1Now faith is the assurance of what we hope for and the certainty of what we do not see. 2This is why the ancients were commended. 3By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. 4By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous when God gave approval to his gifts. And by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead. 5By faith Enoch was taken up so that he did not see death: “He could not be found, because God had taken him away.” For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. 6And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who approaches Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.
READ THE WHOLE CHAPTER →Some mornings the attacks come fast. You barely get out of bed and the arrows start flying. A worry about money. A memory of failure. A doubt about whether God is even listening. One after another, and every one of them burns.
Paul knew what that felt like. “In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.” Armies in the ancient world did use arrows wrapped in burning material. The Roman legionary carried a large curved shield, the scutum, built from layers of wood and covered with leather. It covered most of a man's body. Paul's word for shield usually means that kind of large, door shaped shield, not a small round one. Some have suggested the leather was soaked to help put out fire arrows, but that detail is uncertain. What is certain is the promise. Faith can extinguish all of them.
So what is faith? Hebrews 11 gives us a good place to start. “Now faith is the assurance of what we hope for and the certainty of what we do not see.” Faith is not wishful thinking. It is not a feeling of confidence you work up. It is trust in God and in what He has said, especially when you can't see it yet. Faith takes God at His word.
Look at the people this chapter lists. Abel offered God a better sacrifice. Enoch pleased God and was taken up. Keep reading and you meet Noah building a boat for a flood no one could see, and Abraham leaving home without knowing where he was going. None of them had the full picture. All of them believed God. Their faith was not strong because they were strong. It was strong because the One they trusted is.
That is the key. A shield is only as good as what it's made of. Faith in your own faith will crack. Faith in God holds. John writes, “this is the victory that has overcome the world: our faith.” Then he tells you exactly what that faith is. “Who then overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.” Faith that overcomes is faith in Jesus, the Son of God who died for sinners and rose again.
Notice something about a shield. You have to take it up. It does nothing hanging on the wall. When the arrow of fear comes, you lift faith against it. God has said He will never leave me or forsake me. When the arrow of guilt comes, you lift it again. Jesus paid for that, and there is no condemnation for those who are in Him. You answer the lie with what God has said. That is what taking up the shield looks like on an ordinary Wednesday.
Hebrews 11:6 is blunt. “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who approaches Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.” Maybe you are approaching God this morning only half sure He is there. Start where you are. Believe that He is. Believe that He rewards those who seek Him. Then seek Him.
One more thing. Roman soldiers were trained to fight in close formation, shields side by side, so that each man's shield helped protect the man next to him. You were not meant to hold up your shield alone. When your arm gets tired, you need a brother or sister whose faith covers you. Call one today. Let them lift theirs beside yours, and offer to do the same for them.
Pistis is the ordinary New Testament word for faith or trust, and in some contexts faithfulness. It runs all through Hebrews 11 and is also the word in Ephesians 6:16 for the shield of faith. In these passages it means trusting God and what He has promised, and the stress falls on the One trusted more than on the strength of the feeling.
OPEN G4102 IN THE DICTIONARY →Father, I believe that You are and that You reward those who seek You. Help my unbelief. The arrows are already flying this morning, and I can't stop them on my own. Teach me to take up the shield of faith and answer every lie with what You have said. Thank You that Jesus has overcome the world and that my faith rests in Him. Give me brothers and sisters to stand beside, and make me that kind of friend for them. In Jesus' name, amen.
Pick the arrow that hits you most often, whether fear, guilt, or doubt, and find one promise of God that answers it. Write it down and keep it in your pocket today.
- Which flaming arrow seems to hit you most often, and what has God said that answers it?
- Is your confidence resting more on the strength of your faith or on the One you trust?
- Who could you stand shield to shield with this week?