The War of the Priesthood

by Uriesou Brito

When Paul penned his famous passage on the armor of God, was he borrowing imagery from a Roman soldier’s kit and gear? Hardly. That would have been a disastrous way to appeal to Christians oppressed by Rome.

The real inspiration for Paul’s analogy is more scripturally consistent. In describing the believers’ armor, the Hebrew of Hebrews was simply speaking in his mother tongue: the Old Testament.

God has made us a kingdom of priests. Christ makes it clear by example that our priestly duty is to be on the offensive against Satan’s kingdom.

To fight, you want an armor suited for your needs. God’s priests need a priestly armor.

Genres: Theology

119 pages, Paperback

Published January 30, 2024

About the author

Uri Brito was born in Natal, Brazil. He has lived in the United States for over 20 years. He received his Bachelor’s in Pastoral Studies from Clearwater Christian College and graduated from Reformed Theological Seminary with an M.Div.

He is a certified counselor through the Association of Biblical Counselors (ABC).
Pastor Brito has been the Senior Pastor of Providence Church in Pensacola, Fl. since 2009. He is married to Melinda and they have four children.

Reviews

[Rick Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent. Reframes the armor of God in a more biblical direction than what we're used to. Good devotional material!

[Walter Shaw - · Rating 4 out of 5]

If all this book does is remind you that you are in a spiritual war, you will be well-served. Brito studies the Armor of God in Ephesians 6 as priestly armor rather than the garb of a Roman soldier.

Even as a credobaptist, I found a lot to appreciate about Brito's application of the OT for Christians today.

My favorite part of this book were Brito's applications, I wish he would have gotten more specific at times on how we can live out particular pieces of the armor!

A very short book on an underserved topic. I look forward to reading more of the author's books!

[Nathan Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great stuff. I first heard Pastor Brito give a series of talks about this topic at the Called Conference in 2023, so this was a good reminder of that material. Full of practical wisdom on Christian living. Also clears up confusion of Paul’s description of the armor of God. Brito gives a compelling case that Paul was basing this passage off of the priestly garments in the OT, rather than a Roman centurion’s armor.

[Michael · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was not working today and decided to read through this short book today. I would like to say first off that there are many good and true things in this book. It is by far one of the best books I have read on the armor of God, so there is much food for thought throughout this book. However, I am unable to give it more than two stars. This book is a product of the Theopolis' liturgical and ecclesiastical paradigm. A major problem that I have with Theopolis is that through the work of Leithart and Jordan, and now Uri, there is a stark imbalance to the anthropology of the New Covenant. When we are engrafted into Jesus Christ and become Covenant members, the tri-fold office of mankind is restored from the fall. The office of prophet, priest, and king. But for Theopolis, largely by the work of Leithart's Priesthood of the Plebs, man is not restored to the tri-fold office that is part of their being, but restored to an elevated Priesthood. A Priesthood without kingship and prophethood. Brother Uri's work here is an example of this theology being worked out. Paul was not using a soldier's armor to show a Christian's armor, but was alluding to the priestly garments of the Levitical Priesthood to show our Priesthood? I find this utterly bizarre. This is another area where Jordian symbology gets people muddled in the weeds. Looking down the road from where this imbalance goes, it will lead us to the same position as the priesthood that the pietists have created that are impotent, or will lead to another sacramental class of priests as the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches have.

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pastor Brito does an excellent job explaining how the Christian should have the armor of God on. We are in a fight and we need to arm ourselves with what God has provided. Good little book explaining how we fight for the kingdom.

[Michael Kidd · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'll admit on the front end that my 5 star review is not without bias. But I'll not apologize for that. This book was written by the Presiding Minister of my denomination, who I respect a great deal. It was published by members of my beloved congregation of whom I am very proud and love very much. But none of this changes the fact that this is an absolutely excellent book with an appealing premise, persuasive argumentation, and pastoral application. Well worth the few moments it takes to read.

[Shawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good reminder always and every day to put on the armor of God.

[Joe Jewart · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great little book that departs from the traditional interpretation that the armor of God is a Roman soldier analogy and argues that this is a priestly picture taken from the language of the Old Testament. From that standpoint, the author gives helpful and practical applications on how to fulfill our priestly duty as Christians in this world.

[Bradley Endsor · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was good however as an exposition it felt like it could have been more detailed but as an introductory devotion it was good and did point out some connections I had not seen, did not feel like I was having a paradigm shift as I read it. But as a starter it was good at showing how Paul like all New Testament authors were steeped in and relied on the Old Testament and we need to know that part of our bible better

As has been pointed out though by a reviewer on here and actually on reflection part of why this feels underwhelming and yet good is because this highlight how our priesthood element is applied but missing the concept of King and Prophet

[Gregory · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fantastic book! Pastor Uri Brito challenges the conventional wisdom that Paul is describing a Roman soldier when he speaks of the "helmet of salvation" and the "shield of faith" (Ephesians 6). Instead, Brito proposes Biblical reasons for connecting Paul's imagery with the garb and uniform of the Old Testament priesthood. In doing this, Brito also provides a basic theology of spiritual warfare, helping us to understand the stratagies of Satan and the powers of darkness. But, Brito is ultimately encouraging and spurs us on in hope, knowing that God's people wear the armor of Christ, and are called to ultimate victory. This is both practical, pastoral, as well as deeply theological.

[Rivers Houseal · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was hit with multiple “duh” moments, while reading this book... This simply makes sense. We recognize Old Testament typology all over the New Testament; why would we expect something different in Ephesians 6? The consistency of Scripture speaks for itself, and Dr. Brito adroitly points out just that.

Beyond helping my overall theological understanding, though, this book was a spiritual espresso. It offers encouragement for the long haul, and it is also invigorating for today.

[Josh Hansen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Concise and practical yet full of depth and beautifully written. Excellent.

[Joey · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent resource explaining the whats and the why's of the armor of God.