The Sword of The Spirit

Eph 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

This scripture tells us of a weapon that we have from God that is to be used in our work with God in every spiritual endeavor that we undertake. I have worked with many soul winners and heard many of them use the same tired old cliche's such as, "good works will not get you to heaven," "sitting in church will not make you a Christian any more than sitting in a chicken house will make you a chicken," "baptism will not save you," "confirmation is not salvation," "you cannot do enough good works to balance the scale for your salvation," "you cannot wait until you stand before God to find out if you are going to heaven." Now I have used these and many others myself and there is nothing wrong with them but we make a mistake when we use our own words exclusively and not use the weapon that God has given to us.

I see many advertisements about books on how to win Catholics to Christ, how to win Muslims to Christ, how to win Jehovah's witnesses to Christ and on and on, and these are good. I believe that there is benefit in having knowledge of Roman Catholicism when we go to witness to Catholics or knowledge of the Muslim belief when we witness to Muslims and knowledge of Jehovah's Witnesses when we go to witness to Jehovah's Witnesses. However when it comes down to where the rubber meets the road, everyone gets saved in the exact same way, by simple faith and trust in Christ as Saviour.

We make a mistake when we fail to use the greatest weapon available to us and that weapon is the word of the Living God. The scripture tells us:

1Pe 1:23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

Luk 8:11 Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.

Heb 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged 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.

2Ti 3:16&17 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

Some of the most sublime words in the English language occur in the pages of the word of the living God:

Genesis 1:1-3 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

Joshua 1:8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.

Job 23:12 Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.

Psalm 12:6 The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.

Psalm 119:130 The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.
Jeremiah 15:16 Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts.

John 1:1&2 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God.

Revelation 19:13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.

We are told in John 1:1 that our Saviour is the word of God: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. Again in Revelation 10:13 "And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called the Word of God." In view of this information from God's holy word, when we read the word, we benefit greatly if we realize that even reading the Old Testament as well as the New Testament we may see Christ our Lord in every word. He is the living Word, the bible is the personification of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. The bible is Our Lord in print and is a living thing according to Hebrews 4:12 and powerful beyond our comprehension. We can rely totally on the power of the Word as we witness and use the Word at every opportunity.

It all comes down to this fact that any time that we have the great opportunity to be face to face with a sinner and have won a measure of confidence with him, we must use the word of God and sow the seed that God tells us to sow. Our words are weak and ineffective compared to the very words of the living God. Use the powerful weapon that God has given to you every time you can. Give the plan of salvation and read or quote the scriptures in Romans if you are using the Romans road. If you cannot give a complete plan of salvation to a lost person, at least leave them with John 3:16, or I John 5:13, or John 3:3 or some other verse that gives them the promise of eternal life. Sometimes it may be appropriate to leave them with a scripture about the judgment of God such as Romans 6:23, or Revelation 20:15, or Luke 16:22-24. The Spirit of God will lead in the varying situations as you trust him. Remember, the word is your powerful weapon against the wiles of the devil and against false doctrine and unbelief. Use the word.