The Shield of Faith

"... above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one." (Eph 6:16)

We’ve walked through the armor that a soldier wears - the belt, the breastplate, and the boots. Now, we come to the first piece of armor that a soldier must actively take up: The Shield.

When we think of a shield, we often think of hiding behind something for safety. But historically, and spiritually, a shield represents much more than mere survival. Let’s delve into the shield, its relevance to the ancient soldier, and what it really means to carry the "Shield of Faith" today.

A Tale of Two Shields: The Greek and The Roman 

To understand Paul’s analogy in Ephesians, we must look at the military tech of the time.

First, there was the Greek Aspis. This was a major upgrade from earlier designs, featuring a thick wooden core faced with bronze and lined with leather. What made it special was its double-grip design—a hand grip at the rim and a leather forearm strap. This gave the soldier control for both defense and attack.

The genius of the Greek shield was the Phalanx formation. Because of the shield's convex shape, soldiers could lock them together to form a "shield wall," protecting not just the bearer, but his neighbor too. It was a symbol of a united front.

The Greek Aspis and The Phalanx Formation

Then came the Romans with the Scutum. These were massive, door-like oblongs that covered a man from shoulder to knee. Unlike the Greek shield, the Scutum had a singular hand grip, emphasizing defensive robustness over attacking agility.

This shift in design mirrored a shift in tactics. The Romans moved away from the rigid wall of the Phalanx toward flexibility, where each man relied on his shield for individual cover in sword-and-shield combat. Yet, they still understood unity. During sieges, they utilized the Testudo (tortoise) formation, interlocking shields overhead, ahead, and sometimes on the flanks to create a “tortoise shell” against missile barrages.

The Roman Scutum and The Testudo Formation

Today, we see the shield’s resurgence in the ballistic shield made of Kevlar or Dyneema. While these can stop high-velocity rounds, they are heavy and limit mobility, making them less ideal for agile warfare. In the greater military scope, the concept of a shield has evolved. Take the Iron Dome, for example: instead of merely absorbing a blow, it aggressively targets and destroys the threat mid-air. This shifts the 'shield' from a passive tool of protection to an active instrument of offense.

Why does this history matter? Because the biblical Shield of Faith combines the best of these worlds. It protects us, it connects us to our neighbor, and it keeps us agile in defense and offence on the spiritual battlefield.

Defining the Indefinable

So, what is this faith we are asked to carry? Hebrews 11:1 gives us the definitive answer: "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen". It sounds poetic, but as with many biblical teachings, living it out isn’t always straightforward.

All people practice a form of "faith" every day. When you sit on a chair, you trust it will hold you. When you work all month, you have faith that a salary is coming. This is natural faith - grounded in visible evidence and expected, predictable outcomes.

Christian faith is different because of its object: God. The world says, "Seeing is believing." The Christian says, "Believe to see". We base our lives on a promised future (substance) and an invisible God (evidence). The heroes of the Bible, mentioned in Hebrews 11, grounded and defined their lives on a future they never saw with their physical eyes. "… And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise" (Heb 11:39).

Faith is a Verb (The Action)

Faith is not a passive emotion; it inspires action. As James bluntly puts it: "What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? … Thus, also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead" (Jas 2:14–17).

In Hebrews 11 alone (NKJV), there are 27 verbs directly linked to faith. Look at what faith does:

• Understand (Gain Knowledge) (v. 3: "By faith we understand that the worlds were framed...")

• Offered (v. 4: "By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice...")

• Was Taken Away (Glorified) (v. 5: "By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death...")

• Prepared (v. 7: "By faith Noah... prepared an ark...")

• Obeyed (v. 8: "By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called...")

• Dwelt (v. 9: "By faith he dwelt in the land of promise...")

• Received (v. 11: "By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed...")

• Offered Up (v. 17: "By faith Abraham... offered up Isaac...")

• Blessed (v. 20: "By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau...")

• Made Mention (Prophesied) (v. 22: "By faith Joseph... made mention of the departure...")

• Gave instruction (v. 22: By faith Joseph... gave instructions concerning his bones.”)

• Was Hidden (Protected) (v. 23: "By faith Moses... was hidden three months by his parents...")

• Refused (v. 24: "By faith Moses... refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter")

• Forsook (v. 27: "By faith he forsook Egypt...")

• Kept (v. 28: "By faith he kept the Passover...")

• Passed Through (Delivered) (v. 29: "By faith they passed through the Red Sea...")

• Fell Down (Destroyed) (v. 30: "By faith the walls of Jericho fell down...")

• Did Not Perish (Lived) (v. 31: "By faith the harlot Rahab did not perish...")

In verses 33-34, 9 examples of victories achieved "through faith" are given.

• Subdued ("subdued kingdoms")

• Worked ("worked righteousness")

• Obtained ("obtained promises")

• Stopped ("stopped the mouths of lions")

• Quenched ("quenched the violence of fire")

• Escaped ("escaped the edge of the sword")

• Were Made Strong ("out of weakness were made strong")

• Became Valiant ("became valiant in battle")

• Turned to Flight ("turned to flight the armies of the aliens")

There are three verbs associated with faith in this chapter that are of particular interest: Died, Obtained, and Received.

Died: All the heroes of faith, except two (Enoch and Elijah), died physically. Verse 13 says “These all died in faith”.  Death comes to all, one way or another. Physical death will come to all except those who will be living at the time of Jesus’ return. The believers alive then would already have gone through a spiritual death, just as Enoch had: a death to self.

“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Gal 2:20).

Everyone else will die the spiritual death, that is, separation from God for eternity. “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned” (Rom 5:12). Either way, death comes to all. Do you choose to die to self in Christ, or die through sin? Choose for yourselves this day!

The Principle of Action and Reaction: Obtained vs. Received

I’ve always been fascinated by the physics concept of action and reaction. The laws of physics have parallels in the spiritual world too. There is the obvious push back from the world and the forces of evil that fight against righteousness. I, however, view this in another perspective also. The actions of faith are done not against the world, but towards God. "And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men" (Col 3:23).

In Hebrews 11, we see a fascinating duality between the two verbs: Obtained and Received.

1. Obtained (Our Action)

• The author uses "obtained" five times, always regarding a good testimony. The Greek word (martyreō) implies giving accurate information based on direct knowledge. But it also connotes something hard-won, requiring a process, or involving overcoming difficulty.

To "obtain a good testimony" means we go through a difficult process to have God and others confirm that we are indeed soldiers fighting the good fight. We obtain this through our "works" of faith. These are the verbs mentioned above.

2. Received (God’s Reaction)

• We are told that the heroes of faith did not receive the promise despite the demonstrations of their faith. The word “receive” is also used in other contexts in this chapter. In the Greek translation, the word used (komizomai) in relation to the promise of a future savior generally means “to cause to experience”, or “to be paid back”. The other occurrences in the chapter meant different things depending on the context: in vs 31, it (dechomai) meant to welcome; in vs 35, it (lambanō) meant “to take hold of, grab, or grasp”.

  
  

In contrast to obtaining a testimony through overcoming difficulty, believers will experience the promised savior as a reward or “payment” for exercising our faith in God. We obtain a good testimony by our works and receive salvation as a reward from God. The first actions of faith are repenting of our sins, asking for forgiveness, and turning from our sinful ways.

Advance in Assurance

Just as the Greek Aspis protected the soldier and his neighbor, our faith should extend beyond ourselves to our neighbors and fellow believers. The growth and application of our faith is not, and cannot be, for the individual alone. We must reach out and touch our fellow man. Jesus said, “... Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me” (Matt 25:31-40).

Just as the Roman Scutum covered the soldier from shoulder to knee, so does the Shield of Faith protect our other spiritual armor. Faith protects our peace, truth, and righteousness just as a physical shield protects the feet, loins and vital organs. Its is significant that Paul used the words "above all" when introducing the shield of faith. the shield acts in two ways:

1. Defense: Through faith, we resist the temptations of this world. By faith we depend on God for provision rather than steal, swindle, or bribe.

2. Offense: Through faith, we forge forward, preach the Good News, and offer living sacrifices unto the Lord.

As Paul wrote, "How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?... So then, faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Rom 10:14, 17), our faith is born of God through hearing and interacting with the Word of God, and it is the only mechanism by which we overcome the world.

"For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?" (1 Jn 5:4-5).

Indeed, only in God is our faith made perfect. To build your shield, you must look to Jesus, the "author and finisher of our faith" (Heb 12:2).

By taking up the shield of faith, the Christian soldier can advance in the battle with the assurance that the victory has already been won.

Be Blessed!