Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” No matter how much people despise it, God’s word is alive and continually at work making sure that in the battle of sinful man vs. God, God gets the final say. Are you ready to take and properly use this most sophisticated weapon? This week we look at element number six of God’s whole armor, and the only completely “OFFENSIVE” weapon of them all (pun intended)—The Sword of the Spirit Which Is the Word of God.

You heard me right. This weapon is probably the most offensive weapon of the whole armor of God. There is a play on words here because it is also the only completely offensive weapon of the armor. When you wear God’s whole armor, your feet are covered with the gospel of peace while your waist is girded with the strong belt of truth. Shoes and belts are neutral elements of the armor. But the breastplate of righteousness, the shield of faith, and the helmet of salvation are clearly defensive or protective pieces of armor. The sword of the spirit is clearly an offensive weapon. Next week, Lord willing, we will see that the final element of God’s whole armor is both offensive and defensive. But for now, we will stick with the sword. Wow! That could be another pun!

So while a sword is used offensively as a weapon to attack an enemy, when it comes to the sword of the spirit, it is also offensive in that it is undesirable to the enemy and to anyone who refuses to see things God’s way. John 3:19 says that light has come into the world but that people love darkness because their deeds are evil. Jesus is the ultimate light, and the word of God is the light of God in written form. The word gives enlightenment or understanding (e.g., Psalm 119:130). The word lights the way to keep one from stumbling (e.g., Psalm 119:105). And as I said previously, it discerns the thoughts and intents of the heart. And fallen sinful creatures just don’t like all of that invasive brightness.

Also, all of the other elements of the armor stand or fall by this one. I am, of course, aware that the shield of faith is the element of armor that Ephesians 6:16 tells us to take “above all”. Yet even faith must have the substance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1). And there is no greater source of that substance and evidence today apart from Christ Himself than the written word of God. The Bible communicates to humanity who Christ is, what God’s plan of salvation entails, how to live for God, gives us all we need to know about the creation from beginning to end, and explains the only two possible eternal destinations—heaven or hell—and how to get there.

As we return to the battle of David and Goliath, we see that 1 Samuel 17:50 and 51 says…

So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him. But there was no sword in the hand of David. Therefore David ran and stood over the Philistine, took [Goliath’s] sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him, and cut off his head with it.

The way the passage reads it seems that David killed Goliath twice. But even that has Scriptural support when you think of the fact that the Bible used the term “twice-dead” in Jude 12! Of course I’m just being silly. But was this overkill on David’s part? Not at all. The Hebrew word used for “kill” in this passage is the same word that is also used for words like “strike,” “beat,” or “hit,”. Certainly the stone could very well have ended Goliath’s life. Or it could have severely disabled him or knocked him out cold. Regardless of whether he died instantly or not which I doubt, the stone in his head is what led to his death,