Thursday, June 21, 2018 - Ephesians 6:17, The Armor of God,
Pt. 30. The Sword of the Spirit, The
Word of God, Pt. 1. Lesson # 18-064
Grace Fellowship Church
Pastor/Teacher, Jim Rickard
Stand in Warfare –
Eph 6:10-20.
3. The Equipment, vs. 13-17.
Vs. 17, “And take THE
HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”
Finally, in vs. 17, we have, “and the
sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”
“The order of this verse, with the helmet being received
before the sword, makes good sense, because the soldier who is being depicted
already grasps the shield with his left hand. If he had taken the sword first,
there would be no hand free to receive and put on the helmet.” (Word Biblical Commentary.)
This section begins with the
Adjunctive Conjunction KAI, “and,”
to link the “sword of the Spirit” with “helmet of salvation,” and the entire
“armor of God.” It also repeats the “take” command in the Middle Deponent
voice, from the beginning of this verse.
“The Sword” is HO MACHAIRA. It is the Accusative, Singular, Direct
Object MACHAIRA, μάχαιρα that means, “a small sword or large knife.” It is
different than the RHOMPHAIA, which was a large broad sword, used in Luke 2:35; Rev 1:16; 2:12, 16; 6:8; 19:15,
21.
The word MACHAIRA is used about 30
times in the NT. It is related to MACHE that means, “a fight,” and MACHOMAI,
“to fight.” It is where we get the English word “machete” from. It was
originally used in ancient Greek for a large knife used for sacrificing
animals, as well as cutting up meat, the occupational purposes of tanning, and
even gardening. Later, it came to denote a weapon, particularly a small sword
or dagger.
Its use in the NT always denotes a
sword either literally or figuratively, with the exception of Heb 4:12, when used for the Priest’s
butchering knife. In its figurative use, it denotes power and authority of
governing officials.
It is used for the sword of
justice in relation to the executioner in
Acts 12:2; Rom 8:35; Heb 11:34, 37, and bearing the sword, meant one had
authority and power to bring justice,
Rom 13:4, hence, equivalent to having the power of life and death. That
reminds us of the power and authority the Word of God provides us over Satan
and his governing authorities of this world. Cf. Eph 6:11-12.
In Mat 10:34, Jesus came to bring a sword that divides the believer
from the unbeliever.
Mat 10:34, “Do not think that I came to bring peace on the
earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.”
The sword was the basic weapon of
the ancient world for close combat. The Roman sword was the greatest of all
weapons and it had a number of important aspects that made it extremely
effective. First, it was a short lightweight sword, only 18 to 24 inches long. This
was in contrast to the four, five, and even six-foot swords used by the
barbarians. It could be swung easily and quickly, quicker than the longer
swords used by other militaries. It had two sides, both edges were very sharp,
as well as having a very sharp point. It also had a good hand guard so that the
hand did not slip off. All of these can be used to draw various analogies to
wielding the Word of God in the spiritual warfare we are a part of.
In this imagery, we also see that
it represents hand to hand combat. As the shield could ward off long range
fire, as well as close hand to hand combat, the sword was only used when up
close and personal. This tells us of the intimacy of temptations in our soul
from within and without. Because of this intimacy, we need an effective weapon
to fight with to be victorious. This sword is that weapon.
Next we have, “of the Spirit.” It is the Ablative
Genitive of Source for HO PNEUMA πνεῦμ. It means, God the Holy Spirit, the
third member of the Trinity. We could translate this, “the Sword from the
Spirit.” “Of the Spirit,” cannot be the Genitive of Apposition. The Spirit is
not the sword; this would be inconsistent, as the sword is something which the
soldier wields, but the Christian cannot control the Spirit. Instead, the
Spirit is the one who empowers and enables the believer to function in the
spiritual life and He is the one who helps us wield this sword. It is God the
Holy Spirit that makes the sword powerful and effective. The Spirit gives the
sword its power and penetration, cf. 2
Cor 10:4; 1 Thes 1:5; 2 Peter 1:21.
2 Cor 10:4, “For the weapons of our warfare are not of the
flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses.”
2 Peter 1:21, “For no prophecy was ever made by an act of
human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.”
Then we have, “which is the Word of God,” HOS EIMI
RHEMA THEOS.
“Which,” is the Relative Pronoun of HOS that refers back to the
“sword of the Spirit,” and sets up its definition that follows.
“Is,” is the verb EIMI, εἰμί in the Present, Active, Indicative that
means, “to be, exist, live, am, etc.” It is describing the relationship between
the “sword” we are to wield by means of the Holy Spirit and the “word of God.”
Here it is used as a copula to unite the “sword” with “the Word of God.” The
Stative Present indicates the fact that Bible doctrine perpetually exists. The
Active Voice: The sword from the Spirit produces the action of the verb, and
the “sword” of the Spirit is the “Word of God.” The Indicative Mood is
declarative for a dogmatic statement of fact.
The phrase, “The Word of God,” uses the Genitive of Source of RHEMA rather than
LOGOS here. RHEMA, ῥῆμα means, “a thing spoken, word, saying, a speech,
discourse, etc.” It is used 70 times in the NT and many times its meaning
overlaps with LOGOS. It typically means a single text or passage when referring
to the Bible, but here, tied with THEOS, it includes the entire Word of God,
not just a single text or passage as it normally would. It is what God has spoken,
His Word, the Bible. This is what is sharper than any double-edged sword, Heb 4:12. It is the wisdom of God and
the power of God found in His Word.
Its emphasis here, and in other
passages, the recall or application of individual texts from the full directory
of the entire Bible that we can use when facing the various temptations from
our own OSN, or from Satan and his cosmic system, as Jesus did, Mat 4:4; cf. Deut 8:3.
Mat 4:4, “But He answered and said, "It is written,
'Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word (RHEMA) that proceeds
out of the mouth of God.'”
Satan tempted Jesus 3 times in Mat 4:1-13. Each time Jesus used the
Word of God to refute him. In that scene we also see that Satan can also quote
the Word: “For it is written,” Luke 4:10,
but he does not quote it completely. Satan tries to use the Word of God to
confuse us, so it is important that we know every word that God has given us.
Someone once said, “You can prove
anything by the Bible.” That is true, if you take verses out of context, leave
out words, and apply verses that do not really apply. Therefore, the better you
know the Word of God, the easier it will be for you to detect Satan’s lies and
reject his offers.
Therefore, “the Word of God,”
means the doctrines, promises, principles, and precepts of God revealed and
taught in the Bible, John 3:34; 8:47;
17:8; Acts 10:37; Rom 10:17; Eph 5:26; 6:17; 1 Peter 1:25.
“I always enjoy visiting places that have old weapons,
especially swords. Sometimes you can see the really big swords in the museums.
Some of them weigh more than I do. What many think, as they hold or look on
these massive swords, is that they are interesting but practically useless for
modern warfare. No one would recommend them to be issued to troops today. How
similar this is to their opinion of the Bible. Many people admire the Bible and
may put the Bible on display in their homes somewhere (normally a huge Bible),
but some of these same people never use the Bible. Why? They deem it like an
ancient sword, useless for modern warfare.
This should not surprise us. In the garden the evil one
raised doubt and suspicion about God's word. But do not be deceived. You can
trust God's Word. You need God's Word. Do not go into battle without a sword.
Read it. Meditate on it. Pray it. Proclaim it.” (Christ-Centered Exposition.)
RHEMA was also used in Eph 5:26, speaking to the cleansing
effect the Word of God, especially the Gospel of Jesus Christ, has over the
soul.
Eph 5:26, “So that He might sanctify her, having cleansed
her by the washing of water with the word.”
Because of this verse, many
commentators believe “the word of God” in our passage only refers to the Gospel
of Jesus Christ. But in true context, it is referring to the entire Bible.
Everything spoke by God through His prophets and Jesus Christ.
Therefore, as these passages about
the armor of God are speaking to the believer post salvation, we are
experientially cleansed from sin and future temptation by the Word of God, the
Sword of the Spirit. In our verse, and Heb
4:12, “sword” is used with the “Word of God” that divides. In Hebrews, its
function is to discern the heart, to lay open the secret human intentions and
thoughts so that evil can be rooted out. In our verse, it is used similarly to
root out and even stop from penetrating the temptations of Satan and his cosmic
system that can easily defeat our spiritual walk, through the application of
the doctrinal principles and precepts found in the Bible.
Therefore, “The sword is not the πνεῦμα but the Word of God, characterized as the
sword that proceeds from the Spirit and is given by Him.” (Theological
Dictionary of the New Testament.)
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