The shield of faith described by the apostle Paul in his letter to the Ephesian Christians is of paramount importance because it is the grace “with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one” (Ephesians 6:16). This is not an uncertain promise. Rather, it is divine assurance that faith equips us to escape the very extremities of evil. But what is faith?
First, the Bible defines faith as “being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see” (Hebrews 11:1). Thus, biblical faith is a channel of living trust—an assurance—that stretches from man to God. As such, it is the object of faith that renders faith faithful.
Furthermore, faith is the assurance that God’s promises will never fail, even if sometimes we do not experience their fulfillment during our mortal existence. Hebrews 11 underscores the fact that we trust God to fulfill His promises for the future (the unseen) based on what He has already fulfilled in the past. Thus, our faith is not blind, but based squarely on God’s revelation and proven faithfulness.
Finally, faith is not to be confused with mere knowledge. Genuine faith is a way of life. It is not static but energetic. By God’s mercy, we are energized “to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10). For “as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead” (James 2:26).
“What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.”
James 2:14–17 nkjv
--------------------------------------------------
Connect with the Christian Research Institute (CRI):
🔴 Subscribe to our channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/C....RInstitute?sub_confi
🔴 Subscribe to the Bible Answer Man on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/....podcast/bible-answer
✔️ Subscribe to “Hank Unplugged” on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/....podcast/hank-unplugg
✔️ Subscribe to our magazine the Cʜʀɪsᴛɪᴀɴ Rᴇsᴇᴀʀᴄʜ Jᴏᴜʀɴᴀʟ's weekly podcast https://www.spreaker.com/show/....postmodern-realities
📒 Visit CRI’s website: http://www.equip.org/
✅ Listen to the Bible Answer Man broadcast live streaming Monday through Friday from 6-6:30 PM ET online at http://www.equip.org/
#god #christianity #bible