I’m sure many of us, if not all of us, have heard this passage of Scripture multiple times that says, “The battle is not yours but God’s” (2 Chronicles 20:15), or we might have heard Exodus 14:14, which says, “The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” At the same time, we are often reminded to be in the army of the Lord and to use the Sword of the Spirit to fight. So, which is it? Do we fight or do we not fight?
Sometimes it may feel as if some passages of Scripture contradict one another. But we serve a God who never contradicts Himself. So, what sword is the Bible talking about when it says the Sword of the Spirit?
In Ephesians 6:11,17 we are called to put on the full armor of salvation. We are called to take the helmet of salvation and the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. Another interesting point that we need to consider is that it is also written in Hebrews 4:12 that “The Word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any-double edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” So, we’ve learned that the Word of God is more powerful than a two-edged sword, and because we are called to fight the good fight of faith (1 Timothy 6:12), the Word of God is the best and greatest weapon to use in any situation. The beautiful thing about God is that He will use the things you least expect to bring about victory, and only He gets the praise. “God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong” (1 Corinthians 1:27). So, we should never expect God’s weapons to be the same as our familiar weapons. And we also need to keep in mind that God’s Sword, no matter how crazy it may sound, is the most destructive weapon humanity has ever seen.
No wonder it says in 2 Corinthians 10: 3-5, “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.”
Jesus, the Messiah, won the greatest war ever fought using His Word as the weapon because “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1-2). And Verse 3 says, “Through Him all things were made; without Him (the Word) nothing was made that has been made”, which also means that He (the Word) can also destroy everything. I have read a book written by Scot McKnight and Cody Matchett called “Revelation for the Rest of Us.” Some of the things discussed were that the book of Revelation is not a book to be considered as if it is written to tell us about future events, but rather a book that serves as a tool for how to live as dissident (going against the grain) disciples daily. They also mentioned that the book of Revelation helps us in our daily decisions: choosing whether we’ll be for Team Dragon (which includes the image of the beast, wild things, Babylon, etc.) or Team Lamb (which includes God, the angels, the seven Spirits, seven churches, faithful witnesses, etc.). Also, Cody and Matchett pointed out that Babylon is anything or anyone that bears the signs of anti-God, opulent, murderous, image (image-making), militaristic, economically exploitative, and arrogant. The idea is that we face Babylon daily because it is not some hidden image that we have to force ourselves to recognize. Once we know what distracts us from God, we also know Babylon because it is current. So, each time we come across one or more of these signs, we are dealing with Babylon and must fight against it.
But then how do we fight against Babylon?
We have to study how Jesus fought the greatest war ever and what weapon He used. Jesus did not conquer through a bloody battle but as a Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. So, Jesus used His Word to overcome trials and temptations; so must we.
1 John 5: 5 says, “Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.” Therefore, to overcome the world and all wickedness, we have to believe that Jesus is the Son of God, which also means that because we believe He is the Son of God, we will follow His way. Scot McKnight with Cody Matchett put it this way: “One conquers by worshiping the One on the throne and the Lamb, and on the basis of such worship becoming an allegiant witness, even in the face of opposition, suffering and martyrdom.”
Lastly, why does God want us to use His Sword?
The Word of God says, “We wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Ephesians 6:12). Therefore, we cannot use the same weapons human beings use for battle. Scripture also says in Nahum 1:15, “Look, there on the mountains, the feet of one who brings good news, who proclaims peace! Celebrate your festivals, Judah, and fulfill your vows. No more will the wicked invade you; they will be completely destroyed.” Notice that the wicked will be completely destroyed at the proclamation of the good news of the gospel. We also have to remember that God recognizes His Sword, not man-made weapons. That is why God said to Jeremiah, “I am watching over My Word to perform it” (Jeremiah 1:12). Also, notice that it is not your word or my word He will perform, but God watches over His Own Word to perform it. So, when we speak God’s Word in whatever situation, we are using the greatest weapon ever.
Our weapon is the Sword of the Spirit, that is, the Word of God (Ephesians 6:17). This weapon often seems insignificant before our eyes. We tend to forget that the Word of God created everything and has the power to destroy or bring anything dead back to life.
So, don’t be afraid to use the Sword of the Spirit daily!
SCRIPTURES
“Coming out of His mouth is a sharp Sword with which to strike down the nations. He will rule them with an iron scepter. He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty.” Revelation 19:15
“Keep this Book of the law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.” Joshua 1:8