Most Christians have been taught the armor of God before, and love to hear about the shield of faith—but they were never taught about it properly. They were never told it is actually the shield of the Faith, the sound doctrine. This is in part because the majority of Bible versions cut out the the, leaving us with the expression the shield of faith. But that’s simply not what the original Greek says.
… above all, having taken up the shield of the Faith, in which ye shall be able all the fiery darts of the Evil One to quench (Ephesians 6:16; YLT).
Indeed, only with the the does the passage make sense. And the passage needs to make sense, like any passage of the Bible needs to make sense. But this one even more so because it unpacks for us a vital principle: that although there are many weapons of which the Christian soldier avails himself in spiritual warfare, above all he needs the shield of the Faith.
Sound doctrine is the Christian’s shield against heresies, false teachings, error, and apostasy. The Devil hurls falsehood and lies at us from every angle. Without a shield, the Christian soldier is exposed, vulnerable, and susceptible to any object the Devil shoots at him. The Devil is the father of lies and is very capable of destroying us—but not if we raise up sound doctrine. Are you holding it before you? Most people don’t even know what it is.
Any follower of Christ has been enlisted in Christ’s army. The armor of God has been issued to each one who decides to follow the Lord, but woe to the soldier who does not use his armor. The shield of the Faith is above all for this simple reason: The best offense is a strong defense!
Great explanation dear, thank you!
Great enlightenment