AOG: The Shoes of The Gospel of Peace
“…and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace…”
The Purpose of The Shoes
“The Roman soldier’s shoes were made from a combination of sturdy leather straps and iron nails, which were strategically placed in the soles for enhanced grip and durability. This thoughtful design allowed soldiers to march across various terrains - from rocky landscapes to muddy fields, and even through water…”
The shoes were designed to provide the most amount of support for soldiers who had to endure long marches, battles and harsh conditions.
There was no way that a solider would be able to fight and endure if they didn’t have their shoes. And in our scripture Paul tells us to put on our shoes with the preparation of the gospel of peace, which shows us that in order to fight well we’re going to need the gospel of peace to be our our firm footed foundation.
With the Gospel being linked to the shoes, I believe that Paul is talking about going out and sharing the Gospel - so first I wanted to look at what the Gospel actually is…
The Gospel
The word “Gospel” means - good news.
The Gospel is the good news of Jesus Christ…
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but should have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)
“…if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from he dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)
“But He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
And by His stripes we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray;
We have turned, every one, to his own way;
And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” (Isaiah 53:5-6)
↑THIS IS THE GOSPEL. This is the good news!
The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 5:21, “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”. I heard a quote that puts it like this - “Jesus was treated as if He had committed every sin ever committed by every person… when in fact He committed none of them.”
Jesus came to earth in the most humblest way to live amongst sinners. Our Holy God sent His only Son who knew no sin to take on all the sin of mankind - by dying on the cross, and rising again to show that He has defeated death!
He paid the price that we should have paid for our sin. He was punished so that we can have peace. He was beaten and wounded so that we can be healed from the effects of sin. So that we can make Heaven our home and spend eternity with Him. This is the Gospel.
& It’s this Gospel that has saved our lives, that will also continue to transform us, as we journey with Christ. That is why we must walk with our shoes fully equipped with the Gospel of what Jesus did for us on the cross.
Just like the Roman soldier who had his shoes strapped and secured through various terrains, battles, and marches, so we as those adopted by Christ must remember this Gospel through every season of life. We mustn’t forget what Christ did, this is our foundation, this is what keeps us standing, this is our defence, this is what helps us persevere & is what will continue to sanctify us until we meet Jesus.
“We’re further sanctified throughout this life by the very same Gospel that saved us.”. (Voddie Baucham)
“But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.” (2 Corinthians 3:18)
Preparation & Sharing The Gospel
Lastly, as mentioned earlier, the same Gospel that has miraculously saved our lives is there to save others too. That’s why Paul instructs us to be prepared with the Gospel.
The Bible says in 1 Peter 3:15, “…be ready always to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you…”
We must always be ready to share Christ. This is something that God has really been speaking to me about recently. I know with all of my heart that God has a purpose to save those that He has placed around me. There is no accident for the people that God has placed in your life - at school, work, uni, home - everywhere we must share Christ.
The Bible says in Luke 2:10, “Then the angel said to them, Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.”. - This great Gospel that we know is not just for us - the reason why we’re even saved today is because someone else had their shoes strapped on, so we must too be prepared in and out of season with our shoes ready to share the truth.
& this is it - this is the reason why we are alive - to make Jesus known. To take Him everywhere, so that when we make it to Heaven we’re joined by people that have also made it there through God graciously using our lives to witness - there is no higher achievement.
& lastly this is the heart of God. So because it’s His heart, it should be ours too.
“How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who proclaims peace, who brings glad tidings of good things, who proclaims salvation, who says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns!” - Isaiah 52:7