Faith Shield

Ephesians 6:16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

Roman Soldiers had two different types of shields; a short one and a long one. Each had a specific purpose. The Word that Paul uses (1xNT) in this verse is the tall rectangle version. In combat, this type of shield would cover most of the body because it was a meter-twenty in length. They were made of planks and covered with leather that was often soaked in water to resist fire arrows and other firey objects thrown at them. Some of these objects were covered in pitch so that the fire would continue to burn well after it hit its target. The water helped extinguish these blazes.

We are studying spiritual and not physical armor, and we have looked at: The truth belt, Which represents the truth found in Jesus Christ and his Word. Without these, we cannot go into battle without tripping over our other protective gear. We studied the breastplate of righteousness Previously. We use this piece when we allow the Holy Spirit to help us demonstrate good character, as is found in Ephesians 4 and Colossians 3, Romans 12, and other passages. 

Wednesday night, we learned about the shoes that symbolized sound footing firmly planted on the Gospel of peace. We learned that, Although this passage may have different interpretations, we know that one of the meanings is that we must be firm on the Gospel and ready to defend ourselves against Satan's attacks. We must also be ready to preach the Gospel with clarity and understanding to defeat any temptation or attack that comes our way. Preparation in understanding the Gospel brings peace with God, with ourselves, and with others. That preparation gives us stability in the spiritual battle, as the soldier's good shoes help him.

Outline - The Shield

Now we have to ask these questions about the spiritual shield:

What is it, and where do we get it? 

How does the shield protect us? 

What are flaming darts?

Who is the wicked 

 

What is it, and where do we get the shield of faith?

 Look again at what Paul tells us - segurando sempre o escudo da Fé. 

We have to always hold on to this shield, as some translations have it. It is NOT saving faith but the faith in the God of our salvation. Saving faith is secured or held by God and can't be set aside. 

What we see are Satan's attacks in the form of insults, setbacks, and temptations. However, the shield of faith protects us from Satan's flaming arrows. With God's perspective as our spiritual vision, we can see beyond our circumstances and know that ultimate victory is ours.

The physical shield was something that protected the whole body. So, here Paul is not talking about saving faith because he has been talking to believers throughout this letter. Once given by God, Saving Faith is not something that can be lost or needs to be held on to. Faith is part of our salvation. Faith along with saving Grace are gifts from God. 

This faith is that constantly renewed trust in our Savior and His salvation. We must continually remind ourselves of this faith during temptation, trial, and troubles. It is the trust that we place in God and his Word and his plan for our lives. It is the trust in the fact that the Holy Spirit of God indwells us. When tempted, tested, or seemingly defeated, we need to remember our faith in God our Father. If we take our eyes off the Captain of our faith, we will become discouraged or tempted to do things that displease Him. The shield is an essential part of our armor. 

Where do we get it? 

We have seen that this shield is not saving faith, but it is a constant and growing trust in our delivering Savior. 

In Proverbs 30:5, we read, "Every Word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.

God is our shield. When we remember this during difficult times, he protects our purity and faith. 

God's people are strangers in a hostile land, but the enemy cannot harm us because God Himself is our shield. He protects those who take refuge in Him.

Psalms 28:7 The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him.

Psalm 3:3 But you, Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, the One who lifts my head high.

Psalm 33:20 We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield.

The shield is God's presence. 

This shield of faith is the presence of God in our lives. He is the one who shields us from evil attacks. Our part in the process is to work at taking every thought captive. We must take Paul's words seriously when he says in 2 Corinthians 10:3-5, For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

What are flaming darts? 

Since Satan's first tempting conversation with Eve, he has been on a mission to kill us. His purpose is to ruin what God created. Paul, using battle imagery, tells us what the devil uses to try and eliminate us.

 As mentioned, in ancient battles, all sorts of objects were hurled at oncoming or defending soldiers. The goal was to kill them. Sometimes, either arrows or spears were dipped into pine pitches and then set on fire and thrown or shot in the direction of the enemy soldiers. Dipped in pitch, these projectiles would continue to burn and even drip on the soldiers and remove them from battle because of their wounds. War is wicked, and these were wicked tools of destruction. 

The shield of faith is capable of quenching these destructive darts. The key for us to see here is that the shield that God provides can neutralize all of these darts. If left to burn, they will do much harm. If the shield, which is our trust in God, is used, it is powerful protection from ALL attacks. 

Our continual trust, in God's Word and His promises, is "in all circumstances" necessary to protect us from temptations to every sort of sin. All sin comes when we let down our shield to Satan's lies and promises of pleasure. 

Flaming darts. Temptations are likened to the flaming arrows shot by the enemy and quenched by the oil-treated leather shield (cf. Ps. 18:30; Prov. 30:5–6; 1 John 5:4).

As we look at this verse again, it is encouraging to think about the word extinguish, with the shield of faith we totally render Satan's attacks powerless. There may be some smoke damage, but there is always hope of forgiveness and restoration. 

Application: Our basic but crucial trust in God will shield us from Satan's attack and thwart all of his purposes against us. We have this shield to protect our being and must take it to win each battle. Without it, we are exposed to evil and lasting damage to life and spirituality.