Reverend Michael Mwangi
Senior Pastor, Fedha Church, Kenya Assemblies of God
The armour of God is a spiritual protection outfit against the schemes of the devil. Every piece of armour is defensive helping us block the blows of Satan.
The sword is the only primarily offensive weapon and at the same time defensive.
The sword of the Spirit represents the Word of God.
Why the sword of the Spirit
All the pieces of the armour come from God, but the sword belongs to the Holy Spirit.
This piece in particular is God himself. The sword is Logos, the same word used to describe God in John 1:1.
The Spirit supplies us with this sword through the Word. Like a trainer, He teaches us how to use it.
2 Timothy 3
16. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,
God breathed" or inspired. This implies that God is the source or origin of what is recorded in Scripture. God, through the Holy Spirit, used human authors to write what He revealed in the Bible.
2 Peter 1
20. Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things.
21. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
The word of God comes from the Spirit of God and we must depend on him in using the word.
John 14:26 (New International Version)
But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.
Sword requires expertise to be effective
Soldiers have to know how to properly wield a sword for maximum effect. For the word to be of great use to us, we must be well versed in the word by carefully and thorough study of it.
Hebrews 5:14
But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.
Therefore we can’t misuse the sword of the Spirit, or we’ll put ourselves in danger on the spiritual battlefield. Whenever using the word of God for the offensive (evangelism efforts) or defensive (apologetics), we need to know everything we can about it.
For a Roman soldier, the sword was used both offensive and defensive in nature. It was used to attack the enemy and also protect a soldier against the enemy's blows.
When sharpened, the sword could pierce through just about anything, making it a very dangerous tool.
To understand the connection between the sword and the Word of God, it is first important to understand the power of God’s Word.
Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”
Through God’s Word, we can distinguish between right and wrong. As a result, we can strive to live in a way that is free from sin. His Word is the ultimate truth, and we can find confidence in knowing it is our greatest weapon.
If we are lacking in knowledge of God’s Word, we will struggle to fight against the enemy. However, those who seek God’s Word and abide by it will be blessed.
John 5:24
“Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.”
As we have seen the sword of the spirit is unique in that it can be used as both a defensive and offensive tool. Thus God’s Word can protect us from the lies of the enemy and also counter-attacks. For example, Jesus used God’s Word as an offensive weapon in Matthew 4. when Satan tried to test Him in the wilderness.
So, how can we use the sword of the spirit in our lives?
We are not meant to keep the knowledge we gain from God’s Word to ourselves. When we are asked to defend what we believe, we can use God’s Word to point back to Him.
Sometimes, it is not easy to take up our swords and fight against the enemy. However, we are not called to do this by our own strength. When facing trials, we can find peace in knowing that God is on our side. Romans 8:31 says, “What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?”
I encourage you to take up the sword of the spirit in your daily life. Remember that God’s Word is the ultimate truth and that we can stand on His promises. With God on our side, we are unstoppable.
How do we use the sword of the Spirit?
So, how do we use the Bible properly to spread the Gospel(offensive)?
To defend our faith (Defensive) Apologetics.
Bieng prepared for any questions or doubts that may arise regarding Scripture?
1. We must read the ‘sword’ in context
One of the worst ways to use your sword is to read it out of context or read into it your own cultural biases. For instance, say you read Philippians 4:13. You read, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” If you don’t know the original context of this verse: Paul, suffering in prison, with a thorn (a weakness) that God won’t remove, you might interpret it differently. You might say, “Well, I can do all things, so I’ll win the Olympics.” That’s not what the verse says.
To properly wield this weapon, we must learn all we can about it, including the context of certain passages.
2. We must learn as much as we can about the sword
How do we do this? We study the Sword daily. We read our Bibles and study commentaries and hear sermons preached on the word, so we can gain an understanding of Scripture.
1 Peter 3:15 calls us to be ready to give a reason for the hope that we have. But if we don’t have a solid knowledge of Scripture, we may not be able to give a proper explanation.
Atheists, Muslims and those of other religions will often twist scripture or point out more difficult passages or problems. We must be ready to give an answer to these difficult questions, through engaging with God's Word every day.
We also must be ready to spread the Gospel, through an understanding of it.
An Ethiopian eunuch, in Acts, reads through a portion of scripture but doesn’t understand it. Luckily Philip, a follower of Jesus, is in the area and explains the scripture to him, leading the man to convert to Christianity. We learn Scripture so we can help out with meaning to seekers and those who wish to understand it (Acts 8:26-40).
3. We must ask God to reveal Himself through the sword
As mentioned before, we won’t always have all the answers. But, when we’ve accepted God as the Savior of our lives, his Holy Spirit reveals His character and His plan for our lives through Scripture (1 Corinthians 2:10-15).
By spending time with God in His Word every day, we learn more about Him and grow closer in our relationship with him.
All in all, we must put on every piece of the armour through prayer and through regularly engaging with Scripture, including the sword of the Spirit.
What does Jesus say about the Word of God?
Jesus seems to say a lot about God’s Word. He uses God’s Word as a defence against the devil’s temptations (Matthew 4:1-11). He frequently quoted the Old Testament in his sermons, and that God’s words will never pass away (Matthew 24:35, Matthew 5:18). In other words, they’re immutable, unchanging, and timeless.
He says Scripture bears witness about him (John 5:39) and abides by Scripture. He seems to place a rather large importance on it, as Scripture speaks truth (John 17:17, 2 Timothy 3:16).
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