The Sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:17)

A soldier, when engaged in battle, would have a helmet on his head, a shield in one hand, and a sword in the other. The obvious difference between them is that, while the helmet and the shield could deal with attacks from a distance through fiery darts thrown by the enemy, the sword could not. A sword was for close fighting. A soldier could use the three pieces when fighting personally with an enemy soldier, and when each was used, the soldier would have what was needed for victory.

The sword of the Spirit is the only aggressive piece of armour mentioned by Paul. The helmet and the shield were largely defensive in use whereas the purpose of the sword, while also defensive, was to wound or slay the opponent. Since we cannot slay the devil, the purpose of using the sword must be the equivalent of disarming or wounding him in some way.

 

The ‘word’ of God

One other detail may also be significant for using the sword. The word translated as ‘word’ [rhema] in the phrase ‘word of God’ is a specific kind of word. According to W E Vine: ‘The significance of rhema (as distinct from logos) is exemplified in the injunction to take “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,” Ephesians 6:17; here the reference is not to the whole Bible as such, but to the individual scripture which the Spirit brings to our remembrance for use in time of need, a prerequisite being the regular storing of the mind with Scripture.’ 

 

Why is it the sword of the Spirit?

No doubt, several answers could be given to this question. The basic answer is that the word of God belongs to him. It is his possession which he has chosen to share with his people. Moreover, it is his composition in the sense that he oversaw the process of its compilation, guiding the men who contributed to it, and ensuring that they included what he wanted recorded. Sometimes we may wonder why certain stories are found in it, and the best answer to that reaction is to remind ourselves that they are in the Bible because the Holy Spirit arranged for them to be included. In addition, he ensured its perfection: Paul reminded Timothy that ‘all Scripture is breathed out by God’ (2 Tim. 3:16) and suitable and essential for spiritual growth, and Peter explains that ‘no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit’ (2 Pet. 1:21). The apostles stress that all scripture is divinely given, which means it is accurate in what it says.

 

In what ways does the Spirit use the sword?

The Christian soldier knows that the sword of the Spirit is effective because he has personally experienced its power. This can happen in several ways. First, the Spirit often challenges a person about the truth of its contents before that individual is converted. Perhaps the Spirit will speak to a person about the beauty and uniqueness of Jesus as he is described in the Bible. Or he may draw attention to the wisdom contained in the Scriptures and those who are being challenged sense its difference from all other writings. 

 

Second, the Spirit convicts sinners about the awfulness of their sinful state. His convictions, in this sense, are usually direct and specific. The focus of his conviction may not be on what people would regard as obvious sins; often he highlights the sin of unbelief regarding the gospel offer of mercy and how it has been rejected by the unbeliever. This can be a very painful spiritual experience for that person as he or she discovers things about themselves that they did not appreciate before.

 

Third, the Spirit reveals Jesus to them through the Word. He may use one verse or one passage or many verses and passages. Usually at the time of conversion, the Spirit reveals to them the suffering Saviour. Through the Word they understand the cross. They begin to experience that the Word is alive as the Saviour’s work of atonement makes sense to them and they are drawn by the Spirit through the Word to embrace Jesus by faith. Although he has wounded them, the Spirit now comforts them.

 

Fourth, the Spirit now begins the process of sanctification in the hearts of believers. Although they have been regenerated, they are still sinners, and those sins will not be tolerated by the Spirit, and he will be the instrument by which they are chastised by the Father. Those sins will grieve the Spirit, but when he is described as grieved it does not mean that he is helpless and unable to do something about it. The process of restoration can be a painful one as they are restored, as the experience of David in Psalm 51 tells us.

 

The example of Jesus

Matthew and Luke include in their Gospels an account of the temptation of Jesus in the desert. Jesus was there for forty days and towards the close of that period the devil came with three specific temptations. One was that he tempted Jesus to turn stones into bread, but Jesus replied by saying that man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. Second, the devil tempted Jesus to throw himself of the temple, but Jesus replied by saying that one should never test God in that way. Third, the devil tempted Jesus by offering him the world if he would worship him, but Jesus responded by saying that one should only worship God.

 

We can describe those temptations as (1) suited to the moment – he was hungry, (2) distortion of the word of God – misuse of what is said in Psalm 91:11-12, and (3) defiant in that he tried to cause Jesus to worship him. How did Jesus respond to them? First, he used the sword of the Spirit and quoted three verses from Deuteronomy, which could suggest he had been thinking about that Old Testament book. Second, he used verses that were relevant to the temptations in some way. When tempted to physically eat, he referred to spiritual eating; when tempted to force God to rescue him, he said it was wrong to test God; when tempted to worship, he said that only God should be worshipped. Third, he used short statements or sayings.

 

Jesus was tempted for several reasons. One is that he was confronting the devil because he had come to destroy his works. Another was that he was going to undo what Adam had brought about when he fell – Jesus, as it were, did the opposite of Adam when tempted to eat, tempted with misuse of God’s Word and tempted not to worship God. And a third reason is that he faced temptation and gave us an example of how to obtain the victory. 

 

Using the sword of the Spirit

We can remind ourselves that in a spiritual battle, or in all circumstances, we need to use the helmet of salvation (think about salvation), the shield of faith (keep it ready by a healthy faith in God) and the sword of the Spirit (using Bible verses and statements). Obviously, a lot is going on with the Christian soldier: he is thinking about salvation, he is by faith in Jesus rendering the darts of the devil ineffective, and he responds to the devil’s suggestions by citing suitable verses from the Bible. 

 

What does all this mean? I would suggest that here we are shown the need for right thinking (helmet), for alertness in deflecting and dousing the darts (using the shield), and for an informed grasp of the meaning of biblical statements (sword), and to be doing them simultaneously. If we don’t do one of them, what will happen? If we think about wrong things, temptations will come into our minds; if we are careless about our defence, the darts will get through; and if we don’t take the sword, there is no counterattack. We must remember that Paul is here is using an illustration of what to do in normal situations, in all circumstances.

 

There is an obvious connection between the three pieces. The details of salvation (helmet) come from the doctrines of the Word; the liveliness of faith (the shield) often comes from the promises of the Word; and the way to overcome the devil is to use the sword of the Word wisely. So we can see the centrality and suitability of the Word of God, and how it helps us in different ways.

 

Applications

One obvious application is that we should be thankful we have the Word of God. God has provided it for us and we can use it in different ways. He gave us the original manuscripts; and, in his providence, he has gifted persons who can translate it into English or whatever language we are used to. He has arranged for the preached Word where those he has called explain his Word to his people. We can have Bible studies in which his Word can be discussed. 

 

Another application is to identify the examples in the Bible where believers were successful against temptation and sin or where they fell into sin. Here are some characters in the Bible who fell. How did David fall into temptation twice? One was by not doing what he should have been doing (he should have been leading his troops into battle and not idling at home). The other was when he was tempted to pride and numbered his people. How did Uzziah the king fall? By failing to observe the restrictions God had made about his worship. Why did Peter fall? Because he did not take seriously the warnings from Jesus. They are only a few of the many examples in the Bible of individuals being overcome in a spiritual battle, and we use the sword of the Spirit when we take warnings from what happened to them.

 

In contrast are the characters who resisted temptation to sin. How did Joseph avoid immorality? He fled from it when normal resistance was impossible. It is odd how sometimes temptations lose their power through the simple response of moving away from the possible location of falling. How did Joshua usually avoid defeat as a leader? By meditating constantly on the Word. How did Joseph of Arimathea cease to be a secret disciple? By becoming a public disciple. There are accounts of many others who remained true to their Master, and we use the sword of the Spirit when we learn from their examples.

 

Albert Barnes said, ‘A single text of Scripture is better to meet a temptation, than all the philosophy which the world contains.’ That is what Jesus did when he was tempted. For us, this means that we need to know the Word of God so that its verses come to mind when we need them. As the psalmist did, so should we; he hid the Word of God in his heart so that he would not sin against the Lord. Perhaps this practice can be likened to how a soldier would ensure that his sword was ready for the fight. Why should we read the Bible daily? One answer is that we are in a battle. Doing so is the equivalent of a soldier polishing his sword. It used to be said that a Bible that was falling apart was being used by a person who wasn’t. 

 

A fourth application is that we should remember who the Bible belongs to. It is God’s Word and here it is called the sword of the Spirit. This title is another way of saying that it is God’s Word. It is not a book to trifle with, to tell jokes about, to use in a flippant way. A sense of reverence and privilege should mark us as we read its pages. It is not the voice of ancient people telling us their opinions. Rather it is the Word of the eternal God, a book that has been called the Word from another World.

 

A fifth application concerns whether Paul is saying that a believer should utter aloud the phrase from the Bible that he or she is using (rhema could mean that). Obviously common sense should be used – if you are tempted while sitting on a train, it would not look good to start shouting Bible verses. But if you are by yourself, why not speak the appropriate verses? One argument that is in favour of this practice is that it is what Jesus did when he responded to the temptations of the devil – the Saviour stated what God’s Word said. A second argument is that such spoken responses are like the repeated stab wounds that a soldier would cause when fighting an enemy. A third argument is that it lets the devil know that we as Christian soldiers have confidence in the power of the Word of God, that we are depending upon its many promises and heeding its instructions. 

 

And a fourth argument would be that such utterances would help other Christians who are alongside us in the battle; it would bring such divine statements to their minds and help them in the conflict they are going through. After all, sometimes we are fighting together against something that the devil is doing. 

 

So far we have looked at the six pieces of the armour that is necessary for us to fight the good fight of faith. Perhaps we wonder why Paul has not yet mentioned prayer. He does go on to mention prayer in the next verse. But perhaps he is telling us that there are some things that prayer is not a substitute for, that we cannot engage in prayer instead of putting on the pieces of armour. After all, can we ask God to protect our minds if we do not wear the helmet? Can we ask him to protect us from the fiery darts if we are not using the shield of faith? Can we ask him to help us with close hand attacks if we do not use the sword of the Spirit?