The Shield Of Faith

by HYLAND, D. T. | Category: Battle Briefing | Aug 1994

In Ephesians chapter 6 verses 1-20 Paul describes the armour which enables the believer to be "a good soldier of Christ Jesus" (2 Tim. 2:3). The fourth piece of armour which is available to equip the believer for spiritual conflict is "the shield of faith". Shields come in various shapes and sizes. The Greeks often used a small circular shield which covered only part of the body. Paul uses the Greek word thureos which describes the large rectangular shield, used by the Romans, which covered the whole body. According to Armitage Robinson this type of shield "consisted... of two layers of wood glued together and covered first with linen and then with hide: it was bound with iron above and below". They were sometimes saturated in water. Their purpose was to put out darts or arrows which had been dipped in a combustible material such as pitch, set alight and fired.

Believers need to anchor faith in the promises of God to shield themselves from "the fiery darts of the evil one" who tempts into sin. The writer to the Hebrews refers to "sin which clings so closely" (12:1 RSV). if you or I have a "besetting" sin, an area of life where repeated failure has been experienced, the Devil will be aware and exploit it. It seems probable, however, that for the author of Hebrews the "sin which clings so closely" is the sin of unbelief; believers are to "lay aside" this besetting sin. In chapter 11 he calls to mind the exploits of men and women of faith who took God at His Word and lived their lives accordingly.

God "is a shield to those who take refuge in Him" (Prov. 30:5 RSV). By faith we realize that in God alone can we find refuge in the day of trouble. When temptation comes, faith lays hold of the power of God. When doubt or depression threaten, faith lays hold of the promises of God. Resolute faith, Paul says, not only stops, but extinguishes Satan's fire-tipped darts.

One advantage of the large doorshield used by the Romans was that several could be placed side-by-side and even one above another. This enabled a group of men to present a united front to the enemy, whose missiles met a wall of resistance. The Devil attacks individuals, but he also attacks the families of believers and churches of God. The serpent attacked Adam through his wife, with disastrous consequences. The Church of God in Smyrna was warned "the Devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested" (Rev. 2:10 RSV). The only way the Adversary's attacks can be repulsed is for each individual to "put on the whole armour of God" and for all to take shelter behind a protective "shield of faith".

HYLAND, D. T. | Aug 1994
Battle Briefing