Suit Up! (Part 6 and conclusion): The Sword of the Spirit
We have just turned a proverbial corner in the equipping process. Up to this point, all the weapons of a believer’s warfare were weapons of an offensive nature. Now, in this letter to the Ephesians, the writer provides a tool for defensive maneuvers.
This is quite interesting that the sword would be added to the suit of armor worn by Christians since the perception is that a “good” Christian should only be seen as timid and “nice” people. (For those who have been reading my articles or listening to my sermons, know that “niceness” is world-centered misrepresentation of godly “kindness.”)
It is also notable that Ephesians was written as an encouragement for Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians to be reconciled to each other through Christ. Yet, the sword is a part of the armor of God.
So powerful is the Sword of the Spirit that it serves not only as a defensive weapon for believers, but it is also offensive.
Remember that the spiritual armor that we are talking about used the Roman soldier as a visual guide to appropriate armor for believers. It is therefore useful to draw the parallel that just as the Roman soldiers had to fight enemies, followers of Christ are not without enemies.
The Bible tells us in Ephesians 6:12 (KJV) – “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”
The sword, “the word of God,” can be used to defend against the attack of the evil one and his minions. It can be used to fight off the lies of Satan.
An example of using the sword to fight a lie that is meant to bring death and destruction can be found in Luke 1:13. The devil, the father of lies, tried to tempt Jesus after his wilderness experience. Jesus, in his thorough rebuke of the devil, offers a master class on how to use the Word of God as an effective weapon.
The enemy used the inducement of food to Jesus. Jesus had been without food for 40 days, but Jesus said, “…It is written, that man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God” (Luke 4:4).
The enemy is always lurking around, sometimes in the shadows, but sometimes in plain sight, offering dubious assistance. While the flesh is indeed weak, God calls us to walk after Jesus and use the sword to drive away or cut off interaction with ungodly folks and ungodly habits. You must still be kind. You must still show love, but you must not hold on to strange relationships that are headed to deep water, and you cannot swim!
We must use the word of God as a firm foundation; that is an offensive strategy. Then, we must use the word of God as a two-edged sword; that is our defense strategy.
The wonderful thing about the two-edged sword described in Hebrews 4:12 is that it can cut to separate, and it can expose the things of the inner person.
While weak in his flesh, Jesus delivered a mighty blow to the adversary. Let us follow the example of Jesus. Let us put on the whole armor of God today.
St. James AME Church is located at 360 Dorothy St. in Charleston and worship service is held on the first and third Sundays of each month at 11 am. You may also join us on Zoom at pastorv.com.
