"Do we have shields, Scotty??" "Aye, Cap'tn."

Being a Star Trek fan I have seen almost every show of not only the old series but Next Gen., DS9, and some of the Voyager series, as well as most of the feature length Star Trek films. A part of almost every show the question is asked about the status of the shields. While these are science fiction shields that protect these futuristic ships, shields have been a part of most if not all armies throughout history. Even today’s warriors wear a type of shield, the body armor vest combatants use in Iraq and Afghanistan. This was also true of the Roman soldier.

Our verse from Ephesians, verse 16 which continues the passage with "In every situation take the shield of faith, and with it you will be able to extinguish the flaming arrows of the evil one." The Romans used shields as effectively as any army ever has. The first century "Scutum", Latin for shield, was approximately four foot tall and two foot wide, made of three thin layers of curved wood glued at right angles (similar to modern day plywood) covered in leather and rimmed in bronze or leather. These shields had a bronze or iron boss, a metal dome, in center and leather handles on the back side. Though mostly used as a defensive weapon the shield could be used to strike an enemy before use of the short sword. Designed to deflect arrows, lances and swords, these shields were the heart of defense for the legionnaire. The primary danger Roman soldiers faced when attacking an enemy was from pikes or lances and arrows from opposing archers. When a group of soldiers, anything from a squad on up, were together these shields could be placed side by side with edges overlapping and even held overhead to provide a very solid wall of protection for this fighting unit.


As with the legionnaire, Paul knew that Satan would and does attack us with "flaming arrows". Arrows of contempt, malice, hatred and temptation are used by Satan in his quest to "kill" mankind. We as believers must defend ourselves with the shield we call FAITH. One of Noah Webster's definitions in his 1828 dictionary on faith is:

4. Evangelical, justifying, or saving faith, is the assent of the mind to the truth of divine revelation, on the authority of God's testimony, accompanied with a cordial assent of the will or approbation of the heart; an entire confidence or trust in God's character and declarations, and in the character and doctrines of Christ, with an unreserved surrender of the will to his guidance, and dependence on his merits for salvation. In other words, that firm belief of God's testimony, and of the truth of the gospel, which influences the will, and leads to an entire reliance on Christ for salvation.

Faith is believing in what God can and does do in our lives. We all as Christians, need faith to step into the spiritual battle, if we are to survive the onslaught. Trusting God whatever come into our lives is sometimes very difficult. At these times we need to be like the Roman soldier, standing firm with our shields of faith out in front, trusting God at every turn. This may even require us to lean on our fellow brother's and sister's in Christ, interlocking our "shields" together to protect and hold up each other.