Armor of God Part 5: Shield of Faith

In Armor of God Pt 5: Shield of Faith, Walking The Text founder Brad Gray examines evil’s primary tactic for making us vulnerable to attack. The Roman military was one of the most formidable fighting forces in the ancient world. They routinely faced and defeated larger opponents because of their unique tactical approach to warfare: They knew how to stand firm. The roman shield, scutum, was designed so that Roman soldiers fought as a unit.

The Roman scutum allowed front-line soldiers to protect themselves and absorb the impact of enemy fighters because they were bolstered by the soldiers standing behind them. Moreover, the Roman military could employ a formation known as testudo in which soldiers used their shields to form a protective shell. This allowed the Romans to wage war against their enemy as a unified whole.

Paul seizes on this metaphor to drive home what faithfulness looks like. It’s impossible to stand firm against evil all by yourself. Faithfulness means linking arms with the people around us to form a protective shield when things get difficult. Anytime we get off on our own we’re vulnerable to attack. By the end of Armor of God Pt 5: Shield of Faith you’ll see that it’s impossible to stand firm against evil if we’re not standing with each other.