Lessons #277 and 278
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+ 1. It is best to use this note after you have listened to the lessons because there are +
+ comments given in the actual exposition not in the note. +
+ 2. The Bible abbreviations are as follows: CEV =Contemporary English version, +
+ CEB = Common English Bible, ESV= English Standard Version, +
+ GWT = God’s Word Translation, ISV = International Standard Version, +
+ NAB=New English Bible, NASB= New American Standard Bible, +
+ NEB= New English Bible, NET = New English Translation, +
+ NLT = New Living Translations NJB = New Jerusalem Bible, +
+ NJV = New Jewish Bible, TEV = Today’s English Version. +
+ 3. Notes have not been edited for grammatical errors. +
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Shield of faith (Eph 6:16)
In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one….
The Holy Spirit through the Apostle Paul has so far described for us three actions necessary for believers to hold their ground in the spiritual warfare. The first, as we have previously considered, is equipping oneself with the certainty that Christianity contains the ultimate truth of God. In other words, a believer must have the assurance of the Christian faith as expressed in its doctrines is indeed true without any equivocation. The second is equipping oneself with righteousness as a protective covering that included faith righteousness and work righteousness. The third is equipping oneself with good news of peace that includes the basic gospel message of salvation and peace in relation to others. It will seem that a believer who has assurance with the respect to the truth of Christian faith, who has both faith righteousness and work righteousness, and understanding of the gospel message and the concept of peace is fully equipped to go into the spiritual warfare. But the Holy Spirit through the apostle says that there is more equipping of the believer that are necessary for the spiritual warfare or that there is more a believer should know about being equipped for spiritual warfare before such a person could be considered fully equipped.
The fact there is more to being equipped for spiritual warfare besides the three ways of equipping oneself for spiritual warfare that we have already considered, is introduced in the first phrase of Ephesians 6:16 In addition to all this. Literally, the Greek reads in all things or in everything. The literal Greek phrase is subject to two categories of interpretations primarily because the Greek preposition (en) used has different meanings. For example, it can mean “among”, “in,” “in connection with” or “with” that will certainly make sense in our passage. In any case, a first category of interpretation sees the phrase as being related to the preceding verses. This seems to be the view adopted by the translators of the NIV in their rendering of in addition to this although to be more faithful to the Greek, it should read in addition to all these as in the GWT. The NRSV also seems to adopt this interpretation in their rendering with all of these. Still in this category, some take the phrase as an expression of importance of what follows. Consequently, what follows is taken to be more important than the defensive weapons already mentioned. This seems to be the position reflected in the Authorized Version with the reading above all. A second category of interpretation takes the view that the literal phrase is independent of what preceded it. This seems to be the view taken by the translators of the ESV in their rendering of in all circumstances. It is this view that is implied in the rendering and always of the NJB or at all times of the TEV. Which of these two categories of interpretation that the apostle had in mind? It is difficult to decide since each makes sense within the context. Of course, the view that takes the phrase to be related to what preceded it makes better sense because what follow are additional defensive weapons needed for the spiritual warfare. This notwithstanding, it is also equally true that a believer who is ready for spiritual warfare would need to be always equipped with the additional defensive weapons that follow. Thus, this may be a situation where the apostle intended to convey both categories of interpretations. In other words, believers are to put on the additional defensive weapon but also they are to have them on at all times or under all circumstances in order to hold their ground in the spiritual warfare.
In any case, the next additional defensive weapon mentioned is indeed the fourth action of equipping believer for the spiritual warfare. In other words, a fourth action that is necessary for a believer to hold his/her ground in the spiritual warfare is equipping oneself with sound doctrine of the Christian faith joined by confidence in the Lord. It is this action that is given in Ephesian 6:16 take up the shield of faith which literally reads from the Greek having taken up the shield of the faith. This is because we have an aorist participle in the Greek. For sure, a Greek participle is subject to various interpretations in the English. It is possible under certain conditions to consider a participle to function as a command. This is the view the translators of the NIV adopted. However, it seems that they are inconsistent in their translation because in the previous usages of the aorist participle in the section we are considering they did not translate them as commands. For example, the first aorist participle appears in verse 14 with the literal reading of having girded your waist with truth but the translators of the NIV rendered it with the belt of truth buckled around your waist. They did not translate the word “buckle” as a commanded. The second use of the aorist participle literally translates into the English as having put on the breastplate of the righteousness but the translators of the NIV rendered it as with the breastplate of righteousness in place, implying they did not consider the Greek participle as a command. The third use of the aorist participle is in verse 15 that literally reads and having tied the feet that the translators of the NIV rendered with your feet fitted. Again, they did not translate the Greek aorist participle as a command. So, it is difficult to understand why in the fourth usage of an aorist participle the translators of the NIV decided to translate it as a command, granting there seems to be an emphasis in verse 16 regarding the equipping of believers for spiritual warfare. Therefore, it is better to translate the Greek participle used in verse 16 as having taken up. Of course, the comment we made in the previous usages of the aorist participle is applicable here. In effect, the Greek participle used should be understood as conveying complex thought. This means that the apostle conceived of a situation where the believer should have taken up in the past what is stipulated in verse 16 but such a believer should also at the moment of spiritual warfare take up what is stipulated. This is because, as we have stated previously, the command Stand firm of verse 14 is also an aorist tense. The rule of Greek grammar requires that the action of taking up what is stipulated in verse 16 should occur simultaneously as standing firm. The very moment a believer stands firm, it is also expected that such an individual should take up what is specified in verse 16.
The defensive weapon the believer should take up is describe in the phrase the shield of faith of verse 16 in the NIV. Literally, the Greek reads the shield of the faith because the Greek uses a definite article before the word “faith.” That aside, there are two related questions posed by the phrase. The first is how the word faith is related to shield and the second is how to understand the phrase. The answer to the first question is that the phrase could be interpreted to mean the shield consists of faith or even made up of faith. Another interpretation is that faith explains the shield. In other words, shield in view is faith. The two interpretations are closely related that there may not be any ultimate difference between. Nevertheless, it seems that when the apostle wrote the phrase the shield of the faith he meant the second interpretation in which faith explains the shield. This, we can understand because the word “shield” would be difficult to interpret in the context of a spiritual warfare, being a physical device. Therefore, it should be explained in terms of faith as a defensive weapon. The apostle, of course, could have simply stated that the defensive weapon in view is faith but that would not be fitting to the metaphors he was using that are concerned with a Roman soldier suited for battle. The second problem of how to understand the phrase the shield of the faith, requires we examine the two nouns “shield” and “faith” used in the phrase.
A shield is a portable and maneuverable protection armor that can fend off blows or weapons launched through the air such as arrows. The soldier behind a shield is protected from the fiercest blows that are deflected or from arrows that are absorbed so that the soldier can advance against the enemy without sustaining a fatal wound. The shield the apostle mentioned is from a Greek word (thyreos) that refers to a large shield carried by a Roman soldier which protected the whole body.
Shields were made of metals or combustible materials covered with thick leather. Thus, we read of shields made of gold in 2 Samuel 8:7:
David took the gold shields that belonged to the officers of Hadadezer and brought them to Jerusalem.
Those made of bronze are described in 1 Kings 14:27:
So King Rehoboam made bronze shields to replace them and assigned these to the commanders of the guard on duty at the entrance to the royal palace.
This notwithstanding, the Roman shield in view in Ephesians 6:16 was generally made of wood with a thick coating of leather. Shields made of combustible materials are mentioned in Ezekiel 39:9:
“‘Then those who live in the towns of Israel will go out and use the weapons for fuel and burn them up—the small and large shields, the bows and arrows, the war clubs and spears. For seven years they will use them for fuel.
Regardless of what the shields were made, they were of two kinds: small and large (which reached from the ground to a man’s chin), as we can gather from Jeremiah 46:3:
“Prepare your shields, both large and small, and march out for battle!
Small shields were used to defend against the sword, spear, and battle axe while the large shield was used to protect a soldier during the besieging of a city, as implied in Ezekiel 26:8:
He will ravage your settlements on the mainland with the sword; he will set up siege works against you, build a ramp up to your walls and raise his shields against you.
The large shield seems to be of such a size that it was carried before a king or a mighty warrior by trusted soldiers who served as their bearers so that it provides protection for him while he would be free to fire his arrows at the enemy. This we gather from the fact that Goliath deplored such a shield bearer, as we read in 1 Samuel 17:7, 41:
7 His spear shaft was like a weaver’s rod, and its iron point weighed six hundred shekels. His shield bearer went ahead of him.
41 Meanwhile, the Philistine, with his shield bearer in front of him, kept coming closer to David.
It is not this kind of large shield that another soldier was the bearer for a king or a warrior that the Apostle Paul had in mind when he wrote our passage. He was certainly focused on the shield of a Roman soldier that was to be carried by a soldier who is ready for battle. Of course, the shield of Roman soldier was a four-cornered long one which covers the whole body, as we have already indicated but was strong and lightweight so that each soldier carried his own shield into battle. We say this because the apostle here is concerned with the defensive weapon that each believer should have and not one that another provides.
Shield is used figuratively in the OT to describe the protection God provides, as we read, for example, in Psalm 18:30:
As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him.
To say that God is a shield is a figurative way of saying that He provides protection to those who take refuge in Him. Shield can also be used as a figure of God’s favor, as implied in Psalm 5:12:
For surely, O Lord, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield.
God’s protection found in the imagery of a shield is also joined with the sense of His help in time of need in Psalm 33:20:
We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield.
It is true that the shield is used literally for warfare in the ancient world but because the apostle is concerned with spiritual warfare, it is in a figurative sense that shield is used in Ephesians 6:16. This means the apostle had in mind a defensive spiritual weapon that is akin to the physical shield that is used to fend off blows of the satanic forces or that protected the believer from these satanic attacks. This brings us to the second noun “faith.”
The word “faith” is translated from a Greek word (pistis) that is rich in meaning and so it is used in a variety of ways in the NT. The word can mean proof or assurance, as the word is used by the Apostle Paul when he preached in Athens, as recorded in Acts 17:31:
For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead.”
The verbal phrase given proof of this is literally having given faith. Few commentators understand the literal phrase to mean that God has given all men the opportunity to have faith but most commentators understand our Greek word translated “faith” to mean “assurance” or “proof” in this context. The word can mean “firm commitment”, as it is used in Romans 1:5:
Through him and for his name’s sake, we received grace and apostleship to call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith.
The clause the obedience that comes from faith is to be understood that obedience results from faith but “faith” here is primarily firm commitment or genuine devotion to the Lord. This is because for a person to obey God’s word, that individual must be committed to the Lord or have a genuine devotion to Him. It is also possible that “faith” here has another meaning we will mention later, that is, what is to be believed. The Greek word can mean “trust, confidence, faith” in the sense of believing in reference to deity, as it is used in believing in Christ for righteousness in Romans 3:22:
This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference,
The word may refer to a religious movement such as the Christian faith in Galatians 1:23:
They only heard the report: “The man who formerly persecuted us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.”
Here “faith” refers to the Christian movement although it is also possible to understand it as the good news or the gospel. Another meaning of the Greek word translated “faith” is “faithfulness” in the sense of being an individual that another could have confidence because the person is reliable. It is in this sense that the word is used in Titus 2:10:
and not to steal from them, but to show that they can be fully trusted, so that in every way they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive.
The expression to show that they can be fully trusted is literally demonstrating all good faith. It is true that our Greek word may literally be translated “faith” in Titus 2:10 but the sense is that of being dependable or trustworthy. The point of the Holy Spirit through the Apostle Paul is that slaves who are believers should ensure they are trustworthy to their masters in order that their masters would find the Christian faith appealing as they observe and interact with them. The Greek word can mean “pledge” as a solemn promise to be faithful and loyal, as it is used to describe what could happen to young widows who if they are included in the list of widows the church will support because they are totally devoted to the Lord’s service and so promised not to remarry but because of their sexual desires decide to marry, as we read in 1 Timothy 5:12:
Thus they bring judgment on themselves, because they have broken their first pledge.
The clause because they have broken their first pledge is literally from the Greek because they reject their first faith. Clearly, the literal phrase first faith does not refer to the faith they exercised in Christ for salvation. Thus, faith within the context refers to promise the young widows made prior to being included in the list of the widows the church is to support. Therefore, our Greek word means “pledge” and not “faith” in the context. The Greek word can refer to the content of what is to be believed, that is, that which is believed, that is, “doctrine or belief or teaching.” It is in the sense of going astray from Christian teaching or belief that the Apostle Paul used our word in 1 Timothy 6:10:
For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
It is also in this sense of belief or teaching or doctrine that the word is used in Jude 3:
Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints.
Faith here in Jude 3 could refer to Christian movement but it is best understood as body of doctrine containing the main tenets of Christian teaching.
We have noted the various meanings of the Greek word translated “faith” so the question is to understand how it is used in our passage of Ephesians 6:16. In effect, what is the defensive weapon a believer should be equipped with for the spiritual warfare given in the phrase the shield of faith of verse 16 in the NIV or literally the shield of the faith? The answer is that “faith” in our passage is used with two related meanings of “doctrine” and “trust” in God. This means that the defensive weapon that explains the shield the believer is to put on is first doctrine. This makes sense because the Scripture reveals to us that the defensive weapon the Lord Jesus used against Satan during His temptation is the word of God, as we will note at the appropriate time, when He responded to Satan with the refrain It is written. Meanwhile, the believer who is going to stand his/her ground in the spiritual warfare must be grounded in the Christian doctrine. That person should not only understand the fundamental truths of the Christian faith that has to do with the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, eternal judgment, but other doctrines of the Christian faith. For example, the believer should arrive in the field of spiritual warfare with good understanding of the doctrine of justification, that simply put, means a believer is declared righteous before God or that the believer has been put in a good standing or right with God. Understanding of this doctrine is important because the believer will be wounded in the spiritual warfare in the sense of falling into sin. If the believer does not firmly understand this doctrine, there will be the tendency to become depressed because of a failure. But if the believer understands this doctrine, then he/she can duke it out with satanic forces by reminding them that he/she has been declared to be right with God not on the basis of his/her righteous conduct but because of the work of Jesus Christ on the cross that has resulted in the believer receiving permanently righteousness from God through faith in Jesus Christ. Thus, no matter what Satan whispers to discourage such believer, he/she will stand his/her ground knowing that he/she is in good standing with God because of faith in Christ. Another doctrine a believer should understand as he/she enters the spiritual warfare is the importance of the filling of the Spirit. The believer should be equipped with the knowledge that power that a believer needs to hold his/her ground in the spiritual warfare is one that is supplied by the Holy Spirit. Consequently, the believer should be aware that the filling of the Spirit is through obedience to God’s word but when there is failure then confessing of the failure restores the believer to the position of being filled of the Spirit. Anyway, we are not at this point concerned with stating every doctrine that the Christian should know while in the spiritual warfare but that such a person should understand the fundamental doctrines of the Christian faith so that they would serve as his/her protection from the barrage of attacks from satanic forces. Of course, no believer arrives at the battlefield of the spiritual warfare with understanding of all the Christian doctrines needed to hold one’s ground in the spiritual warfare so there should be continuous learning of doctrines even during the spiritual warfare. This is supported by the complex nature of the aorist tense used in the Greek in the literal translation having taken up the shield of the faith that implies an action that has taken place and is taking place in the process of standing one’s ground in the spiritual warfare.
Anyway, it is our assertion that “faith” that explains the shield of the spiritual warfare is primarily a reference to Christian doctrines but that is not all. There is also the meaning of “trust” or “confidence” that a believer should have while the spiritual warfare is ongoing. Faith in the sense of trusting in the Lord is an important defensive weapon that a believer should have during spiritual warfare. This is demanded by the fact that the aorist tense involved in the taking up of shield requires an action that takes place at the same time that believer holds his/her ground in the spiritual warfare. Therefore, it is important a believer should have absolute confidence in the Lord’s ability to give him/her victory in the face of attacks of satanic forces. The believer should have confidence also that the final outcome of the spiritual warfare is never in doubt because the Lord will bring the believer safe into heaven, as implied by secured inheritance in heaven, as stated in 1 Peter 1:3–5:
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.
This trust or confidence in the Lord is one that is essential in the spiritual warfare. There is a sense that we can say that it is this confidence that enabled Job to withstand all that the devil threw at him during his trial, as indicated by his confession in Job 13:15:
Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him; I will surely defend my ways to his face.
Job displayed an unassailable trust in God during his ordeal. It is this kind of trust that the believer in the spiritual warfare should have while engaged in it. Of course, it is this kind of trust that is used in connection with the heroes of faith in Hebrews 11, specifically those who withstood burning flames in Hebrews 11:34:
quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies.
Trust or confidence in the Lord requires the believer should have promises from the Scripture that can be appealed to during this warfare. To do this requires knowledge of the word of God. Thus, it is incomplete to take faith as either referring to doctrine or trust. Both are involved since they are integrally related.
We have given two meanings to the word “faith”, that is, doctrine and trust, in the phrase the shield of faith of Ephesians 6:16 because of the complexity of the aorist tense used in the literal verbal phrase having taken up but that should not be that strange to us. This is because there are other passages where our Greek word could have two differen,t related meanings in a given context. Take for example, what is reported in Acts 13:8:
But Elymas the sorcerer (for that is what his name means) opposed them and tried to turn the proconsul from the faith.
Some commentators take the phrase the faith as a reference to trust or believing so that Elymas was trying to keep Sergius Paulus, the proconsul, from believing in Christ. But majority take the phrase as a summary description of the Christian message. Truly, both meanings apply in that unless the proconsul understood the basic message of the Christian faith, he would not attempt to believe or trust in Christ. The point is that it is not far-fetched that the Greek word translated “faith” could in some contexts have two related meanings.
Be that as it may, we are confident in our interpretation because of what the Holy Spirit through the apostle tells us is the function of the shield that is faith. It is for weathering the barrage of attacks from satanic forces as in the last clause of Ephesians 6:16 with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. The phrase the evil one refers to the devil or Satan since he is described often in the NT as the evil one. We may understand this interpretation by comparing two passages of Scripture that is concerned with the same narrative of the Parable of the Sower. Matthew describes the one who snatches the word of God from the heart of people as the evil one in Matthew 13:19:
When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path.
But Luke narrated the same parable describing the one who snatches the word of God from people’s heart as the devil in Luke 8:12:
Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved.
Clearly, the devil is the same person as the evil one in Matthew’s record. Of course, devil is another name for Satan, as indicated in Revelation 20:2:
He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years.
It is true that the phrase the evil one is a reference to Satan but in the context of the spiritual warfare of Ephesians 6:16, the phrase is used for all satanic forces since the spiritual warfare involves all satanic or evil forces. Consequently, we are concerned with the barrage of attacks that come from satanic forces as indicated in the clause with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one of Ephesians 6:16.
Our defensive weapon of faith is to withstand the barrage of attacks from satanic forces described in the phrase all the flaming arrows of the evil one. What are the flaming arrows? To answer this question, first, we should understand the physical situation that is involved in the imagery the apostle used. The flaming arrows refer to the arrows dipped in pitch and lit before being fired. So, the arrows will be on fire as they hit their target guaranteeing deadly wounds. Shields that are not soaked with water would not withstand the arrows and may in fact catch fire if it is made of combustible material. This may cause a soldier to throw down the shield in an attempt to put out the fire and so be exposed to other arrows that could kill him. This is the physical reality of the flaming arrows the apostle used. In any event, to answer our question of what the flaming arrows mean in the context of spiritual warfare, we need to consider two key words used. The first is the adjective “flaming” translated from a verbal adjective or participle in the Greek of a Greek word (pyroō) that literally means “to burn”, that is, to cause to be on fire as the word is used for the destruction of the heavens in 2 Peter 3:12:
as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat.
The phrase the destruction of the heavens by fire is more literally the heavens will be destroyed by being burned up. The Greek word is used figuratively in the sense of being inflamed, especially that of burning with sexual desire, as in 1 Corinthians 7:9:
But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion.
In our passage of Ephesians 6:16, the word is used in a literal sense of “burning” although it is eventually applied with arrows to convey that which is not literal but figurative.
The second key word is “arrows” that is translated from a Greek word (belos) that refers to something with a sharp point, so a term used for projectiles of various kinds but in the Scripture, it has the meaning of “arrow” that is shot from a bow. It is used for hunting and warfare but it also was used among the pagans for divination, as that was the way the Babylonians used it in Ezekiel 21:21:
For the king of Babylon will stop at the fork in the road, at the junction of the two roads, to seek an omen: He will cast lots with arrows, he will consult his idols, he will examine the liver.
Arrows are used figuratively in the Scripture. Arrows are used for conviction, as we read in Psalm 38:2:
For your arrows have pierced me, and your hand has come down upon me.
Piercing of arrows could be understood as bringing conviction to a person regarding guilt. Arrows are used for God’s punishment or judgment in Psalm 64:7:
But God will shoot them with arrows; suddenly they will be struck down.
Arrows are used for false accusations in Psalm 64:3–4:
3They sharpen their tongues like swords and aim their words like deadly arrows. 4They shoot from ambush at the innocent man; they shoot at him suddenly, without fear.
It is in the sense of “false testimonies” that arrows are used in Proverbs 25:18:
Like a club or a sword or a sharp arrow is the man who gives false testimony against his neighbor.
It is in the sense of speaking lies that arrows are used in Jeremiah 9:8:
Their tongue is a deadly arrow; it speaks with deceit. With his mouth each speaks cordially to his neighbor, but in his heart he sets a trap for him.
We have mentioned negatively the figurative usages of arrows but they are also used in a positive manner to describe the blessing of children in Psalm 127:3–5:
3Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from him. 4Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one’s youth. 5Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them.
They will not be put to shame when they contend with their enemies in the gate.
Anyhow, the use of arrows in Ephesians 6:16 is in negative sense to describe the attack of satanic forces.
We have considered the key words “flaming” and “arrows”, so we are in a positon to interpret the phrase the flaming arrows of the evil one. The flaming arrows refer to various satanic attacks that are thrown at the believer that are intended to cause serious spiritual harm while on this planet. These attacks come at lightning speed and often in rapid successions so that they are intended to overwhelm the believer or as burning fire they linger once the attacks are launched. Because we are to withstand our grounds when satanic forces bombard us with these attacks, that is, to neutralize them or put them out, it will be necessary to elaborate on the nature of these attacks so you should be aware of them and be ready to defend them as they are thrown at you.
The most prevalent attack of satanic forces on the believer is that of thoughts. In effect, the flaming arrows of satanic forces come to us most often in form of thoughts. They throw barrage of thoughts to us to trip us. There are several kinds of thoughts that are thrown on the believers’ way to cause spiritual harm but let me mention a few of these. A first thought that Satan brings to every believer regardless of their age is that of thinking badly of God in doubting His word and His character and so to cause the individual to want to obey Satan. This was the first temptation that he threw at the woman in the Garden of Eden. God instructed Adam and Eve concerning eating from the tree of knowledge of good and evil but Satan’s suggestion to the woman begins with berating God so that once the woman bought that thought it was easy for her to obey Satan thereby disobeyed God. Ever since the fall, Satan has continued with throwing to believers bad thoughts that create doubt about God’s word and His character, resulting in obeying Satan instead of God. It is the desire to obey him that was revealed when Satan worked on David to conduct the infamous, ill-advised census, recorded in 1 Chronicles 21:1:
Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to take a census of Israel.
It is this thought of obeying Satan while disobeying God that also played out when Satan fed the thought of lying to Ananias and the wife, according to Acts 5:3
Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land?
So, the first thought Satan or satanic forces throw to the believer is to doubt everything about God in order to obey Satan while disobeying God. In effect, Satan wants obedience from the believer, which is tantamount to worship him. To counter this attack, that is, to put it out, using the defensive weapon of doctrine, the believer should arm himself/herself with the truth that our Lord applied during His temptation, which is to remind Satan that only God should be worship, that is, obeyed, as we read in Luke 4:8:
Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’”
There is more. To counter the thought to think badly about God or to obey Satan requires that whatever thought that comes into the believer’s mind should be subjected to Christ, that is, of course, His word, as implied in 2 Corinthians 10:5:
We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
When Satan brings any thought into the mind of believer, that thought should be subjected to the word of God with the intention to obey Christ.
A second thought that Satan brings to every believer is that of sinful sexual thoughts or desire. This thought is one that Satan feeds believers because God’s word forbids sex outside marriage, making use of the fact that sexual desire is part of what God has given to humans under the right conditions. Consequently, Satan constantly feeds the thought of sinful sexual desire particularly to single or young people. This is one reason the Scripture instructs young single Christians to marry instead of battling with this desire for sexual intercourse, as we read in a passage we cited previously, that is, 1 Corinthians 7:9:
But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion.
We should, of course, be clear that being married is not a shield against this thought of sexual sin. Satan feeds the same thought to those who are married for unless that is the case, there would be no reason for a married person to ever commit adultery. Furthermore, the Holy Spirit would not have instructed married people not to withhold sex from each other, as we read in 1 Corinthians 7:5:
Do not deprive each other except by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.
For spouses to deny each other sex except for health reasons and spiritual activities is to sin since sin is failure to obey God’s instruction. Here the command is Do not deprive each other, so not to obey it is to sin. Satan feeds believers with the thought for sex in such a way that it can be overwhelming. It is for this reason the Holy Spirit advised younger widows to remarry to ensure they are not involved in sinful sexual conduct that will bring reproach to the faith, as stated in 1 Timothy 5:14–15:
14 So I counsel younger widows to marry, to have children, to manage their homes and to give the enemy no opportunity for slander. 15 Some have in fact already turned away to follow Satan.
The opportunity for slander arises when a younger widow is involved in sexual sin which will cause unbelievers to ridicule the Christian faith. The defensive weapon of the believer against Satan when he feeds him/her the thought that will lead to sinful sexual conduct is to counter with God’s word that is clear that that lifestyle is not God’s will, as stated in the Scripture, for example, in 1 Thessalonians 4:3:
It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality;
Admittedly, sexual desire is usually a function of age. So, if Satan recognizes that because of age limitation that he could not effectively attack the believer in this area then he brings to him/her other thoughts, especially the next thought we will consider.
A third thought that Satan brings to every believer is that of bitterness that leads to having an unforgiving spirit. This is probably intensified among those who are elderly in that they have the time to think of those who have wronged them over the years. As they do, they become increasingly bitter and quite unforgiving. When a believer is fed the thought of bitterness or unforgiveness then he/she should recognize that it is satanic thought thrown to that individual. It is because unforgiveness is a tool of Satan to try to neutralize the believer that the Holy Spirit through Apostle Paul reminded the Corinthians of the importance of forgiveness with respect to a member, according to 2 Corinthians 2:10–11:
10 If you forgive anyone, I also forgive him. And what I have forgiven—if there was anything to forgive—I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake, 11 in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.
Satan wants believers to listen to him and so be unforgiving but the Holy Spirit states otherwise. When Satan feeds the believer with the thought to be unforgiving then that believer should counter, indicating that God wants believers to be forgiven and not bitter as we read, for example, in Ephesians 4:32:
Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
A fourth thought that Satan brings to every believer is that of being charmed by glamor to the extent that the believer fails to be devoted to God. It is with this thought that Satan tempted Jesus although he spoke plainly to Him. This thought is implied in Luke 4:6:
And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to.
The believer should counter that thought by coming back to Satan with the truth that all the glamor of the world is temporary and so not worth disobedience of God. The believer should refer to 1 Peter 1:24–25:
24 For, “All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, 25but the word of the Lord stands forever.” And this is the word that was preached to you.
A fifth thought that Satan attacks the believer has to do with misinterpretation of Scripture. Satan knows how to distort the Scripture in order to deceive the believer. This was clear in his temptation of Jesus Christ who corrected him in Luke 4:9–10:
9 The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down from here. 10 For it is written: “‘He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully;
The way to deal with this attack is to expose oneself to good Bible teaching so that believer will understand the Scripture. Of course, a believer should guard against applying a Scripture to justify an action that is doubtful as to its correctness. We mean before you justify your action from the Scripture you should be clear of what the Scripture says in its context to ensure it is applicable to your situation.
We considered primarily inner attacks of Satan but we should also remember that he attacks physically through suffering, as indicated in Revelation 2:10:
Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.
Therefore, when you are attacked through suffering you should derive comfort from the Scripture and also have the confidence that the Lord will deliver you in accordance with His plan for that is implied in Psalm 34:19:
A righteous man may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all;
In any event, a fourth action that is necessary for a believer to hold his/her ground in the spiritual warfare is equipping oneself with sound doctrine of the Christian faith joined by confidence/trust in the Lord.