The Battle for Your Life: The Armor of God – Part 10

Posted on by TLThomas

 

The Sword of the Spirit: The Word of God

 

How’s your fencing technique?

No, I don’t mean putting up a privacy fence.

 

I mean:

How good are you at fighting with a sword?

 

I daresay, unless you were on your college fencing team, you haven’t had much, if any, practice.

 

Do you know YeHoVaH has given each believer a weapon?

Do you know He expects us to learn how to use it?

Do you know He expects us to use it in our everyday life to expand His Kingdom?

 

What is this weapon?

 

The Sword of the Spirit: The Word of God

17 And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.                                               Ephesians 6:17 NAS

 

The Roman Soldier’s Sword

 

The sword of the Roman soldier was the gladius. The gladius was used more for stabbing at close quarters than for slashing in battle or for classical fencing-style one-on-one duels.

The gladius, or Hispanic Sword as it was known, is the iconic short sword of the Roman army. It was adopted from the clans and tribes that lived in Spain.

In combat the gladius could be used for stabbing or slashing, although it was primarily used for stabbing.

The gladius served the Romans as the main Roman weapon through the rest of the Roman Republic and partially through the Empire (4th century BC – 3rd century AD). The Legions that poured from Rome to conquer the Mediterranean world held this weapon in their hand.

 

 

YeHoVaH TSaBaoT: The LORD of Hosts

 

10 Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, He is the King of glory. Selah.                                     Psalm 24:10 NAS

 

The Hebrew word tsaba6635 means hosts, army, war, warfare.

It is the root of tsabaoth6635 as used in YeHoVaH TSaBaoT6635  יְהוָ֣ה צְבָא֔וֹת

 

The Hebrew was transliterated into Greek as σαβαώθ (sabaóth) – Sabaoth4519

 

 

Who Are the Hosts that YeHoVaH Leads?

 

The Hosts are God’s Angel Armies of Heaven.

19 Micaiah said, “Therefore, hear the word of the LORD. I saw the LORD sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven standing by Him on His right and on His left.                                                 1 Kings 22:19 NAS

 

In Hebrew, the hosts of heaven are called tseba6635 shamayim.8064

 

 

His People Are Part of His Army

 

We who believe are the People of God.

16 “I have put My words in your mouth and have covered you with the shadow of My hand, to establish the heavens, to found the earth, and to say to Zion, ‘You are My people.’ ”                                             Isaiah 51:16 NAS

 

We who are the People of God are also part of the army of God.

4 A sound of tumult on the mountains, Like that of many people! A sound of the uproar of kingdoms, Of nations gathered together! The LORD of hosts is mustering the army for battle.                                        Isaiah 13:4 NAS

 

 

The Sword of the Spirit

 

17b and the sword of the Spirit,

 

All of the previously named parts of armor are defensive pieces.  They are for standing firm against the darkness of satan and the world.

But, the last piece of God’s armor is the only weapon – one used not just for defense, but also as an implement of assault, an instrument of offense.

The Sword of the Spirit is portrayed as have two, sharpened, honed edges. A sword with two edges cuts coming and going, left-to-right and right-to-left, in and out.

12 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.                                      Hebrews 4:12 NAS

 

 

The Word of God

 

17c which is the word4487 of God.

Ephesians 6:17 NAS

 

The Greeks used two expressions for “word”:

logos – thoughts, intellect, reasoning;

and

rhema – vocalized, oral utterances and messages, communicated by speech.

 

The biblehub.com definitions:

lógos3056 (from légō3004 “speaking to a conclusion”) – a word, being the expression of a thought; a saying. lógos (“word”) is preeminently used of Christ (John 1:1), expressing the thoughts of the Father through the Spirit.

{(lógos) is a common term (used 330 times in the NT) with regards to a person sharing a message (discourse, “communication-speech”). (lógos) is a broad term meaning “reasoning expressed by words.”}

 

rhḗma4487 (from rhéō4483 “to speak”) – a spoken word

  1. properly, that which is or has been uttered by the living voice, thing spoken, word: [vocal sound] having a definite meaning; speech, sayings, what one has said or taught; sentence, declaration, message, promise, doctrine, command
  2. the subject matter of speech, thing spoken of

 

 

Jesus is The Word

 

In the New Testament, logos is used in several ways.

  • The term logos is used to refer to Jesus the Christ.

1 In the beginning the Word[3056] already existed. The Word[3056] was with God, and the Word[3056] was God.                               John 1:1 NAS

 

  • The term logos is used by Jesus to refer to His teachings.

For example, in the Parable of the Four Soils, Yeshua consistently uses logos, translated in the NAS as “word.”                                    Matthew 13:1-23 NAS

 

  • The term logos was used also, when the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit.

31 And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word[3056] of God with boldness.                                       Acts 4:31 NAS

 

However, notice, the Greek term Paul used for “word” in Ephesians 6:17 is rhema4487 and not logos3056

This is the same word that Yeshua used to rebuke the devil at His temptation.

4But He answered and said, “It is written, MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE, BUT ON EVERY WORD[4487] THAT PROCEEDS OUT OF THE MOUTH OF GOD.'”                                              Matthew 4:4 NAS

 

 

What is the Relationship Between Word and Sword?

 

I found this quote regarding the relationship between the Word of God and the Sword of the Spirit.

“The Greek word for ‘word’ in Ephesians 6:17 is not the more familiar logos, but rhema. This seems to indicate specific application of the Word. The “sword,’ the Word of God, is attached to the ‘belt,’ or the truth of God. We might consider the sword to be the immediate word of God and the belt to be the ‘stored’ written Word. The specific word is drawn from the stored Word. We must study and know the written Word of God so that we will be ready when the Holy Spirit desires to give us a specific word that we are to apply to our present circumstances. Thus, we must take the sword of the Spirit firmly in hand in both offensive and defensive warfare.”

A Divine Revelation of Spiritual Warfare, by Mary K. Baxter and Dr. T. L. Lowery, Whitaker House, New Kensington, PA: 2006, p 96

 

The authors’ concept is that the Sword is the Word brought to mind by the Holy Spirit for our use in a particular situation. In addition, they see the Belt of Truth as the source the Spirit uses to draw forth from the Word of Truth that we have read, studied, memorized, meditated on, i.e., “written on our heart.”

 

 

Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God

 

The Word of God.

 

Scripture.

 

YeHoVaH’s revealed Truth.

17 “Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.                                             John 17:17 NAS

 

Yes, the Sword of the Spirit is our weapon of defense, as well as attack.

But we must be very careful using the Sword of the Spirit.

 

We must remember that The Word of YeHoVaH is “a two-edged sword.”

12 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.                                                  Hebrews 4:12 NAS

 

It can cut the enemy.

But it can also cut a fellow Christian.

 

It can pierce the devil.

But it can also pierce a Believer.

 

 

How Do We Learn to Wield the Sword of the Spirit?

 

As with anything else, we learn through education, training, practice, experience, feedback.

 

If you,

  • Read the Bible
  • Learn Scripture
  • Hide the Word in your heart, your mind, your being
  • Write the Word on your heart

 

Then,

the Holy Spirit can “bring to mind” God’s Word as you need it.

26 “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.                                          John 14:26 NAS

 

 

If you want to learn more Word of God, then pray for a hunger for the Word.

 

Yes, pray.

 

Prayer

 

The ultimate armor.

 

More …

next time.

 

 

Blessings,

 

TLThomas

 

It’s ok to doubt, if you check it out!

Be a Berean!

10The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue. 11 Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.                   Acts 17:10, 11 ESV

 

See also

The Battle for Your Life: The Armor of God – Part 1

The Battle for Your Life: The Armor of God – Part 2

The Battle for Your Life: The Armor of God – Part 3

The Battle for Your Life: The Armor of God – Part 4

The Battle for Your Life: The Armor of God – Part 5

The Battle for Your Life: The Armor of God – Part 6

The Battle for Your Life: The Armor of God – Part 7

The Battle for Your Life: The Armor of God – Part 8

The Battle for Your Life: The Armor of God – Part 9

 

 

Please join me in this journey of discovery.

  • Leave a comment, or ask me a question.
  • Share this blog with others, whether they are doubting, or not.
  • Take what I say and CHECK IT OUT FOR YOURSELF!

 

© 2017 by the author