Stand Firm: Sword of the Spirit

This Sunday we consider the “sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” You’ll recognize that the language of “take” or “receive” grammatically applies to the sword. The sword is something God provides and that we receive. The sword Paul references is the short sword the soldier carried for close combat as opposed to the longer broad sword.

This piece of the armor is the Spirit’s sword because He is the great revealer of God. It’s the Spirit that built the church through divine revelation given to the “apostles and prophets.” (Eph. 2:20) He is the “Spirit of wisdom and revelation” so that our eyes are opened to the truth, so that we can know God and stand firm in truth.

Paul says this sword is God’s word, wielded against error (distortion of truth), used to minister to one another, and used to cleanse God’s people. So, come Sunday and consider the function of the word of God in spiritual warfare.