The Sword Of The Spirit

by HYLAND, D. T. | Category: Battle Briefing | Nov 1994

In responding to the call to engage in spiritual conflict, there is available to the believer a suit of five items of defensive armour. One weapon in the divine armoury can be used for attack as well as defence: that is "the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God" (Eph. 6:17). Paul's use of the

Greek word machaira, which means the short sword, implies use in close personal encounter.

The Word of God is the sword of the Spirit in the sense that the Scriptures were originally inspired by the Holy Spirit. The human authors were men who spoke "from God' being moved by the Holy Spirit" (2 Pet. 1:21). They are to be used by the believer under the guiding influence of the indwelling Spirit of God. Rightly used, the sword of the Spirit is a weapon against which there is no defence.

The sword metaphor emphasizes the activity and effectiveness of God's Word. The divine oracles are: living, active, sharp, piercing and discerning (Heb. 4:12). That the Word of God is living reflects the nature of God as the source of all life. The Lord said, "The words that I have spoken unto you are spirit, and are life" (John 6:63). Some forms of life can lie dormant, but God's Word springs into activity to fulfil the purpose for which it has been spoken. God says:

My word... that goeth forth out of My mouth ... shall not return unto Me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it (Is. 55:11).

God's Word is not a blunt instrument; it is sharper than a double-edged sword. Of the long promised Messiah it was prophesied "He shall smite the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips shall He slay the wicked" (Is. 11:4). In John's vision of the Conqueror whose "Name is called the Word of God", the sharp sword which proceeds from His mouth to smite His enemies has the authority of Deity and is totally effective (Rev. 19:11-16).

The Word of God was the weapon used by the Lord Jesus Christ when

tempted by the Devil in the Judean wilderness. Following a lengthy fast, the Lord felt the pangs of hunger. To the temptation to make bread to relieve hunger, the Lord answered:

It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth Out of the mouth of God (Mat. 4:4).

To each of the three temptations the Lord answered "It is written"; He then quoted a clear precept or prohibition from the Old Testament Scriptures. These are illustrations of the practical use of the written Word of God and demonstrate its effectiveness. The Lord had taken His stand on God's Word and confessed His faith in God's ability to preserve life. The second temptation to throw Himself down from the pinnacle of the Temple was an enticement to gain acclamation by a sensational and reckless act. The Devil quoted from Psalm 91 a passage which promised divine protection:

...it is written, He shall give His angels charge concerning Thee:

and on their hands they shall bear Thee up, less haply Thou dash Thy foot against a stone (Mat. 4:6).

The omission of a qualifying phrase "in all thy ways" from a psalm which contains promises to those who trust God implicitly, provides an example of using the Word of God deceitfully. The Lord's reply demonstrates clearly that one cannot violate a principle to claim a promise: "Again it is written, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God" (Mat. 4:7).

The third temptation reminds us that it was the Devil's desire to be like the Most High God that led to his fall. Satan is not satisfied with enticing men and women not to worship their Creator; he wants them to worship himself. The Devil was inciting the Son of God to embark on a path which would avoid going to the Cross. The offer of "all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them" was in return for a treacherous act: "All these things will I give Thee, if Thou wilt fall down and worship me" (Mat. 4:9). The Lord immediately recognized a

treasonable suggestion from the archenemy of God, with whom there can be no argument or discussion. The tempter is dismissed with a clear statement of the fff5t principle of divine service: "Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve" (Mat. 4:10). Following the Lord's example we must never he ashamed to use the Scriptures against the powers of evil, or to acknowledge our confidence in God's Word as the sword of the Spirit.

HYLAND, D. T. | Nov 1994
Battle Briefing