Faith Under Fire
The Shield And The Sword
Introduction
1. The fundamentals of our faith are under constant attack: the virgin birth, Jesus’ death on the cross, and the resurrection. In the previous lesson, we warned of the danger of constant exposure to such attacks and the consequences to our faith should we accept their lies:
a. Because these (virgin birth, Jesus’ death on the cross, the resurrection) are foundational teachings, their denial inevitably leads to the collapse of the whole Christian system.
b. This inevitably leads to apostasy; which, of course, is the objective of such attacks.
2. In this lesson, we shall consider the Christian’s response to such attacks.
I. False Prophets Then And Now
A. Some people are under the impression that there were no false teachers until the 19th Century! But such is not the case, false teachers arose very early in the church.
1. References to false apostles, prophets, teachers, and brethren (Acts 13:6; 2 Corinthians 11:13, 26; Galatians 2:4).
"But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction." (2 Peter 2:1)
2. The number of false teachers were “many” (1 John 2:18).
"Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world." (1 John 4:1)
3. The number of those who would be led astray by false teachers is said to be “many” :
"And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of." (2 Peter 2:2)
B. Today, of course, false prophets and teachers abound more than ever. The following Scriptures apply to our day as to any other (2 Timothy 3:1-6):
"For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;" (2 Timothy 4:3)
II. The Shield And The Sword
A. Paul admonishes the Ephesians to “put on the full armor of God” (Ephesians 6:11). He then states the reason:
"11…that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places" (Ephesians 6:11-12)
B. In our struggle against the unseen, it is essential that we put on the armor of God. Here, we shall focus on two items of the armor: the shield (Ephesians 6:16) and the sword (Ephesians 6:17):
1. The shield of faith. Faith, here, denotes unshakable trust in undeniable fact (Ehesians, Charles Caldwell).
a. Anything that would cause us to doubt and lead us astray, temporarily or permanently, may rightly be called a “fiery dart” (Quotes & Things, D. Collins). Only faith can protect us against such.
b. The only way to develop such an unshakable trust in God is by believing what He has said (Romans 10:17). Thus:
1) Christ gave gifts to the church: apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers for the edification of the body (Ephesians 4:11-12). The greater our education, the less chance there is of being “tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine” (Ephesians 4:13-14).
2) We do well to receive the teaching of inspired teachers but we also have a responsibility to increase and maintain our faith through personal study (1 John 4:1; 1 Corinthians 14:19; cp. Acts 17:11).
2. The sword of the Spirit. By this is meant the word of God (Ephesians 6:17).
"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:" (2 Timothy 3:16)
a. In many sermons the sword it is described as the only offensive weapon but in this lesson we say it is both an offensive and defensive weapon:
1) It is used in self defense: there were those, it seems, who criticized Paul for living off the gospel. He wields the word of God to defend such (1 Corinthians 9:1-14).
2) It is used to attack or correct (Titus 1:9-11; 2 Timothy 2:25; cp. Acts 18:28).
b. The degree to which one is able to effectively wield the sword corresponds to one’s knowledge (Hebrews 5:12-14).
Summary
1. We have seen that false prophets and false teachers have always been around and always will be.
2. In our day, false teachers are numerous and prevalent in almost every society. There is, therefore, a great danger of being seduced and led astray. How, then, can we protect ourselves? The following quote expresses the answer:
“Where the people dwell in ignorance, there reigns error and all kinds of evil. But knowledge dispels ignorance and light exposes evil deeds and righteousness rises like the phoenix” (Quotes & Things, D. Collins).
a. Specifically, the greater our knowledge of the word of God, the less likely we are to be deceived by false teachers.
b. The knowledge (mixed with belief) we attain enables us both to protect ourselves (defensive) from and correct (offensive) heretical doctrines.
3. We will now consider in greater detail the responsibilities we have in wielding the shield of faith and the sword of the Spirit.
III. Wielding The Shield And The Sword
A. Reading through numerous Scriptures, it has sometimes been difficult to determine whether a particular passage is could be construed as wielding the shield or wielding the sword. So, we shall simply cite several passages that highlight our responsibility and let the reader determine such.
B. The entailments of our responsibility:
1. Jude exhorts us to “contend earnestly for the faith” (Jude 3; cp. Philippians 1:27). This denotes the refuting of error (offensive) and making known the truth (defensive). What does this entail?:
a. One must be able to perceive the weakness of an argument. Some taught that there would be no future resurrection but the weakness of this error is easily refuted:
"12Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: 14And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain" (1 Corinthians 15:12-14)
b. One must be able to discern between good and evil. The Devil challenged Jesus to turn stone into bread (Luke 4:1-3). Some might not see any evil in what is suggested here but Jesus says that to comply would have demonstrated a lack of trust in God (a great evil) who is able to supply our needs in a variety of ways.
"And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God." (Luke 4:4)
c. One must be able to determine if scripture is being used appropriately. The Devil challenged Jesus to throw Himself from the pinnacle of the temple. This time, however, he quoted from the Psalms to justify his request, “For He will command His angels concerning You and on their hands they will bear You up, so that You will not strike Your foot against a stone” (Cp. Psalms 91:11-12).
1) What the Devil quotes is accurate but, turning to the Psalm, we see that he left out a section! Here is the complete quote with the omitted section highlighted:
“For He will command His angels concerning You, to guard you in all your ways. On their hands they will bear You up, so that You will not strike Your foot against a stone” (Psalms 91:11-12).
2) The promise here is limited to those who walk in the way appointed to them (PNT). This is confirmed when we read further on, “Because he has loved Me, therefore I will deliver him” (Psalms 91:14).
d. One must be able to judge whether teaching or rebuke are appropriate (Proverbs 25:11). Here are two situations where such judgment was exercised:
1) When Paul was on Mars Hill, it would have been all to easy for him to preach a message of condemnation of their superstition and idolatry. Paul, though, elucidates on the nature of the true God, exposing the error of idolatry. He then moves hastily to the themes of judgment and repentance (Acts 17:22-31).
2) One would be hard pressed to find anything commendatory in Stevens’ sermon. The history he relates is only to demonstrate how they have always rebelled against God’s word spoken by the fathers: Joseph and Moses. In his final denunciation he states that they are, “stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears,” and that they are, “always resisting the Holy Spirit.” He says that they killed all the prophets who announced the coming of the Messiah and did not keep the law (Acts 7:1-53). Someone has said, “Steven took a stick of dynamite and lit the fuse!”
2. Peter exhorts us to be “ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you” (1 Peter 3:15). The idea here is to be ready to explain why you have the hope that you do. Someone today may ask, “why are you a Christian?” We need to be able to give an answer.
Conclusion
1. Wherever there is truth, there is error. If there are teachers of righteousness, there are ministers of Satan dressed as angels of light. This has always been the case and, no doubt, always will be. The number of false teachers is more numerous and prevalent today than at any time before.
2. What can we do to protect ourselves against being led away into error? Putting on the divine armor of God is the only protection we need. Here, we have focused on the shield of faith that quenches the fiery darts of Satan and the sword of the Spirit used both defensively and offensively.
"As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is tried: he is a shield to all them that trust in him." (2 Samuel 22:31)
3. But possession alone of a shield and a sword does not guarantee victory; it is essential that we know how to wield them. Obtaining this proficiency requires a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures.
"15And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 16All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness" (2 Timothy 3:15-16)
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