Q: I am interested in understanding the relationship of halo[s] with biblical principles. Are halo[s] something created by God? If somebody tells you that you were born with a halo around you, then also says to read Ephesian 6:10 about the whole armour of God what are they really saying?
A: According to its definition, a halo is an "aura of glory, veneration, or sentiment surrounding an idealized person or thing." We usually see individuals who have been given honor by man depicted with a circle of light over their heads or around them to signify glory of some sort. In fact, many pagan religions use halos to glorify the leaders of their systems of belief. However, the idea of a halo is not something that lines up with biblical principles. In biblical terms the only individual worthy of glory or veneration is Jesus Christ. It was Jesus who said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life (John 8:12)." If there is any "light," figuratively speaking, that surrounds anybody it is only because they have placed saving faith in Jesus Christ and He is shining through them as that person bears the fruit of the Spirit God is producing through them. Even more telling is that if we don't have Christ indwelling us we not only don't have anything resembling a "halo" surrounding us, we are in complete darkness; void of any light at all.
Nobody is born with a halo surrounding them. That gives the impression that there are people who come into this world worthy of respect or awe simply because they exist. Again, Jesus was the only individual born worthy of being exalted and worshiped. The Bible records that His birth was the fulfillment of prophecy by declaring, "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"—which means, "God with us (Matthew 1:23)." If all mankind is in darkness, apart from Christ, then it stands to reason that Jesus was, and is, the only person ever born with light around them because He is the Light. The Gospel message itself relies on the fact that all mankind is born into this world in the dark, spiritually dead to God, in sin. The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 15:22 that "in Adam all die..." This means that because of Adam's sin the life of God left him and, subsequently, everyone who has ever been born into this world, other than Jesus Christ, is born dead in sin, without the life of God indwelling them. Yet, the Bible goes on to say in that same verse that "in Christ all will be made alive." Therefore, the life of God that left Adam is restored in Christ. We go from darkness to light by placing faith in Christ.
As a believer we are now in the light because we have the Light of the world, Jesus Christ, indwelling us. Since we have the indwelling life of God within us to guide us and lead us we have access to the armor of God. Ephesians 6:10-11 says, "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes." When Jesus was being tempted by the Devil in the desert, His "weapon" of choice was not one of aggression, but one defensive in nature. If you read Luke 4, every time the Devil tempted Jesus what was His response? Whenever the Devil tempted Jesus, the Lord responded with "it is written." Jesus was quoting scripture to foil the devil's schemes. It is the same with us. As we learn to trust in and depend on the Lord, and His indwelling Spirit, we will be able to resist the Devil as well through our knowledge of God's Word and the discernment of the Holy Spirit. As you continue to read in Ephesians 6 it says that our battle is not with flesh and blood, but "against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 6:12)." The Devil attacks our minds because if he can get control of our minds, our bodies and actions will soon follow.
While concepts like halos may sound innocent to the average person, they can be used by the Devil as subtle lures to deceive those unable to discern his schemes. The example of light and darkness mentioned earlier is perfect to understand this. If you are in a dark room, without any light source to guide you, the chances of you navigating safely through the darkness is impossible. You will be grasping aimlessly at anything to guide you and stabilize you without knowing if what you are holding on to is safe or leading you in the right direction. You just hope it gets you through the darkness. That is why Jesus is so important. He is like the flashlight in that dark room. He, through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit, shines a light on the darkness so you can navigate through the darkness with little problem. Concepts like halos are lures that can deceive people into believing things about God that are not true. The error can lead you down a path of false religion and dependence on things God did not intend for you to put faith in. The concept of halos is not biblical, but the concept of light is. As Jesus said to His disciples, "Are there not twelve hours of daylight? A man who walks by day will not stumble, for he sees by this world's light. It is when he walks by night that he stumbles, for he has no light (John 11:9-10)." When we walk with the Lord we do not walk with the light of a halo surrounding us. When we walk with the Lord we do not stumble because we have His light guiding us from within.
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