# Synodical Conference Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1914_S29
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

of the Ev. Luth. Synodical Conference of North America. 1914. 29

the Apostle tells us to put on the armor of God, that is, the full panoply. (Eph. 6:11.) And so that we do not forget it, he repeats his exhortation. (V. 13.) And so that we leave out no weapon, he lists every single piece of the equipment. One must offer the enemy no opening. — A good soldier of Jesus Christ is to have his loins girded about with truth and to be clothed with the breastplate [German: Krebs] of righteousness. (Eph. 6:14.) He is to be an upright character, pious, sincere, blameless, pure. He is to have his feet shod, ready to preach the gospel of peace. (V. 15.) Wherever a soldier of Jesus Christ goes and stands, he is to be ready to give an account of the hope that is in him; there he is to make known the peace that comes from Christ through the Gospel. "Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith you shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked." (V. 16.) Faith in the blood of Jesus Christ extinguishes the fire of Satan's temptations and heals the wounded conscience. "And take the helmet of salvation," "the helmet of the hope of salvation," as the Apostle also expresses it. (1 Thess. 5:8.) The hope of perfected redemption in heaven covers us like a helmet, and the blows and strokes of the devil do not hit us or at least do no incurable harm. And finally "take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." (V. 17.) Here are weapons of defense and weapons of attack. We are not only to defend ourselves against the devil; we are also to break out and attack him, and in a vigorous campaign strike him on the head. For this, the sword of the Spirit. A sword of the Spirit is the Word of God; for it comes from the Spirit of God, and whoever wields it is filled by it with spiritual power. — A good soldier of Jesus Christ wields all these weapons with constant prayer and supplication in the Spirit. (Eph. 6:18.)

What are the duties of a good soldier of Jesus Christ? "Endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ!" A good soldier must be obedient, punctual, blindly obedient to the word of the leader, without contradiction. And in order to be able to obey, a soldier must possess self-control and be ready for self-sacrifice. He has left his home and exchanged its comforts for the plain fare and the rough life of the camp. The soldier must endure hardship. It is a toilsome life that a soldier leads. Often he is insufficiently protected against storm and cold in winter, insufficiently shod for rough marches, so that he trudges on with sore, bleeding feet, unsuitably heavily clothed in the heat of summer. Often he must suffer hunger and thirst during strenuous campaigns. World history is full of examples of the sufferings of a soldier. One need only think of the forced marches that must be carried out, the swollen rivers that must be crossed, the swamps and morasses that must be traversed, of fever and cholera and