A Defensive Weapon

In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. [Ephesians 6.16]

Do we ever stop to think about faith as a shield? We should.

Why isn't faith compared to a sword? Because that is not the purpose it serves!

Think about it, faith is a shield. And yet, in much of Christendom we think of it differently. Let's explore this further...

A shield is a defensive weapon. In context of Ephesians 6.16, it specifically defends against "the fiery arrows of the devil." So, let's think about that a moment - what are the fiery arrows of the devil?

Jesus identified Satan and his tactics here:

The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life. [John 10.10]

Jesus also included more identifying information about Satan here:

For you are the children of your father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies. [John 8.44]

Satan is easily identified by what he does: kill, steal, and destroy, and, his consistent (this word is important) method of accomplishing death, theft, and destruction is deception - through lies.

It would not be incorrect then to explain Ephesians 6.16 in these words, "hold up the shield of faith to stop the lies of Satan."

Now, this gives us an understanding by which to better comprehend what Paul said up to this point:

A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. [Ephesians 6.10-11]

While it may seem open-ended for Paul to say, "all strategies of the devil," he was actually being very specific as all strategies of the devil are consistently (and even characteristically limited to) lies to the end of death, theft, and destruction. While the results of Satan's lies are very much flesh and blood (death, theft, and destruction), their cause is not: 

For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. [Ephesians 6.12]

What are these non flesh and blood enemies doing? They are lying! Consistent with their leader and his decidedly flawed character, evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, ...mighty powers in this dark world, and ...evil spirits in the heavenly places all consistently promote death, theft, and destruction through deception!

For one to deceive then, another must also be deceived. That's where we come in. That's where faith comes in. THAT'S WHERE THE WORD OF GOD COMES IN! We are told to put on the armor of God because we are the target of Satan's lies. Every piece of "God's Armor" as Paul described it, is directly tied to God's Word. Truth, righteousness, peace, and salvation are ALL inseparable from God's Word. And, there is no question about the "sword of the Spirit" because Paul says it openly, "which is the Word of God."

The shield of faith stops the lies. Every other piece of God's armor refutes those lies with God's Word - the Truth. Faith ignores the lies!

So, when Hebrew 11 speaks of faith... I am taking the liberty of replacing "faith" in the passage with "ignoring the lies of Satan and instead believing God's Word." Read it:

Ignoring the lies of Satan and instead believing God’s Word shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see. Through their ignoring the lies of Satan and instead believing God’s Word, the people in days of old earned a good reputation. By ignoring the lies of Satan and instead believing God’s Word we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen. It was by ignoring the lies of Satan and instead believing God’s Word that Abel brought a more acceptable offering to God than Cain did. Abel’s offering gave evidence that he was a righteous man, and God showed his approval of his gifts. Although Abel is long dead, he still speaks to us by his example of ignoring the lies of Satan and instead believing God’s Word. It was by ignoring the lies of Satan and instead believing God’s Word that Enoch was taken up to heaven without dying—“he disappeared, because God took him.” For before he was taken up, he was known as a person who pleased God. And it is impossible to please God without ignoring the lies of Satan and instead believing God’s Word. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him. It was by ignoring the lies of Satan and instead believing God’s Word that Noah built a large boat to save his family from the flood. He obeyed God, who warned him about things that had never happened before. By his ignoring the lies of Satan and instead believing God’s Word Noah condemned the rest of the world, and he received the righteousness that comes by ignoring the lies of Satan and instead believing God’s Word. It was by ignoring the lies of Satan and instead believing God’s Word that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going. And even when he reached the land God promised him, he lived there by ignoring the lies of Satan and instead believing God’s Word—for he was like a foreigner, living in tents. And so did Isaac and Jacob, who inherited the same promise. Abraham was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God. It was by ignoring the lies of Satan and instead believing God’s Word that even Sarah was able to have a child, though she was barren and was too old. She believed that God would keep his promise. And so a whole nation came from this one man who was as good as dead—a nation with so many people that, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore, there is no way to count them. All these people died still believing what God had promised them. They did not receive what was promised, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it. They agreed that they were foreigners and nomads here on earth. Obviously people who say such things are looking forward to a country they can call their own. If they had longed for the country they came from, they could have gone back. But they were looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them. It was by ignoring the lies of Satan and instead believing God’s Word that Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice when God was testing him. Abraham, who had received God’s promises, was ready to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, even though God had told him, “Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted.” Abraham reasoned that if Isaac died, God was able to bring him back to life again. And in a sense, Abraham did receive his son back from the dead. It was by ignoring the lies of Satan and instead believing God’s Word that Isaac promised blessings for the future to his sons, Jacob and Esau. It was by ignoring the lies of Satan and instead believing God’s Word that Jacob, when he was old and dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons and bowed in worship as he leaned on his staff. It was by ignoring the lies of Satan and instead believing God’s Word that Joseph, when he was about to die, said confidently that the people of Israel would leave Egypt. He even commanded them to take his bones with them when they left. It was by ignoring the lies of Satan and instead believing God’s Word that Moses’ parents hid him for three months when he was born. They saw that God had given them an unusual child, and they were not afraid to disobey the king’s command. It was by ignoring the lies of Satan and instead believing God’s Word that Moses, when he grew up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to share the oppression of God’s people instead of enjoying the fleeting pleasures of sin. He thought it was better to suffer for the sake of Christ than to own the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to his great reward. It was by ignoring the lies of Satan and instead believing God’s Word that Moses left the land of Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger. He kept right on going because he kept his eyes on the one who is invisible. It was by ignoring the lies of Satan and instead believing God’s Word that Moses commanded the people of Israel to keep the Passover and to sprinkle blood on the doorposts so that the angel of death would not kill their firstborn sons. It was by ignoring the lies of Satan and instead believing God’s Word that the people of Israel went right through the Red Sea as though they were on dry ground. But when the Egyptians tried to follow, they were all drowned. It was by ignoring the lies of Satan and instead believing God’s Word that the people of Israel marched around Jericho for seven days, and the walls came crashing down. It was by ignoring the lies of Satan and instead believing God’s Word that Rahab the prostitute was not destroyed with the people in her city who refused to obey God. For she had given a friendly welcome to the spies. How much more do I need to say? It would take too long to recount the stories of the ignoring the lies of Satan and instead believing God’s Word of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and all the prophets. By ignoring the lies of Satan and instead believing God’s Word these people overthrew kingdoms, ruled with justice, and received what God had promised them. They shut the mouths of lions, quenched the flames of fire, and escaped death by the edge of the sword. Their weakness was turned to strength. They became strong in battle and put whole armies to flight. Women received their loved ones back again from death. But others were tortured, refusing to turn from God in order to be set free. They placed their hope in a better life after the resurrection. Some were jeered at, and their backs were cut open with whips. Others were chained in prisons. Some died by stoning, some were sawed in half, and others were killed with the sword. Some went about wearing skins of sheep and goats, destitute and oppressed and mistreated. They were too good for this world, wandering over deserts and mountains, hiding in caves and holes in the ground. All these people earned a good reputation because of their ignoring the lies of Satan and instead believing God’s Word, yet none of them received all that God had promised. For God had something better in mind for us, so that they would not reach perfection without us. [Hebrews 11 NLT replacing "faith" with "ignoring the lies of Satan and instead believing God's Word"]

Interesting, huh?

God's Word does all the work - all our faith does is protect us from believing lies that, in turn, put us at odds with God. Every man has been given the "measure of faith" because every man has been given God's Word.

Consider this:

So ignoring the lies of Satan and instead believing God’s Word comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ. [Romans 10.17 NLT replacing "faith" with "ignoring the lies of Satan and instead believing God's Word"]

The lies of evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, ...mighty powers in this dark world, and ...evil spirits in the heavenly places can ONLY be combatted by ignoring them and instead believing God's Word.

Faith then, is not something we "muster." Faith is simply a moment-by-moment choice to ignore Satan's lies (intended to bring death, theft, and destruction) and believe what God has said instead.

If faith is ever going to affect change in our lives and the lives of those around us, we must understand what it actually does instead of just having some abstract idea of it! Faith shields us from lies that cause us to doubt God's Word. God's Word does everything we need as we believe it. But if we allow lies to permeate our minds and thinking, then we consequently subject ourselves to end result of those lies (death, theft, and destruction) instead of the abundant life promised in and by God's Word.

Oh, how we need God's Word!

Father, I am resolved to ignore the lies of Satan. I easily identify his lies because they end in death, theft, and destruction. I further resolve to fill my mind with Your Word and act accordingly. So be it!