sitting on the sidelines?

Respond:

Dear God,
I am so thankful that You have not called me to a boring life. You have called me on a journey, a pilgrimage, but I do not walk it alone. Help me to remember, be inspired by, and be motivated by the many who have walked this way before me. You have also called me to a battle. Help me to fight in the power of Your Spirit and with the armor You have forged specifically for me. Don’t let me flee to a safe, boring, and ineffective life.
Amen.

Postscript: You may have noticed that there is a new link on the side of each page. I have finished my edit of Pilgrim’s Progress. This edit changed some wording, language, and grammar for easier reading. But I also tried my best to keep the feel of the original and make no changes that would impact the theology or allegories as Bunyan presented them. The biggest change is that the book is clearly broken into 10 “stages” with 10-15 “parts” for easy reading and reference. When this devotional is done, I will publish it as well but if you would like a kindle, or a quality paperback copy of Pilgrim’s Progress to read along, feel free to get it on Amazon. If you do, I would also love it if you rated it 5 stars there and on Goodreads as well. Thank you.