Paul continues to roll out God’s armor, piece by piece. We’ve already buckled on the truth belt and the body armor of righteousness (Eph 6:14). We’ve laced up our Gospel cleats (Eph 6:15). Now he introduces us to the next component in our supernatural weapons system. “In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one” (v16). The faith shield. And he lets us know exactly what it’s for. Satan’s gonna fire flaming arrows our way. This will provide complete protection from his demonic darts.
Don’t forget the situation in Ephesus and the need for such God given gear. Just 100 miles down the road, churches in Colossae, Hierapolis and Laodicea have come under attack by false teachers. They’ve spread a heresy of do-it-yourself salvation that’s caused tremendous damage. According to these hucksters, Jesus can’t save you completely. We need to finish the job by following a complicated list of religious rules and regulations. In his cell in a Roman slammer, Paul gets wind of the Colossian casualties and shoots a letter to get them back on track. He then fires off another note to believers in Ephesus. A big part of the second letter is protection from the impending attack. That’s why they need “the whole armor of God” (Eph 6:11, 13).
Just because you and I don’t live in first century Turkey, we can’t get cocky and over confident. Heresy doesn’t die of old age. It’s still a threat. False teaching is all around us. We need God’s armor as much or more than Paul’s friends in Ephesus. So as the apostle explains and demonstrates each piece of gear, let’s listen up and put it on.
The apostle begins with the phrase “in all circumstances” (v16). This shield isn’t an optional piece of equipment. We’ll always need it. Which means we’re always a target for our enemy’s flaming arrows. It reminds us that God’s armor is a complete weapons system. We need all of it. Going into battle with some and not all of our gear leaves us vulnerable. Forgetting to grab my shield is a fatal mistake.
But this isn’t just any shield. It’s “the shield of faith” (v16). It’s not some flimsy piece of cardboard you used in the backyard as a kid. And it’s not the super cool disc Captain America carries. Paul’s thinking about the massive shield a Roman soldier carries. This thing is big. REALLY big. As a matter of fact the Greek word for shield is thureos, which comes from the term for door. Think of a shield that’s big enough you can actually hide your entire body behind. It’s as big as a door. The soldier’s shield is a a large oblong, four-cornered piece of protection. When the enemy’s army would launch a volley of arrows, Roman troops would squat down behind their door-sized shields.
As sweet as the Roman shield might be, our faith shield is is even sweeter. And the key is what is made from. Captain America’s shield might be crafted from vibranium. But the shield of God’s armor consists of faith. Paul is NOT describing my faith or yours. It’s NOT about the strength of our faith. It’s all about the strength of the object of our faith. The object of our trust is Jesus. He’ll never flinch. He’ll never falter. He’ll never fail. It’s better to have weak belief in a great object than a great belief in a weak object. No matter how much we trust in something weak, it’s going to let us down. We place our faith in Jesus. We place our faith in who He is. We place our faith in what He’s done. He lived the perfect, sinless life that completely failed to live. He died the bloody death for my sin that I should have died. He rose to a breathtaking new life that I certainly don’t deserve. I’m placing my faith in Him. As a result, something crazy happened at the cross. At Calvary, God swaps Jesus’ perfection and obedience for my complete and utter failure so that I actually “become the righteousness of God” (2Cor 5:17). Forget what you’ve heard about Brock for Broglio. This is the most lopsided trade of all time. Luther calls it the Great Exchange. I’m placing my imperfect faith in the perfect object. Paul tells his boy Tim that even when our faith falters, Jesus “remains faithful” (2Tim 2:13). It’s not the strength of my faith. It’s about the strength of the object of my faith. Jesus.
An incredibly important part of trusting in Christ is trusting in His obedience. Trusting in His perfect and complete obedience. He never violated the tiniest law. He never broke any of His Dad’s commands. Jesus is “holy, innocent, unstained” (Heb 7:26). And it’s not like He’s Superman pretending to be Clark Kent. Jesus is fully God AND fully man. He faced the full brunt of the very same temptations you and I feel each day. But He never stumbled. Never. “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who in every respect was tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Heb 4:15). The bad news is that I’m still going to fall flat on my face on this side of eternity. The good news, or I should say Good News, is that He’s 100% obedient. So placing our faith in Jesus is placing our faith in His faithfulness and obedience. His faith never fails. He’s our shield when the flaming arrows fly.
When you come under attack, hide behind Jesus.
We desperately need the faith shield because of the type of attack we’re going to face. It’s the only way we “can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one” (v16). In the first century, archers would soak arrows in some sort of petroleum based goo, lighting them before launching them. As if the garden variety arrows aren’t deadly enough!! These suckers are on fire!!! But here’s a little trick the Roman army had up its sleeve. Troops would soak their massive leather shields in water before battle. That would snuff out the enemy’s flaming arrows. Our faith in Jesus extinguishes the devil’s fiery attack. Don’t miss the fact that no arrow makes it through when we use our faith shield. It puts out “ALL the flaming darts of the evil one” (v16, emphasis added). Remember, Christ has already won the war. Keep that in your noggin at all times. “And this is the victory that has overcome the world--our faith! Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” (1Jn 5:4-5). That’s the faith shield. An essential component of God’s weapon system.
When you come under attack, hide behind Jesus.
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