“Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.” Ephesians 6:16
In Paul’s first letter to his son in the faith, Timothy, he wrote concerning waring a “good warfare,” specifically fighting the “good fight of faith.” (1 Tim. 6:12) An essential objective and purpose of that “faith” is the “laying hold on eternal Life.” Why is this so very important to bring before Timothy in light of his calling, and the purposes of God that were to be realized through his life and ministry? The answer lies in the essential purpose of Christ’s work of salvation in the soul, and that which is worked out in the believer, and in the church. The ultimate end of Christ’s work on Calvary was that men should KNOW His life, His victorious, powerful, and holy life. Concerning all that was involved in the Lord’s sacrifice for the payment for sin’s wages, and all that concerns the judgment upon it, and then the setting free of the believing soul from the tyranny of sin, the very law of sin imposed upon the sinner, all was for the purpose of bringing the individual into a position, and place in mind and heart, by the power of the Spirit, where the believer might know, and live by the power of Christ’s indwelling life. The call to Timothy was one to “lay hold” upon this life, by faith, so that it be his experience, not only in the proclamation and ministry of the truths of the gospel, but the very manifestation of Christ’s nature in the life. The manifestation of this life would be revealed by the fruits of the Spirit, that specific and glorious expression of the nature of God. Timothy, a minister of the Gospel, as well as all to whom he would minister, and all who down the ages would read Paul’s letters to him, were called to partake of that which Christ made available to him, the highest privilege and blessing, that of abiding in the life of Christ, and Christ abiding in and through them. However, it must be seriously grasped concerning this great blessing that there is a spiritual conflict which is as old as the history of the world, specifically since sin entered into the world, and Satan successfully deceived man into sinning against God. The fierce, though sometimes quiet, resistance and opposition to faith is still the same today, as it was when Timothy read the letters written to him by the Apostle Paul. God’s purpose and objective, that of Christ dwelling freely and powerfully in the heart, is and will be contested by Satan and his demons until the day he is cast into the lake of Fire, forever removed from every believer.
So, how is one to live presently, appropriating this “eternal Life” which is the great objective? First, it will be done by engaging willingly in the conflict, the warfare. However, it is not enough to see the need to do so, but to commit oneself to Christ for it. The key is faith, a faith that God gives in answer to the thirsting and seeking soul. The basis for the successful waging of this war is the finished work of Christ, the truths of the Gospel. The power of the soldier of Christ is found in one place alone, in the Lord Jesus Christ, by the Spirit. So then is the role of faith in this warfare, and how is it to be applied?
Faith by definition is a deliberate, “personal trust in a Person,” in Christ. True faith, that which God gives and honors, is that which is based ONLY according to the truth, specifically and wholly IN Christ. It is in forsaking any and other objects of faith, that one is able to appropriate the victorious life of Christ. The power of the Spirit is given to the Christian warrior according to the truth, the commands and promises of God. This shield with which the believer overcomes all Satan’s attacks is vibrant, living, and effective.
Dear Father, Fill us with faith. In Jesus’ name, Amen.