New Testament military metaphors

The New Testament uses a number of military metaphors in discussing Christianity, especially in the Pauline epistles.

New Testament military metaphors refer particularly to the legionaries of the 1st century Imperial Roman army.

In Philippians 2:25^[1] and Philemon 1:2,^[2] Paul describes fellow Christians as "fellow soldiers" (in Greek, συστρατιώτῃ, sustratiōtē).^[3] The image of a soldier is also used in 2 Timothy 2:3–4^[4] as a metaphor for courage, loyalty and dedication;^[5] this is followed by the metaphor of an athlete, emphasising hard work. In 1 Corinthians 9:7,^[6] this image is used in a discussion of church workers receiving payment, with a metaphorical reference to a soldier's rations and expenses.^[7]

Ephesians 6:10–18^[8] discusses faith, righteousness, and other elements of Christianity as the armour of God, and this imagery is replicated by John Bunyan in The Pilgrim's Progress,^[9] and by many other Christian writers.

Related imagery appears in hymns such as "Soldiers of Christ, Arise" and "Onward, Christian Soldiers".^[10]

See also

• Miles Christianus
• But to bring a sword
• Christian soldier
• Christians in the military
• Church militant and church triumphant
• New Testament athletic metaphors
• Prayer warrior
• Salvation Army
• Spiritual warfare
• Military chaplain
• Military order (religious society)