Shoes of the
Gospel of Peace

Armour of God

The shoes implied in the spiritual armour (the scripture actually says “having shod your feet in the preparation of the gospel of peace”) are something different to the rest of the armour; they are not primarily for the purpose of personal defence.

True, a man fighting barefoot against an armoured opponent is vulnerable to his enemy stepping on and breaking his toes - but even more important, a man without shoes will find walking a great deal or going over difficult terrain virtually impossible. Remnants of shoes dating back 9,000 years show that shoes have been a necessary part of human travel even in prehistory.

Why are shoes, then, whose primary purpose is to form protective covering for feet, mentioned in the list of spiritual armour? Remember that the shoes are the preparation of the Gospel of Peace. Is it because the Gospel is necessary for the spiritual walk of a soul?

The answer lies in the reference to the Gospel of Peace. One of the emphases in the Bible - increasingly so in the New Testament - is the need for all men to know God. This means travelling in order to share the Gospel - missionary work, in other words. To spread the Gospel of Peace is not an optional part of one's spiritual life; it is mandatory.

Not all Christians are called to be missionaries, but all Christians are called to be witnesses of God's love. Christians must be ready to share the Gospel, and thus defend the church from dwindling and becoming ineffective and no longer representative of God's love.

If you find that there is an apostasy - a falling away from Christianity - you can be sure that part of it is a lack of witnessing, a lack of proper Christian example and sharing. Ministering in Jesus' Name needn't take you to darkest Africa - simply ensure you are shod with the Gospel of Peace, which is the truth of God, and share it with love.