In New Testament times swords were not for digging, shaving, or whittling. They were for killing. So when Paul calls the word of God the sword of the Spirit in Ephesians 6:17, he is serious—something must be put to death. And it is not people. Christians don’t kill people to spread our faith; we die to spread our faith. The link in Paul’s mind is given in Romans 8:13. If by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. The word of God is the sword of the Spirit. The Sword is for putting to death. And by the Spirit we put to death our sinful deeds. So I conclude that the way we kill our sins is with the Spirit’s sword, the word of God. All temptations to sin have power by lying. The are deceitful desires (Ephesians 4:22). They tell us that the pleasure of the sin is worth it. The killing blow against these lies is the power of God’s truth. Hence the sword of the Spirit, God’s word, is the weapon to use.
Posted on: Sun, 20 Oct 2013 22:08:24 +0000