The Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God

So, we come to the final piece of the Christian soldier's armor. And in fact, it is not really a piece of armor in one sense. We generally think of a suit of armor as comprising all of the protective/defensive, that is to say the passive, pieces in the soldier's gear; the stuff he puts on his body for protection. The final piece of equipment that the Apostle Paul lists for "the full armor of God" is the "sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God."

In the photo on the right is depicted a sword, purportedly of the era of the Roman army to which I have referred. It probably is not an accurate portrayal of the Roman gladius, and in fact there were a number of different types of swords used by Roman soldiers over the course of several centuries of Roman world domination. Suffice to say that the soldier did carry, among a host of other weapons, a sword, probably longer and narrower than that in the photo.

According to Wikipedia, "The soldier generally led with his shield and thrust with his sword. Despite the gladius being designed for thrusting at the enemy from behind the protection of the shield, all types of gladius appear to have been suitable for slashing and chopping motions." In other words, the sword was used primarily as an offensive weapon. Of course, we all know from watching Errol Flynn and other swashbucklers that one cannot wield a sword for offense, without also using it defensively.

You, Christian soldier, are called upon to use the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, in both ways: for defense and for offense. Let us consider our Lord Jesus in the wilderness, where Satan spent 40 days tempting Him. During that time, Jesus ate nothing, and on the fortieth day, He was undoubtedly weak and hungry. Just as Satan thought Jesus was weakened not only physically, but emotionally and spiritually, as well, he made another attack: "And the devil said to Him, 'If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.'" (Luke 4:3) Now, make no mistake. This thought had undoubtedly already crossed Jesus' mind. Nevertheless, He had on the full armor of God, including the sword...which is the word of God, and he parried with: “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.’” (Luke 4:4) This was a quote from Deuteronomy, chapter 8.

Then, having taken Jesus up on a high mountain and having shown him all the kingdoms of the world, Satan thrust again: "Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours.” (Luke 4:7). And Jesus again parried, this time from Deuteronomy 6: “Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.’” (Luke 4:18) Satan, a clever chap, picked up on Jesus' tactic. His next thrust was from scripture itself. "[H]e brought Him to Jerusalem, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here. For it is written:


‘ He shall give His angels charge over you,
To keep you,’

and,

‘ In their hands they shall bear you up,
Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’” (Luke 4:9-11)

These quotes are right out of Psalm 91:11, 12. Notice that even our enemy uses the word of God as an offensive weapon! But Jesus had a countermove, also from scripture: “It has been said, ‘You shall not tempt the LORD your God.’” (Luke 4:12; quoted from Deuteronomy 6:16). Notice what happened at the end of this sword fight: "Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time." (Luke 4:13, emphasis added).

As you can see, the word of God defended Jesus, even in his weakened condition, from the thrusts of Satan. Notice, too, that the war was not ended, just that skirmish, for we read that Satan departed until an opportune time. Satan is no idiot. He is cunning and clever. He will wait for an opportune time for his next attack. All the more reason, dear soldier, to keep the full armor of God on at all times.

Above was a clear example of using the word of God as a defensive weapon. It makes a dandy offensive weapon, as well. In Hebrews chapter 4, the writer of that book stated: "For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." (v. 12) Such is the power of the word of God. Not only can it divide "joints and marrow" but even "soul and spirit." It is the word of God that advances the kingdom of God.

In the Gospel of John, Christ is referred to as the Word. In the book of Revelation, we see Christ coming in his glory to establish his kingdom once and for all, and "His name is called The Word of God...Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations." (Revelation 19:13, 15) Yes, the Word of God is an offensive weapon against Satan.

How can I, a lowly private in God's army, bring the word of God to a sin-sick world? Someone once told me that I am called to be a witness, not an attorney. I found that such a comfort to know that it is not up to me to convince people to follow Christ. My job is to put on my armor and go forth into the world confidently to share what I know of Christ. That's it. It is the Holy Spirit's job to convict of sin and righteousness and judgment. (John 16:8) Remember that Jesus promised us "another Comforter" (John 14:16) who would dwell with us. So, you needn't be fearful when we share the good news, "For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say." (Luke 12:12)

If our job, then, is to tell what we know of Jesus, how shall we know what we know? In Psalm 119, the psalmist tells God, "Your word I have hidden in my heart." (v. 11) If we read and study the word, meditate on it, hear it from the pulpit, and teach it to others; and finally, if we commit it to memory, it will be hidden in our hearts. Then the Holy Spirit can teach us in that very hour that we need it, what we ought to say. Of course, Christian soldier, you are always to speak the truth with grace. Still, when the Holy Spirit, through the word of God, convicts someone of sin in his life, he may find it offensive, even when the word is delivered with grace. So, wield the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, from behind the shield of faith, and then let your Heavenly Father take over to do His work on the hearts of the captives you encounter.