The Shield of Faith - Bible Witness

The Whole Armour of GodTheShieldof FaithEphesians 6:16The fourth piece of armour that God hasgiven to Christians for their spiritual battleis “the shield of faith”. Paul mentions thisin Ephesians 6:16: “Above all, taking theshield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able toquench all the fiery darts of the wicked.”Depending on the nature of the battle, theRoman armies used several kinds of shields.Among these are two which stand out.One was a small, round shield that lookedlike a giant Frisbee having curled edges.It was light and usually strapped to theleft forearm of the soldier while his otherarm wielded his sword. In a hand-to-handcombat, the soldier would thrust thesword with his right hand while he parriedthe blows of his opponent with the shieldon his left. But that was not the kind ofshield Paul was referring to in this verse.Another type of shield is what is known asthureon in Greek. This is the original wordthat is translated as “shield” in this verse.This shield, measuring 4½ feet by 2½ feet,was made of a thick and hard wooden plank,covered with either metal or leather. Themetal would deflect the enemies’ arrows,while the leather was treated with some oilto extinguish the fiery pitch on the arrows.This shield was designed for maximumprotection and deployed for a specificstrategy in a major battle. A long line ofsoldiers carrying these shields would standin front, being followed closely behind bythe rest of the troops. As the entire armymoved towards the enemy, the soldiers infront would plant their shields side by side,creating a huge, wide wall of protection. Frombehind that wall, archers would fire theirarrows to inflict injury upon the enemies.It was in this manner that the whole armyadvanced until they would be close enoughto engage the enemies in a hand-to-handcombat. So the troops carrying these shieldswould provide the frontline protectionto their comrades and keep them hidden14 Bible Witness

The Whole Armour of Godfrom the enemies’ view. Without theseshields, the entire army would be in greatperil from the barrage of flaming arrowsthat would come upon it. As the thureonshield was to the Roman army, so is theshield of faith to the Lord’s army.“Above all”Verse 16 opens with these two wordsto convey to the readers that aboveall the armour components alreadymentioned in the preceding verses, hereis another vital piece that the Christiansoldier should also bring with him tobattle. It simply means that in additionto the belt of truth, the breastplate ofrighteousness and the gospel shoes, thebelievers must take up the shield of faith.This is like carrying an extra protection to thebattle. Every soldier who has already takenup the pieces of armour, mentioned in verses14 and 15, will have the shield of faith as anadded protection. It is the spiritual shieldthat tucks and hides the believer’s life awayfrom danger. “For ye are dead, and your lifeis hid with Christ in God,” sosays Paul in Colossians 3:3.God. The shield of faith that he carrieswith him gives that full protection.“Taking the shield of faith”“Faith” mentioned here is the faith that weplace in Christ as we come to Him, knowingthat He will give us full salvation. It expressesa strong confidence in the Saviour and Hispromises to forgive, save and secure forever.Such faith will persevere amidst sufferings,having been persuaded that our Lord isfaithful to keep all His promises. This wasPaul’s sentiment written in 2 Timothy 1:12:“For the which cause I also suffer these things:nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I knowwhom I have believed, and am persuadedthat he is able to keep that which I havecommitted unto him against that day.”“Wherewith ye shall beable to quench all the fierydarts of the wicked”The very same shield of faith protects usfrom Satan's fiery darts. The “fiery darts ofLives that are shielded andhidden in Christ are guaranteedof security even unto eternity.For the Lord Himself declared:“And I give unto them eternallife; and they shall never perish,neither shall any man pluckthem out of my hand. MyFather, which gave them me, isgreater than all; and no man isable to pluck them out of myFather’s hand” (John 10:28-29).To put it simply, no enemy canever snatch away a child ofBible Witness 15

The Whole Armour of Godthe wicked” refer to the devil's fearsomeattacks on the believer to destroy his faith.These fiery darts hurled at the believer mayvary in frequency and intensity, but usuallyappear in either of these two forms:Fiery trials: The Apostle Peter wrote:“Beloved, think it not strange concerningthe fiery trial which is to try you, as thoughsome strange thing happened unto you”(1 Peter 4:12). This flaming dart of thedevil comes as a matter of test to purifyas well as to fortify our faith in Christ.This form of trial is intended to discouragethe believer with all sorts of hardships in life. Itmay come by way of persecution, sickness anddeath, or a reversal of fortunes. Nevertheless,the Lord will work it out to His own gloryand honour. “That the trial of your faith,being much more precious than of gold thatperisheth, though it be tried with fire, mightbe found unto praise and honour and gloryat the appearing of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:7).Fiery temptations: All satanic temptationsthat lure men to commit sin can definitely bespoken of as “the fiery darts of the wicked”.In 1 Corinthians 7:9, Paul uses the imagery ofbeing burned to describe sexual temptationsand sin. It is designed to destroy the believerand his profession. “But every man is tempted,when he is drawn away of his own lust, andenticed. Then when lust hath conceived, itbringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished,bringeth forth death” (James 1:14-15).Without the shield of faith, we will be easilydrawn to the devil’s temptations and fall intosin. But a strong faith in the Lord not onlyshields us from Satan’s fiery darts, but alsoenables us to resist the devil himself. Petergives this warning about the devil’s agendaand how we are to repulse his advances. “Besober, be vigilant; because your adversarythe devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about,seeking whom he may devour: Whom resiststedfast in the faith, knowing that the sameafflictions are accomplished in your brethrenthat are in the world” (1 Peter 5:8-9).The shield of faith enormously aids us inbattle that we may overcome the enemyand emerge victorious. “For whatsoeveris born of God overcometh the world:and this is the victory that overcomeththe world, even our faith” (1 John 5:4).ConclusionOur faith in Christ will be challenged alongthe way and yet without a doubt, victoryis assured. So let us take heed of Paul’sadmonition: “Fight the good fight of faith, layhold on eternal life, whereunto thou art alsocalled, and hast professed a good professionbefore many witnesses” (1 Timothy 6:12).In the end, we will be able to say togetherwith the same apostle, “I have fought a goodfight, I have finished my course, I have keptthe faith: Henceforth there is laid up for mea crown of righteousness, which the Lord,the righteous judge, shall give me at that day:and not to me only, but unto all them alsothat love his appearing” (2 Timothy 4:7).✽ ✽ ✽ ✽ ✽ ✽ ✽ ✽ ✽ ✽ ✽ ✽✽ ✽ ✽ ✽ ✽ ✽ ✽ ✽ ✽ ✽ ✽ ✽16 Bible Witness