The Sword of the
Spirit
When I was boy, I loved playing with
swords. We often had sword fights, which at times ended with someone in tears.
I can remember wanting a sword very badly. Once my parents saw a sword at a
garage sale. They did not buy the sword to my great regret,
although it is well they didn’t. My
uncle had an old sword in his house that I eyed with great fascination.
Anyways, I grew up, and put my sword fighting days behind me, well, sort of,
till I had kids. I have a new sword fascination these days.
Ephesians 6:17, “And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword
of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
In this great spiritual war, God has
given us one weapon. In battle, it usually better to have a number of weapons.
Maybe a rifle, grenades, knife, pistol. This is because no weapon is perfect
for all situations. But in God’s wisdom He has given us a perfect weapon for
every situation and foe. Having one weapon, allows us to focus all our efforts
on becoming masters of this weapon, rather than dividing our energies among
other weapons.
Here in our text God’s word is compared is a
sword. This is not the only time that God’s word is compared to a sword.
Hosea 6:5 “Therefore I have hewn them to pieces by the
prophets, I have slain them by the words of my mouth;”
Hebrews 4:12 “For the word of God is living and active and
sharper than any two edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and
spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and
intentions of the heart,”
Revelation
1:16, “In His
right hand He(Jesus) held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp two
edged sword;” Same imagery in Rev 2:12 and 19:15 all in reference to the
words of Christ.
This
sword is called the sword of the Spirit. It could be understood in two ways.
1 1 ) A sword that is spiritual as opposed to physical. This sword
is not for the warfare of steel and iron. This sword is for spiritual battles,
in the spiritual realm. “For though
we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of
our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of
fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up
against the knowledge of God and we are taking every thought captive to the
obedience of Christ.” 2 Corinthians 10:3-5
2) Spirit could refer to the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is
the Author of Scripture. He is the interpreter and teacher of God’s Word. And
He is the One who gives it power.
In
this war we are confronted by many powerful foes, that is Satan and his demons.
In fact we have no ability to withstand them on our own. But with this sword,
we have a weapon that can withstand and defeat every spiritual enemy we have.
God’s word is more powerful than all the atomic bombs in this world. “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for
it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first
and also to the Greek.” Romans 1:16 ‘Power’ here is from the word we get dynamite. The infinite
power of the Lord God Almighty is in His word. When the word of God is used
well, not even the devil can overcome and defeat us. It can break down and
transformed the hard hearts of sinners. It can demolish long held erroneous beliefs.
The word of God can turn the world upside down.
A
sword is used for defense and offence. You can parry or block your opponent’s
blows with the sword or you can slash and cut at your foe. The same is true for
the sword of the Spirit.
The
word of God can defend you from temptation. When Satan tempts you to sin, then
you must use God’s word to block his blows. For example, suppose you are
tempted to get even with someone who hurt you. Your mind should then go to
Romans 12:19-21.
“Never take
your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is
written, Vengeance is Mine, I will repay says the Lord. But if your enemy is
hungry, feed him, and if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you
will heap burning coals on his head. Do not be overcome by evil but overcome
evil with good.”
Another
example, devil tempts you to think that not even God could love such a sinner
as you. You could counter this evil broad sword by using God’s word such as Rom
8:31 -32
“If God is
for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him
over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?”
“Therefore
there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Rom 8:1
What
are anxiety? “Be anxious for nothing, but in
everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be
known to God.” Phil 4:6
Patience
a problem with others? “The Lord’s
bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but kind to all, able to teach, patient
when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if
perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth.” 2
Tim 2:24-25
See
how the Great Master Swordsman, the Lord Jesus, handled the word of God in His great contest
with the devil. Matt 4. For every sword thrust of Satan, He answered “It is written” and then used the right text for the right error.
The
word of God of truth is also for defending against false doctrine and error. No error can stand against God’s word. This
sword can defeat every error, big or small.
But we shouldn’t always be on the defensive. No, we are
called to take the battle to the enemy and conquer territory for the King of
Kings. We are to use God’s word in evangelism. It is the scriptures that the
Spirit uses to give new life to sinners. “For you
have been born again, not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is
through the living and enduring word of God.” 1 Peter 1:23 When we evangelize, it is important to use the
word of God in our gospel conversation. It has power to save like nothing else.
By the sword of the Spirit we rescue souls from the kingdom of darkness.
Also when we teach
or preach the word of God we are using this sword to attack. God’s word is what
sanctifies us. Jesus prayed “Sanctify
them in the truth; your word is truth.” John 17:17 God’s word can kill sin in our lives. Through
regular reading and study of God’s word, we are killing our sin and causing
godliness to form in our hearts. "We must be killing sin or it will be killing
us." A quote that I remember, but I can't remember the name of the author of this quote.
A skilled swordsman is not born overnight. It takes time,
effort and practice for them to become skilled in the art of sword fighting.
The same is for those who are soldier of Christ and wield the Sword of the
Spirit. Here are ways we can became skilled in the art of using this sword.
1 1 We must acquire a knowledge of the whole word of God. It is
important we know the whole Bible; what the themes and contents are of each
book. It would be good to read through the Bible a couple of times because
serious study.
2 We should learn the art and skill of interpretation and
application of the word of God. Good sword fighters are good at hermeneutics. 3 It is important to memorize verses of the Bible. Memorize
passages that deal with sins and temptations you struggle with.
4 Put it into practice. Don’t keep the info in your head use
the Sword in your daily battles. 5 Learn from a Master swordsman. Read books and commentaries
of those who are skilled in the use of God’s word. A good teacher will be of
great help. E.G. JC Ryle
May God bless this to His Church for the training of good Christian swordsmen.
Brad