Iron Man Part 3: The Armor – Tony’s and Mine

The Iron Man armor is the most technologically advanced battlesuit on the planet. Ever since Tony Stark first developed the armor, he has continued to improve on his original design. In addition to his standard armor, he also creates armors with specialized functions for deep-sea, space, stealth, and many other purposes. By the start of Iron Man 3, Tony has built 42 suits of armor. Number 42 is so advanced that he can call it to himself through computer chips implanted in his body. 

More important than the armor is the man beneath the armor. Without Tony Stark, there is no Iron Man. He is the genius behind the invention, and the story of Iron Man has always been focused on the development of Tony. Tony is very protective of his technology. He doesn’t want any piece of it to fall into the hands of a villain. He is so protective in Iron Man 2 that he refuses to share his technology with the US government. He wants his technology to be used for good and he knows that he can’t control what others might do with his armors.

As a Christian, the Apostle Paul tells me in Ephesians 6:10-17 that I also have a suit of armor. I have the full armor of God. Verses 14 – 17 talk about the pieces of the armor. “Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” According to those words, I am a spiritual Iron Man. All Christians have this armor. We have protection as we live in a sinful world. We even have weapons to fight against the spiritual forces of evil.

Our egos want to react to this passage by asserting our independence and calling upon our own personal strength to show God we are on his team and fighting the battle for him.  It is easy to get confused and put on the wrong armor to defend against the devil’s schemes. I might put on the armor of regular church attendance, of a faithful devotional life, and obedience to God’s law. I might put on the armor of kindness, selflessness and good deeds. While these are all good things, they are not the real armor. When I read this Bible passage, my first instinct is to pull myself up by my bootstraps and fight harder. “You’re not getting me Devil. I go to church, I read the Bible, I am getting better and better at avoiding temptations.” It doesn’t take long for Satan to incinerate the flimsy armor have made out of self-righteousness with his flaming arrows. The real armor is not the good habits we have or temptations we avoid. The real armor is not of ourselves at all. 

Isaiah 59:15-17 says, “The Lord looked and was displeased that there was no justice. He saw that there was no one, he was appalled that there was no one to intervene; so his own arm worked salvation for him, and his own righteousness sustained him. He put on righteousness as his breastplate, and the helmet of salvation on his head; he put on the garments of vengeance and wrapped himself in zeal as in a cloak.”

Eventually, the penis becomes stiffer and more elongated. cialis viagra canada Kamagra is counted among one of such sildenafil 50mg tablets successful treatments with lots of satisfied users around the world. There levitra price could be a medical explanation for ED and cures PE. You should also make lifestyle changes and practice the exercises like cialis from canada meditation, yoga, jogging, walking and less strenuous weight lifting. Jesus himself wore the armor as he was carrying out his work to save the world. He wore his righteousness as he was living the perfectly sinless life. He put on the helmet of salvation in the form of a crown of thorns. He hung on that cross as he defeated sin, death, and the devil. Jesus was truly an armored superhero as he accomplished the forgiveness of sins through his death and resurrection. I am so blessed that Jesus has given me this armor of God through faith. The armor which Jesus used to save me is now mine to use for my defense and offense.

No matter how much I improve my armor made of self-righteousness, Jesus’ armor is superior. Jesus’ armor will extinguish the flaming arrows of evil. When I wear Jesus’ armor of righteousness, it means I am also shielded from the wrath of God because it means I am not on my own team, I am on his team.

No matter how technologically advanced the Iron Man armor becomes, my spiritual armor is superior. My spiritual armor has benefits not just for this life but for the life to come. My armor is incredibly powerful because it comes from my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To my God, I am very important. He gave his life to save me. He did this not only for me, Jesus gave his life for the sins of the whole world.

Tony Stark wants to keep his technology to himself, and for good reason. He doesn’t want his technology to be used for evil. That is not a concern for me when it comes to my spiritual armor. I don’t want to keep my armor for myself. I want to share the armor with others. Those who wear the armor are those who believe in Jesus as their Savior. I want many to have this gospel centered faith. I want many to wear spiritual Iron Man armor.

Check out other posts in the Iron Man series.

Part 1: I Am Iron Man

Part 2: What does Iron Man’s change of heart teach me about mine?

Iron Man History

Originally titled “Stark Wars,” one of the most influential Iron Man storylines is better known as “Armor Wars.” Elements of this story are used in the movies – such as Tony’s insistence that he keeps his technology to himself so that it cannot be used for evil. Armor Wars begins in issue 225 (December, 1987) when Tony discovers that a villain’s armor contains Stark technology. From that point on he goes on a mission to attack anyone, hero or villain, who is using stolen Stark equipment. His vendetta causes him to be kicked out of the West Coast Avengers and it nearly costs him his life. The final battle is a rematch against the armored villain named Firepower.