Paul pictures the believer in the heat of battle. The air is thick with flaming arrows that had been dipped in pitch and set on fire. It’s a life and death situation. How will he survive? Paul’s answer is, to stand firm against the enemy’s attacks, take up the shield of faith. Our study of Ephesians 6:16 will follow the outline below:

1. What is the Shield of Faith?
2. Why we Need the Shield of Faith.
3. How we can use the Shield of Faith.

The apostle Paul tells us in this passage to take up our shields, which he calls the shield of faith. Paul says that faith is our shield. He uses the Roman soldiers shield as a picture to help us understand what he means. Faith, in this case, is what deflects the attacks of the enemy. The other parts of the armor will protect the soldier if the shield is bypassed. But the strongest defense is the shield: it actually protects the rest of the armor!

The beauty of a Roman shield was its ability to resist nearly any type of attack. In this context, Paul notes that the shield of faith "can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one." The attack he mentions is fiery arrows, a common tactic in ancient war. Even a Roman breastplate could be pierced by an arrow. Shields prone to catch fire were vulnerable. Roman shields were lined with leather, and usually soaked with water before a battle. In other words, the One providing the armor gives His troops equipment perfectly suited to surviving the enemy onslaught.

The shield is the only defensive piece of armor which can also protect other people. Ancient soldiers would typically fight in formation, interlocking their shields. This meant each man protected both himself, and others, with his shield. In the community of believers, cooperation, unity, and holiness are crucial. When we work "in formation," we form a wall of faith which makes the entire church safer and stronger.

Getting Started                          

1. How many cell phone protectors have you bought to protect your phone? What types have you used and have they been worth your money? Share your experience.     

• Read Ephesians 6:10-20

2. What insight, principle, or observation from Sunday’s sermon did you find to be the most helpful, eye-opening, or troubling?

Digging Deeper

3. What is the Shield of Faith? 

4. Why do we need the Shield of Faith? 

5. How can we use the Shield of Faith?

 The Heart of the Matter

6. Since the shield is the only defensive piece of armour which can also protect other people, how does this piece of armour relate to our church attendance and membership?  

7. Is the following a true or false statement? “Faith is the most misunderstood word in the religious vocabulary”. Explain your answer. 

8. Exercising the SHIELD OF FAITH is acting upon God’s Word because of confidence in his character. How necessary or important is it to know God’s Word and character? How are you doing in this area?