Many readers will be familiar with the concept of the whole armour of God, and we often refer to the defensive protection of the breastplate of righteousness, the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, and the helmet of salvation.
Sometimes we forget that the whole armor of God also includes the sword of the Spirit. The sword is a tool that isn’t just for defense; it’s to arm us for offense as well. Taking up the sword means that we need to be prepared to fight.
That may make us feel uncomfortable. We’re Christians; we don’t fight! We’re not fans of heated discussions, and we shy away from confrontation. Well, newsflash, the Bible is very clear that we are to take up the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God (Eph. 6:17). We are not just to have the sword hidden somewhere in a back closet, locked in a gun cabinet in case we ever need it; no, we are to be actively holding the sword of the Spirit. We need to be prepared at all times for any attack from Satan.
The sword of the Spirit is the word of God. Unless we are immersed in God’s Word each day, we are not effectively taking up the sword. We are not armed for battle when the only time we read the Bible is Sunday. Have you ever heard of a professional athlete who never practices and only plays upon taking the field? Neither have I. Have you ever heard of an Olympic gymnast who won gold without following a strict daily routine? I haven’t, either. Taking up the sword of the Spirit means daily studying God’s Word, practicing what we read in the Bible, and talking about God’s truth.
Taking up the sword of the Spirit means that we need to be prepared when others come at us. 1 Peter 3:15 tells us that we should “be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear”. Girding up our swords doesn’t mean that we need to be nasty or rude – no! We should be just the opposite. The apostle Paul, who was experienced in speaking with and witnessing to many different groups of people, encouraged us that in our interactions, we should be “speaking the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15).
Speaking the truth in love requires us to have an accurate and correct understanding of scripture. We can only grow our understanding of God’s word and Biblical truths when we’re familiar with them. Paul instructed Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:15 that he should “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” “Rightly dividing,” means rightly handling the word of God. The more you handle something, the more comfortable you become with it. The Bible is one of those things that becomes better with time. You will always learn something new, each time you read it.
The sword of the Spirit, the word of God, is to be used for many things: It is “profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,” (2 Tim. 3:16). The sword of the Spirit is to help us be confident, competent, and equipped for every good work (v. 17). As Charles Stanley says, “We have no obligation before God to be politically correct. Rather, we have a divine obligation to be Biblically correct.” In order to become effective swordspersons, we need to know proper sword handling, and that comes through practice. What better time than a new year to begin a fresh practice of studying the Word of God?
