Written on February 2nd, 2005 - 1:28AM Last Updated: May 17th, 2005 - 3:09PM
above all, taking up the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the evil one. (Ephesians 6:16)
While at war with the Enemy of God, it is vital to not only have offensive weapons but a good defense as well.
Paul tells believers to receive the shield of faith "over all."
This word "επι" means upon or over.
It refers not to a summation of the armor, but rather to the positioning of the shield. It covers all these things, i.e., the rest of the armor. It fully protects the entire believer's body from "the fiery darts of the evil one."
It is also important to note that the word "which" agrees gramatically with "shield" and not "faith." It is the shield which will quench them. It is not simply any kind of faith but rather the shield of faith—that which we receive from the Lord by being strong in Him.
Apart from our identity in Christ, we have no power against the enemy. We were sold to him for our sin and have no authority to resist him. We are slaves to him unless and until we ratify the redemption Yahweh paid through the Blood of His Son. When we choose to put our faith in Him, receiving Him and entering Him, we are brought out from the authority of Satan into the Kingdom of Yahweh.
Therefore, we may receive this shield of faith to resist the Devil, by being strong in the Lord and the power of His might.
The armor has been given to us to withstand the "wiles of the Devil."
Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. (Ephesians 6:11)
This word for wiles, μεθοδειας, is the Greek word from which our word "method" comes. It comes from two other Greek words meaning "with" and "travel." This word is also used in connection with error:
that we may no longer be children, tossed back and forth and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in craftiness, after the wiles of error; (Ephesians 4:14)
Here it is "methods of error." The Greek word for error, πλανης, is a form of the Greek root word from which we get our word "planet." That root means wanderer. Here, we see that the gifts of ministry were given to prevent God's people from caught up in, among other things, the methods of wandering; this is exactly how Satan works. He deceives us by giving us substitutes for obeying God.
The Lord's Defense
ChristJesus exemplified the perfect use of the shield of faith in His confrontation with Satan. As one of his wiles is, the Devil came to attack the Lord immediately following the Lord's 40-day long communion with the Father in the Spirit (Matthew 4:1-3).
Here Satan is called προσελθων, "Tempter." The root word for this term means to pierce or to cross over, more specifically to objectively test, prove or examine. The manner in which he did this to Christ was to use words—words which twisted what God had already revealed in order to put man before God.
In each tempting from the Devil, the Lord Jesus replied with words of His own—they came directly from Yahweh's Law.
To the temptation to use His power as God's Son to make bread from stones (Matthew 4:3), to satisfy an earthly need (as he had fasted for 40 days and was hungry), He replied with the truth of what is most important, living as the Son of Man:
But he answered, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.'"{Deuteronomy 8:3} (Matthew 4:4)
He humbled you, and allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna, which you didn't know, neither did your fathers know; that he might make you know that man does not live by bread only, but by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of Yahweh does man live. (Deuteronomy 8:3)
To the temptation to use His power as God's Son to call forth angels to protect Him (Matthew 4:5-6), He replied with the truth of acting wisely as the Son of Man, and not attempting to use God as an amulet or magical protector:
Jesus said to him, "Again, it is written, 'You shall not test the Lord, your God.'"{Deuteronomy 6:16} (Matthew 4:7)
Finally, to the temptation to worship the Devil in exchange for the world's kingdoms and their glory (Matthew 4:8-9), He replied with the primary commandment of loving and serving Yahweh alone:
Then Jesus said to him, "Get behind me,{TR and NU read "Go away" instead of "Get behind me"} Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.'"{Deuteronomy 6:13} (Matthew 4:10)
You shall fear Yahweh your God; and him shall you serve, and shall swear by his name. (Deuteronomy 6:13)
The Son of God, as Son of Man upon the earth, gave us the perfect example to follow in the use of the shield of faith. It is raised up over us, formed from the words of Yahweh that He has revealed to us in His Word. It nullifies the accusations and methods of wandering of the Evil One, by affirming the truth, or what is real. It keeps us fixed, as the stars in the heavens, exactly where God has placed us. In this, we are able to stand, having withstood the attacks of the Enemy.
Thus we see that this shield of faith helps us to extinquish the fiery darts of the Devil's methods; it resists the ways that Satan attempts to travel with us with his false accusations and prosecutions.
Having been fully armed except for our offensive weapon, we receive our shield over all things, to keep the Enemy at bay.
As you read this site, you will hopefully come to know Yahweh more fully.
But all of this continuing knowledge is useless unless and until you come into union with Him. I use the word union because it is truly a marriage. It is that deep connection we all seek, for which we most often look in other people. However, the truth is that our hearts will only be fulfilled when we enter that union in fullness with the One Who made us.
This is the grace of God, that He has not stayed distant for us only to worship as Creator. But He has come unto us, even become one of us—in His Son, ChristJesus—in order to share an intimate union with us. He desires such closeness that it truly will envelope our entire life, transforming us into something new and wonderful.
You may have already entered this union with Him and only seek to know Him better through reading here. But if you have not, as you do read, let this Gospel sink into your heart as you read it now.
God loves you, and has cast your sins into the sea. He has sent His only Son as the Savior of the world—that includes you.
That Son, JesusChrist, was born as a man through a virgin who had given her life to Yahweh; He lived without sin, reflected the glory of His Father, God, in all His words and deeds, and was persecuted even unto death because of it.
His death upon a cross was the powerful explosion that separated you from your life of death. It remains for you, now, to enter into that death with Him. As you die to the one you are now, a person separated from God from your many sins, you will be born anew, with a nature predisposed to live rightly. This gift is free to you, with nothing you can do to earn it. It is the mercy of God to offer it to you, as He loves you so much! All you must do is receive it by trusting Him to have delivered you. Simply place your life in His hands and embrace the freedom that came through that death on the cross.
The Gospel is that Jesus did not remain dead, but rose again on the third day after His crucifixion! Death could not hold Him, as He was without sin. And so death will not be able to hold you, as you identify with Him fully through your trust in Him. Let go of yourself and confess Him as Lord of your life. The power of His death and resurrection will work in you all that your Creator has destined for you. You will truly enter a new life and experience that intimate union you have been seeking all of your life.
So ponder these words as you read here of this great God—Yahweh—and all that He has revealed to His creation. Let His Spirit testify to your heart that these words are true, that God is Love, and that He sent His Son so that you might receive the life that is unbound by time and space. As you feel that witness in your heart, simply believe and receive what He is offering to you, even now, and begin your new life as a child of God.
Please write to me and let me know when you take this step, as I will be your brother in Christ—we will be one in Him!
26He made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the surface of the earth, having determined appointed seasons, and the boundaries of their dwellings, 27that they should seek the Lord, if perhaps they might reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. 28'For in him we live, and move, and have our being.' As some of your own poets have said, 'For we are also his offspring.' (Acts 17:26-28)
Scripture Quotes: World English Bible Translation.
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