The Sword of the Spirit

Today's Three-minute Bible Study
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Title: The Sword of the Spirit
Keywords: "Bible" "sword of the Spirit"
Welcome to eXXit, the web site designed to help you stand strong in the face of sexual temptation.

Never — neither here in Ephesians 6 nor anywhere else — does the Bible tell Christians to attack the devil. The devil attacks us — and we are not to attack back. We are to simply stand firm. AND, we can be confident that we have the capacity to stand firm or we would not be commanded to do so!

Our standing firm, though, will only be successful as we use the armor Paul lists. That armor is described in verses quoted below. For the next few days, we are going to take a look at the armor Paul recommends we use in the fight to stand strong in the day of sexual temptation.

Passage: Ephesians 6:10-20*

10. Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of His might.

11. Put on the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.

12. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.

13. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.

14. Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,

15. and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

16. in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming missiles of the evil one.

17. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

18. With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints,

19. and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel,

20. for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

Questions

The last part of verse 17 (above) directs us to use "the sword of the Spirit."

1. What was unique about the sword on the ancient battlefield?

 

2. What does Paul say the sword of the Spirit IS?

 

Practical help

The sixth and final piece or armor listed in Ephesians 6 is "THE SWORD OF THE SPIRIT." While every piece of armor Paul has listed is important, this last one is really special.

The sword in view is the short sword used by the soldier in close hand-to-hand combat, about eighteen inches long, and carried in a sheath on the belt.

The sword was a unique weapon in that it had both offensive and defensive uses on the battlefield. It could both deflect thrusts and attacks by the enemy, and it could be used to attack the enemy.

Christians have a sword, too, one that is useful for offense and defense. Our sword is the Word of God, the Bible.

We refer to the Bible as the Word of God. And it truly is. The Bible is God’s communication to us. When we open the Bible, we are not listening "for" a word from God, as if He might or might not speak to us. No, when we read the Bible, we are listening "to" the word of God. There is an objective sense in which the Bible IS God’s Word. Not maybe, not sometimes — but "is."

But, this reference to the Word as a sword is fascinating. Swordplay in ancient warfare was won by the most skilled warrior.

The issue was not brute strength, but skill in wielding the sword with deft control in just the right way to deflect an opponent’s thrusts and to attack an opponent’s weakness.

Watch how Jesus used the word of God when He was tempted by Satan in the wilderness (Matthew 4). To each temptation Satan put in front of Him, He responded with a fit "word" from the Word:

"Turn stones into bread," the devil said. To which Jesus replied, "[4] Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God."

"Throw Yourself down from the pinnacle of the Temple." "[7] No, Satan, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test."

"Worship me, Jesus" "[10] Begone Satan, For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and SERVE Him only.’"

The sword of the Spirit is not a broadsword to be waved about indiscriminately, but a dagger to be used with precision.

Jesus didn’t hold up the Bible as if it were a good luck charm. He knew it backwards and forwards, so was well equipped, in the "evil day" to use God’s Word to good effect for resisting temptation.

A soldier of the first century who held his sword, but didn’t know how to use it, would be killed quickly in battle. A Christian who is facing temptation will not long survive and thrive in the battle unless he/she makes the Bible his/her own.

My dream is that every eXXit reader (and writer!) will become increasingly skilled in the use of the sword of the Spirit, that we would all wield it with precision, bringing it to bear when the enemy tries to trip us up and tempt us to have anything to do with smut!
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*"Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, © Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission."