Ephesians 6:16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

Romans 4:19 And being not weak in faith, he [Abraham] considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah’s womb:

20 He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;

21 And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.

22 And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.

Romans 8:38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,

39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

II Corinthians 4:7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.

8 We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;

9 Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed.

Hebrews 11:13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.

MEMORY VERSE: We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak; Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you.  —II Corinthians 4:13-14

CENTRAL THOUGHT: The faith which serves the Christian warrior as a full body shield is the same persuasion and assurance of Abraham and other Old Testament saints and Paul and the saints of the New Testament; the basis of which is the resurrection of our Lord.

WORD DEFINITIONS

Ephesians 6:16 “Above all”: in addition to all things. Another meaning would be against all things or on all occasions or circumstances. “Shield”: heavy, oblong Roman shield. “That word is connected with the Greek word meaning ‘door,’ and gives a rough notion of the look of the instrument of defence—a great rectangular oblong, behind which a man could stand untouched and untouchable” (MacLaren’s Expositions).

Romans 4:20 “Staggered”: to separate, distinguish or decide (positive); or to over- judge; vacillate; waver (negative). “Faith”: conviction of the truth of anything; come to trust; be persuaded; guarantee; warrant; fully reveal.

Romans 4:21 “Fully persuaded”: accomplished; to carry out fully; fully convinced; to fully satisfy.

Romans 8:38 and Hebrews 11:13: “Persuaded”: from a root meaning to bind; to induce to believe; to convince; to have confidence; the root word of faith in the Greek.

II Corinthians 4:13 “I believed”: to think to be true; to be persuaded; credit. “The conviction and trust to which a man is impelled by a certain inner and higher prerogative and law of his soul” (Thayer’s Greek Lexicon).

LESSON BACKGROUND

To understand the concept of faith becoming a shield for us, we must comprehend what is the meaning of faith and search for an example in Scripture from which we can learn. We immediately think of Abraham, called the Father of the Faithful, to whom God said, “Fear not…I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward” (Genesis 15:1). Both in the book of Romans and in Galatians the apostle addresses the truth that believers in Christ are Abraham’s spiritual (not flesh-and-blood) seed and heirs. As his sons and daughters, we too have God’s righteousness imputed to us by faith. We have, as our memory verse declares, the same spirit of faith as the ancient saints who triumphed by their faith in God. Paul describes that kind of victory in Romans 8 and II Corinthians 4. In Hebrews 11 he describes the particular elements of their faith: they “saw” the promises, were persuaded of them, embraced them, and adjusted their world view around what they saw.

What did those saints see, and of what were they convinced? They saw a Redeemer whose power would deliver from sin and give them an eternal kingdom and inheritance. The promise had been given to Adam and Eve, and the belief of that promise impelled the patriarchs to build altars and offer sacrifices on them as proof of their faith in the coming Lamb of God. They saw the unseen God, were convinced of His faithfulness and holiness, and in spite of pagan opposition, they kept themselves separate from the idolatry and lived righteous lives.

DISCUSSION:

1. List the seven characteristics or steps of Abraham’s faith and its result.
2. How does our faith connect us with Abraham?

3. Name the ten elements of Paul’s persuasion as described in Romans 8.
4. Name the four elements of the faith of the saints as described in II Corinthians 4.
5. What assurance or proof given by God gives us the same spirit of faith as the victorious host of the Old Testament?

LIFE APPLICATION

Paul reasoned that as believers looking back at the crucifixion and resurrection of the Lord Jesus, the New Testament saints have the same spirit of faith as those who went before them who looked forward to, but never saw the Lord. Their persuasion gives them courage and confidence in the middle of their troubles, distresses and persecutions. They refuse to be moved by the temporal things of this world, but keep their eyes on the unseen eternal realities.

When Paul visited Mars Hill in Athens, he offered this to the crowd of worshippers he saw there: the “unknown” God they ignorantly worshiped was the Creator of the world. Paul likened God to a Heavenly parent, not far from any one of them, and they should seek Him and repent, because He had appointed a day in which He would judge the world. God had offered proof or assurance of this important fact unto all men, “in that he hath raised him [Jesus] from the dead” (Acts 17:31).

It’s by faith—that conviction, persuasion, proof and assurance given by God—in Jesus’ resurrection that we live in victory today, and it is that faith which shields us from every fiery dart of the wicked.

—Angela Gellenbeck

REFLECTIONS

by Damar Randle, CA

There is a clear reason why the Lord, through the Apostle Paul, told us to put on the whole armor of God and it is because we have an adversary, the devil. We are to have the shield of faith, a knowledge that we are His, to protect from the darts which Satan may throw at us. In December of 2019 I had to take a lie detector test for a job. After telling the tester I was a Christian, I failed the test miserably. I can still see him looking over the computer with a scowl on his face as I tried to assert that there had been a mistake. So, he obliged and retested me on the questions I failed; upon which, I failed again.

As I left, I felt the piercing judgment from the tester, and I felt the enemy get in the car with me. I called someone for prayer and really it turned into me complaining about God. “If the Lord didn’t want me to have the job, He could’ve just told me. He didn’t have to embarrass me like that!” was the attitude I had. The enemy saw the perfect inroad to accuse God to me. Why not? I gave Him the ammo with my attitude. He brought to mind the possibility of jail time because the questions were just that horrific. I cried and prayed for myself for the hour-long ride home. The Lord brought to mind that I had let my shield down and Satan was able to wound me. Days of praying went by and I felt so very ashamed for allowing the enemy to accuse the Lord to me.

I had a few confidantes who knew the situation. I told them it was in the Lord’s hands. I submitted to not having the job and went on to forget about it. Since that time, the necessary background check proved my record clear of all possible doubts and the Lord has blessed me to complete the job hiring process.

Do not drop your shield of faith! The enemy is right there waiting and watching for the precise moment that he can take his shot at you. If the enemy is talking, always remember he has your worst interest at heart!

Click here to hear a challenging song, “Go Forth”.