[Dr. Warren Wierdsbe]

Ephesians 6 (AV1611 King James Bible)

13Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

14Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;

15And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

Let’s look at this verse. So many preachers, without care for the perfect, inerrant nature of the King James Bible of 1611, fail to properly understand its import. I want all True Christians who hear this or read this sermon to understand exactly what is at stake here! I’ve heard sermons from so-called Christian preachers, going on and on about the “gospel of peace” and “good news to all” and other such tripe. The true meaning of this verse is very liberating to True Christians™.

To properly understand this verse, we need to go to the Textus Receptus from which the King James Bible was translated. So bear with me, please. For those of you who cannot read Greek, I have transliterated so you may read along.

και υποδησαμενοι τους ποδας εν ετοιμασια του ευαγγελιου της ειρηνης (TR)


καιυποδησαμενοι[kai hupodisamenoi] (υπο [hupo] among, by, from, in, of, under, with, and δησαμενοι [disamenoi] from δησαι [disai] to bind, be in bonds "having underbound the feet;" that is, having bound on the shoes, or sandals, or whatever was worn by the ancient soldier.)

τουςποδας [tous podas] (of the feet of all of you). Realize that these are your feet. (τους ποδας [tous podas], “the feet of you all or all y’all”). All of you must have your feet shod to fight. Some have mistakenly called these “greaves,” which were the shin armor that went from the top of the foot to the top of the knee for some Roman soldiers. But this verse isn’t talking about “greaves” or “shins.” It’s talking about sandals, or shoes, that undergird the foot to walk, march, or run to the fight. These don’t belong to Billy or Bobby or Someone or No One or Any One. “When I became a man, I put away childish things.” I now tie my own shoes. And so must you!

τουευαγγελιου [tou evangeliou] the Gospel or good news or glad tidings. This is important! The Gospel of Jesus Christ is always good news! We will come back to this.

τηςειρηνης[tis eirinis] of peace. So, the full, best translation is, “And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.” Do you see the beauty and wisdom of the King James Bible? When you study the Textus Receptus, the best translation is always with the King James Bible!

Next: What do we mean by the "Gospel of Peace?"

In Christ,
Warren