*Disclosure: This post may contain affiliates. Read the full disclosure here.
Ephesians 6:14-18 (NIV)14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.
We are now on to part four of our journey to understanding Paul’s message of the armor of God.
Verse 16 – In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
I’m going to break up the verse and jump around a bit but it will all come together in the end.
The Shield…
Again, remember Paul was in a Roman prison at the time of writing to the church of Ephesus. So in describing the armor, we are to defend ourselves with, it makes sense for us to familiarize ourselves with the types of weapons used at the time.
The most popular early shield of the Roman soldiers was called the scutum. It was large and heavy and used as a full body shield. If you notice from the image below it was curved slightly to allow for extra protection. The scutum would be carried with the left arm, using a horizontal grip allowing the forearm, bicep, and shoulder to distribute the weight.
The center of the shield often had a spindle-shaped boss. (Boss means a stud on the center of a shield according to Oxford Dictionary.) This allowed for extra room and protection for the hand. But also when a soldier charged with the shield, he would hold it with a straight arm and rest it on his left shoulder, then run towards the enemy with full force in an attempt to knock his foe over. (Source)
of Faith
Merriam-Webster offers multiple definitions of faith:
- allegiance to duty or a person: loyalty
- belief and trust in and loyalty to God
- a firm belief in something for which there is no proof
- complete trust
- something that is believed especially with strong conviction
So our faith, allegiance, loyalty, belief, complete trust, and strong conviction in God is what shields us from Satan’s schemes.
Let’s also look at antonyms of faith: disbelief, doubt, unbelief, unfaith. Merriam-Webster even adds godlessness as an antonym of faith.
I don’t know about you, but I know this to be true. When I allow disbelief and especially doubt to set in, I open myself up to spiritual attacks. I am no longer protected by God. Not because He has stopped wanting to protect me but because, at the moment, I have stopped allowing Him to.
Which brings us to the next part of the verse.
Take up
The phrase ‘take up’ is an action and is used in various situations. (Examples from Collinsdictionary.com)
- When applied to an activity or a subject, you become interested in it and spend time doing it.
- In regards to a cause, you act on it or discuss how you are going to act on it.
- If you take up a job, you begin to work at it.
- In reference to an offer or a challenge, you accept it.
- If you take up something such as a task or a story, you begin doing it after it has been interrupted or after someone else has begun it.
‘Take up’ is also a present and future tense verb.
That is different than Paul’s first three pieces of armor. The belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness and the boots of peace are actions that Paul describes us already needing to do and establish.
Whereas faith is something that needs to be current and ongoing.
So to ‘take up’ means to become interested in, act on, discuss, work at, accept, spend time on and continue our faith in God!
Flaming arrows of the evil one
The first incendiary missiles were arrows wrapped with flammable plant fibers (flax, hemp, or straw, often referred to as tow) and set afire. Burning arrows of these materials could be very effective in destroying wooden walls from a safe distance. (Source)
Flaming arrows were useful because the fire would spread causing more destruction.
Think of the imagery that this conjures on a spiritual level.
Satan can throw one lie at us, and if we aren’t actively engaging in our faith, the lie can spread. It can damage our thoughts, attitude, and behaviors. All with one flaming arrow.
With which you can extinguish
But when we are actively ‘taking up’, in all that that entails our faith, we are then shielded and protected by Satan’s plans to kill, steal, and destroy.
Let’s also take this a bit further. What is the best way to extinguish a fire?
Water, right?
Having faith then also gives us access to the living water, Jesus Christ!
In addition to all this
To wrap up, we actually have to go to the beginning of the verse.
NIV starts the verse with In addition to all this, which references the first three pieces of armor.
And ESV reads In all circumstances.
But the NKJV has my favorite translation above all.
Let’s consider the first three pieces of armor – truth, righteousness, and the gospel of peace. Each clearly important and necessary in defending ourselves from evil.
However, if we don’t have faith, or don’t trust God – His truth, His righteousness, or His good news, we are left wide open to Satan.
I pray that you found this post informative and convicting to continue the journey of arming yourself against Satan’s schemes.
The Armor of God
- Part One: The Belt of Truth
- Part Two: The Breastplate of Righteousness
- Part Three: The Boots of Peace
- Part Four: The Shield of Faith
- Part Five: The Helmet of Salvation
- Part Six: The Sword of the Spirit
- Part Seven: Pray in the Spirit
God bless!
Melissa
p.s. Check out all of the beautiful sites I link up with.
I love your explanation of “take up.” I will always think deeper on that action verb now.
It does give so much deeper thought to this verse when we realize all of the ways a person can ‘take up’! Thank you for stopping by and God bless, Amy!
This is a wonderful study of what it means to ‘take up’ the shiled of faith. I bet those shields were heavy, and without daily practice with them, the warrior would be weak in battle.
Thank you for your kind words Anita! Yes, I bet those shields were heavy. I find it to be such a great reminder that we, too need to practice our faith so that we are not weak in the daily battle. Thank you for stopping by and sharing your thoughts. God bless!
I am enjoying this series Melissa! Thanks for the reminder “Having faith then also gives us access to the living water, Jesus Christ!”
I’m so glad you are enjoying the series Tiffany! I love digging into God’s word and finding the nuggets that so easily gets jumped over. Thank you for stopping by! God bless!
I love the idea that our faith is ongoing and that it is an action that we must regularly choose to believe in God and His word. That is the way we will be able to extinguish the flaming arrows of the evil one. It is always good to be reminded of this. Thank you! – Amy
http://stylingrannymama.com/
Yes! It makes so much sense that the first three need to be established and that faith is one that continually needs to be chosen and engaged in. Thank you for reading and sharing your insights. God bless Amy!
Your explanation of “take up” is certainly appropriate. We must take up the study and practice of our faith.
It is two simple words that can bring so much more meaning and depth to this statement! Thank you for stopping by Alice. God bless!
I’ve enjoyed your explanation for the armor of God. Faith in God matters in whether we can be victorious against Satan. This is why spreading the Good News is so important, so people can come to faith and have protection against the schemes of the evil one!
Thank you Julie! Yes, I want all people to know the unconditional love and joy of having a personal relationship with Jesus. And in knowing that love they have the truth to fight Satan’s lies. Thank you for stopping by and sharing your thoughts. God bless!
Our faith is so important! I love that the whole armor of God works together to wrap us up in the safety and security of God.
Yes! He truly leaves no part of us open and vulnerable to Satan’s attacks if we intentionally take up His armor. That doesn’t mean we won’t have instances of pain and/or suffering but our heart, mind, and soul can remain intact! Thank you for stopping by and sharing your thoughts. God bless!
Melissa, I really love how you’ve unpacked this verse and given so many examples and explanations. Just reading it today inspired me to remember to be praying this passage for my children (and myself, too). Thank you so much. I plan to go back to your previous posts in this series! And will schedule to share this in a couple of places. Thank you!
Thank you so much for your kind words Leslie! I’m having so much enjoyment in writing this series. I love how intentional Paul was with all of his words and how He wove so much of past scripture into these few verses. It is truly inspired writing that we are privileged to use to know God better and be protected from evil. Thank you for stopping by and I hope you enjoy the other posts in the series as well! God bless!
Your explanation of “take up” certainly expands my understanding! Thanks for sharing.
I’m glad you found it beneficial, Donna! Thank you for stopping by and God bless!
God’s faithfulness is never failing and with faith as our shield we will extinguish those “fiery darts!” Blessings to you! Thanks for linking up with us at the #LMMLinkup.
So true! I am so thankful for His faithfulness! Thank you for stopping by and sharing your thoughts. God bless!
Well, as you can see I am about a month behind in this series. But I have saved them all and so enjoy the reading. Keep digging into God’s Word and finding nuggets!!
I’m so glad you have enjoyed them and find the posts beneficial. It is such a blessing to get to know and understand God better through His word! God bless!