“What is the readiness of the gospel of peace

(Ephesians 6:15)?”……Ephesians 6:11├ö├ç├┤17instructs believers in Christ to "put on thewhole armor of God" as a defense against Satan's attacks. This armor includes the belt of truth, thebreastplate of righteousness, theshield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and thesword of the Spirit.

Verse 15 says, "And with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace." The New Living Translation words it this way: "For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared." The gospel of peace is the message that Jesus gave to those who trust in Him …John 14:27

27 "I am leaving you with a gift-peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don't be troubled or afraid.

Romans 10:15…13 For "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."(Joel 2:32)

14 But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? …15 And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, "How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!"(Isa 52:7)…It comes with the assurance from God that we are His children and nothing can snatch us out of His hands…John 10:29

29 for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else.( Other manuscripts read for what my Father has given me is more powerful than anything; still others read for regarding that which my Father has given me, he is greater than all.) No one can snatch them from the Father's hand.…1 John 5:13

13 I have written this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God; so that you may know you have eternal life.

It outlines clearly what is required to become a child of God

1 Corinthians 15:1ÔÇô6

15 Let me now remind you, dear brothers and sisters,[a] of the Good News I preached to you before. You welcomed it then, and you still stand firm in it. 2 It is this Good News that saves you if you continue to believe the message I told you-unless, of course, you believed something that was never true in the first place.[]

3 I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. 4 He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said. 5 He was seen by Peter[c] and then by the Twelve. 6 After that, he was seen by more than 500 of his followers[d] at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died.

John 1:12

12 But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.

Romans 10:8ÔÇô10

8 In fact, it says,"The message is very close at hand…it is on your lips and in your heart." (Deut 30:12-14.)…And that message is the very message about faith that we preach: 9 If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved.

Any other message is a false gospel.……The wordreadiness implies constant vigilance. …A victorious soldier had to be prepared for battle. He had to have studied his enemy's strategy, be confident in his own strategy, and have his feet firmly planted so that he could hold his ground when the enemy came. …A soldier's battle shoes were studded with nails or spikes, like cleats, to help him keep his balance in combat. …He knew that, if he lost his footing and went down, it wouldn't matter how great the rest of his armor was; the enemy had him. …When we are ready with the gospel of peace, we live with the understanding that we are continually under attack from Satan.…2 Timothy 4:2says

2 Preach the word of God. Be prepared, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching.

The "peace shoes" that God supplies His soldiers with have two purposes: defensive and offensive. …In order to defend ourselves against the "flaming arrows of the evil one"Ephesians 6:16

we must have confidence of our position"in Christ."

“What does it mean to be in Christ?”…Galatians 3:26-28

26 For you are all children[a] of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes.[] 28 There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female.

For you are all one in Christ Jesus.

This passage gives us insight into the phrase "in Christ" and what it means.

Paul is speaking to the Christians in Galatia, reminding them of their new identity since they placed their faith in Jesus Christ.

To be “baptized into Christ” means that they were identified with Christ, having left their old sinful lives and fully embracing the new life in Christ

Mark 8:34

34 Then, calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, "If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me.

Luke 9:23

23 Then he said to the crowd, "If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me.

When we respond to the Holy Spirit’s drawing, He “baptizes” us into the family of God.

1 Corinthians 12:13says

13 Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles,[a] some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit.[]

“For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body-whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free-and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.”……Several places in Scripture refer to the believer's being

“in Christ”

1 Peter 5:14

14 Greet each other with a kiss of love.Peacebe with all of you who are in Christ.

Philippians 1:1

This letter is from Paul and Timothy, slaves of Christ Jesus.Iam writing to all of God's holy people in Philippi who belong to Christ Jesus, including the elders[a] and deacons.…Romans 8:1…So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.…Colossians 3:3says,… For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God.

God is perfect justice. He cannot simply overlook or excuse our sin; that would not be just. Sin had to be paid for. All the wrath God holds toward evil was poured out on His own Son. When Jesus took our place on the cross, He suffered the punishment our sin deserves. His last words before He died were,

John 19:30

30 When Jesus had tasted it, he said, "It is finished!"

Then he bowed his head and released his spirit.

What was finished? Not merely His earthly life.

As He proved three days later, that was not finished

Matthew 28:7

7 And now, go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and he is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there. Remember what I have told you."

Mark 16:6

6 but the angel said, "Don't be alarmed. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth,[a] who was crucified. He isn't here! He is risen from the dead! Look, this is where they laid his body.

1 Corinthians 15:6

6 After that, he was seen by more than 500 of his followers[a] at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died.

What He finished on the cross was God’s plan to redeem His fallen world. When Jesus said, “It is finished,” He was stating that He had successfully paid in full for every act of rebellion, past, present, and future.……To be “in Christ” means we have accepted His sacrifice as payment for our own sin. Our rap sheets contain every sinful thought, attitude or action we have ever committed. No amount of self-cleansing can make us pure enough to warrant forgiveness and a relationship with a holy God

Romans 3:10-12

10 As the Scriptures say,"No one is righteous- not even one.…11 No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God.…12 All have turned away;all have become useless.No one does good, not a single one."[a]

The Bible says that in our natural sinful state we are enemies of God

Romans 5:10

10 For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son.

When we accept His sacrifice on our behalf, He switches accounts with us. He exchanges our list of sins for His perfect account that is totally pleasing to God

2 Corinthians 5:21

21 For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin,[a] so that we could be made right with God through Christ.

A Divine Exchange takes place at the foot of the cross: our old sin nature for His perfect one

2 Corinthians 5:17

17 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!…To enter the presence of a holy God, we must be hidden in the righteousness of Christ. To be “in Christ” means that God no longer sees our imperfections; He sees the righteousness of His own Son

Ephesians 2:13

13 But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ.

Hebrews 8:12

2 And I will forgive their wickedness,… and I will never again remember their sins."[a]

Only “in Christ” is our sin debt cancelled, our relationship with God restored, and our eternity secured

John 3:16-18…16 "For this is how God loved the world: He gave[a] his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. 17 God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.

18 "There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God's one and only Son.

John 20:31

31 But these are written so that you may continue to believe[a] that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing in him you will have life by the power of his name.We must stand firm in the truth of God's Word, regardless of how terrifying the circumstances may be …1 John 5:14…14 And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him.We must understand grace without abusing it …Romans 6:1├ö├ç├┤6…Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace? 2 Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it? 3 Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death? 4 For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.

5 Since we have been united with him in his death, we will also be raised to life as he was. 6 We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin.

remember that our position in Christ is not based on our own abilities or worthiness …Titus 3:5…5 he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit.[a]…and keep our belt of truth and breastplate of righteousness securely fastened …2 Timothy 1:12…12 That is why I am suffering here in prison. But I am not ashamed of it, for I know the one in whom I trust, and I am sure that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him[a] until the day of his return.

When Satan attacks with a flaming missile of doubt, such as "If God really loved you, He wouldn't have let this happen," we dig our peace shoes into the turf of God's Word and reply…

Romans 8:28

"It is written: All things work together for the good to them who love God and are called according to His purpose"…When Satan stabs from behind with

"Remember what you did?" we dig in more deeply and reply…1 John 1:9…"It is written: If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness"

…In addition to standing our ground, shoes are also for moving. God expects us to go on the offensive and take the gospel of peace to others.

1Peter 3:14says

"Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have."

Sharing our faith is one of the best ways to maintain our own sure footing. …God knows that, when we are active in speaking of Him to others, we not only charge into Satan's territory, but we dig our shoes more deeply into truth and will be much harder to dislodge.

When we have "studied to show ourselves approved unto God"

2 Timothy 2:15

15 Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth.

we are ready to stand firm in the gospel of peace no matter what the enemy brings against us

2 Thessalonians 2:15…15 With all these things in mind, dear brothers and sisters, stand firm and keep a strong grip on the teaching we passed on to you both in person and by letter.……