"Above all, taking
the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts
of the wicked" Ephesians 6:16.
The fourth piece
in the Christian's armor presents itself in this verse-- the shield of faith.
It is a grace of graces, and is here fitly placed in the midst of its
companions. It stands as the heart in the midst of the body; or as David when
Samuel "anointed him in the midst of his brethren" 1 Samuel 16:13. The
apostle, when he speaks of this grace, anoints it above all its fellows--
"Above all, take the shield of faith."
We discover the
kind of faith the apostle commended if we consider the use and end for which it
is prescribed to the Christian-- to enable him to "quench all the fiery
darts of the wicked"-- that is, of the wicked one, the devil. Now,
consider the several kinds of faith. Among them must be the faith, which
empowers the Christian to quench all of Satan's fiery darts.
Historical faith
cannot do this. This kind is so far from quenching Satan's fiery darts that the
devil himself, who shoots them, has this faith. "The devils also
believe" James 2:19.
Temporary faith
cannot do it. This is so far from quenching Satan's fiery darts that it is
quenched by them. It displays a goodly blaze of profession and endures
"for a while" Matthew 13:21. but soon disappears.
Miraculous faith
falls short as the others. Judas's miraculous faith, which he used alongside
the other apostles, enabled him to cast out devils from others but left him
possessed by the devils of covetousness, hypocrisy, and treason. A whole legion
of lusts hurled him down the hill of despair into the bottomless pit of
perdition.
There is only one
kind of faith which remains, and that is justifying faith. This indeed is a
grace, which makes him who has it a match for the devil. Satan has not so much
advantage of the Christian by the superiority of his natural abilities, as the
Christian has of Satan by this faith, his weapon. The apostle is so confident
that he gives the victory of the Christian before the fight is fully over:
"Ye have overcome the wicked one"
1 John 2:13.”
Quoted material from, ”The Christian in Complete Armour Daily Readings
in Spiritual Warfare” by Gurnall and James S Bell. http://www.moodypublishers.com/pub_productDetail.aspx?id=41823&pid=53617
Artwork from Rose Publishings Armor of God Powerpoint Click Here to learn more.
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