The Sword of the Spirit

The Sword of the Spirit is part of the armor of God as described in Ephesians 6:10-20 by Apostle Paul to the Church at Ephesus. This is a spiritual armour that illustrates the power of God's Word. Among all the parts of the Armor of God, this is the only one that is offensive, the rest are all defensive, starting from the loincloth of truth, to the helmet of salvation. The Bible says:

"It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life" - John 6:63

God's Word is Spirit that breathes life. It is by His Word that God created the heaven and the earth and breathed life into them. The Word of God is so powerful that it can tell the difference between Spirit and soul. The Bible says:

"For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart" - Hebrews 4:12

The Spirit is the Lord's voice, whereas the soul is our very own mind, will, and intellect combined. The more we read God's Word, the more we become fimiliar with the Lord's voice, this way we would be able to walk under the guidance of the Spirit of God, and we would be able to discern God's plan. Apostle Paul said to the believers at Galatia:

"This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law" - Galatians 5:16-18

People of the world who listen to the promptings of the flesh will not agree with the promptings of the Holy Spirit. In the Gospel of Matthew 10:34, when our Lord Jesus said that He has come to bring a sword on earth, He was indeed referring to the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of the Lord. People whose lifestyle is based on God's Word, and who believe that Jesus is the Messiah, is born of the Lord. The Bible says:

"Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him" - 1 John 5:1

Moreover, people who are born of God, because they believe in the Son of God, are overcomers who will not walk after the promptings of the flesh. This is the victory gained because of their faith in Christ. The Bible says:

"For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith" - 1 John 5:4

There are times when I have used the sword of God's Word against people whose lifestyle is based on unbiblical doctrines and beliefs. Some people whom I had encountered had a teachable heart, who upon hearing God's Word, repented and aligned their lifestyle according to the Bible, while others whom I faced, refused to believe in God's Word. The Bible says:

"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness" - 2 Timothy 3:16

Many people don't like when God's Word is quoted because scripture challenges their lifestyle and their beliefs. There was one person whom I had once encountered was being double minded. When I quoted 1 John 5:13, this person said "yes I believe that all scripture is God breathed, but still I dont believe in 1 John 5:13". Ultimately, it doesn't matter what people say or believe, because God's Word stands forever. The Lord had promised that He will preserve His Word. The Bible says:

"Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away" - Matthew 24:35

The sword of the Spirit, which is God's Word, is the only offensive armor, which we are required to use whenever necessary. Our Lord Jesus, as a man, used written scripture in the wilderness against satan. The first century believers in Christ used God's Word as a sword for doctrine (as seen in the letter to the Romans), for reproving wrong behaviour and conduct (as seen in the letter to the Corinthians), for correction of wrong doctrine (as seen in the letter to the Galiatians), and for instruction in righteousness (as seen in Apostle Paul's individual letters to Timothy). Likewise, we as believers in Christ, need to wield and use the sword of God's Word in order to win souls into the kingdom of God.