The Full Armor of Satan, Part 2

(Originally Published on The Wheaton Record. Artwork by Annika Van Dyke.)

“In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one” Eph. 6:16

In part one of this series, I addressed the first two elements of Satan’s armor for Christians: the breastplate of a hard heart and the belt of almost-truth. This column focuses on the next element: the shield of unbelief. Unlike the shield of faith, which Paul instructs Christians to put on, the shield of unbelief is worn on the back instead of on the front. It’s what happens when believers get exhausted and, presuming they’re beyond the enemy’s range, let down their guard. This shield, John Bunyan writes in “Holy War,” “[calls] into question the truth of the word, or all the sayings that speak of the judgment that [God] has appointed for wicked men.” All those who neglect the shield of faith are impaled by the Devil’s arrows. Yet there is hope for those who have been set free from sin. While they can’t always avoid temptations, they can escape the devil’s snares. “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man,” Paul writes. “God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” Because of God’s faithful provision we have the hope of endurance and escape. Yet even despite God’s provision, we are not accustomed to forcefully withstanding the wrath of our enemy. Bold-hearted defiance of the Devil, as well as final victory over him, is motivated by faith. Consider the comforting words of Paul at the end of Romans: “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.” We need faith alone for our justification, but we do not stop needing faith in the cold sweats and white knuckles of our sanctification. Just as we looked to Christ for salvation, so we should look to him as we endure the enemy’s attacks. Looking to Christ by faith is what must motivate us to war. Unlike Satan, there is nothing good that Christ will ultimately withhold from his own. “He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all,” Paul writes in Romans 8, “how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” If God has sent his own Son into the world to suffer the most brutal death imaginable, enduring the vengeance of God deserved by the sins of His people, why would we then look to Satan instead of God for provision? When you face Satan’s lies, whether in the temptation to watch garbage on the internet or in the temptation to cheat on an online final exam, remember the love of Christ. And where can we look when we doubt this love? Well, God shows His love for us “in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” We should look to the cross. Again and again, look there. Look to the cross every time you take the Lord’s Supper. Consider Christ’s amazing love. Look to the cross. Let the tears fall as you bask in His redeeming love. Look to the cross and drown out the voice of temptation with the bold-hearted war cry, “How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against my God?” Look to the cross where your friend was murdered, oh sinner. Then follow J.C. Ryle’s advice in “Practical Religion:” “Say to your soul, whenever you are tempted to do that which is wrong, ‘Soul, soul, is this your kindness to your Friend?’ Think, above all, of the mercy which has been shown you, and learn to rejoice daily in your Friend!” Look to the cross where Christ was slain. Let it lay aside the shield of unbelief. Let it strengthen your grip on the shield of faith.