June 17, 2013
Ephesians 6:17
(All scripture is from the New King James Version unless otherwise indicated.)
The first of the offensive weapons given by God to us for engaging the enemy is found in Ephesians 6:17: “And take…the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God….” I say it is the first of the offensive weapons because I see two listed here: “…the word of God…” and “…prayer and supplication…” in Ephesians 6:18. They are offensive weapons because you do something actively with them to attack the enemy.
Why is “the Word of God” called “the sword of the Spirit”? It is because it is identified as such in Revelation 1:16 and 19:15:
Revelation 1:16 – …out of His [Jesus’] mouth went a sharp two-edged sword….
Revelation 19:15 – Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He
should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron….
What does it all mean? If we go back to the very beginning – in Genesis 1:1 and 3, it is written:
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth….And God said, “Let
there be light: and there was light.”
God spoke and – out of nothing (ex nihilo) – came the heavens and the earth. But who did the speaking? In Revelation 19:11 through 16, Jesus is seen returning in glory to procure His final victory and reclaim the earth. In verse 13 it says, “…and His name is called the Word of God.” Again, in John 1:1 and 14, this is written:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word
was God….And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us….
Also, John called Jesus “…the Word of Life…” in I John 1:1
Jesus is the living Word of God! He is the expression of the mind of God. And what God has expressed has been given to redeem the world – His Son!
In Colossians 1:16 Paul makes this powerful statement:
For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth,
visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers.
All things were created through Him and for Him.
It was Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who was the agent of creation! He is the One who – being the Word of God – spoke, “‘Let there be…’ and there was….”! (Genesis 1:3)
All this to say that the words which Jesus speaks are powerful! So when He is pictured with “a sharp two-edged sword” coming out of His mouth, it is a description of how utterly powerful His Word is! And we have been given this sword – His Word – as our offensive weapon in the spiritual battle to which we have been called. And we have been given the same authority to speak in His name, and to expect the same results – as He leads us!
So when we brandish “the sword of the Spirit”in the face of Satan or one of his demons, is it any wonder that James says in James 4:7, “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
We have a powerful weapon in “the sword of the Spirit.” It is powerful enough “that with it He should strike the nations. And He himself will rule them with a rod of iron….” Surely, then, it is powerful enough to put our enemy to flight when he attacks!
In our next blog we will examine more in detail just how we are to fight using “the sword of the Spirit.”