Those who believe in Jesus need to receive and need to apply “…the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” Ephesians 6:17
Jesus is the Word of God.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it…
He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him…
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:1-14
“Through him (Jesus) all things were made” God the Father, God the Son and God Holy Spirit were present when the world was created:
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.” Genesis 1:1-2
When God spoke, the world was created out of nothing except His Word:
“And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.” Genesis 1:3
We cannot understand the Bible—the written Word of God–, if we do not believe Jesus is God. That is because Jesus is the Word. We need His Spirit in order to worship Him:
“God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.” John 4:24
Jesus is the fulfillment of Old Testament:
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.” Matthew 5:17-18
The written word is all about Jesus. He emphasized the importance of believing the whole word of God:
“He said to them, ‘This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.’” Luke 24:44
It helps to see Jesus as the Word when the Word is applied to Him. Jesus is perfect, trustworthy, right, radiant, pure and altogether righteous:
“The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes. The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. The ordinances of the Lord are sure and altogether righteous. They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb. By them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.” Psalm 19:7-11 Everything in the written Word defines the Living Word—Jesus.
We receive the “…the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” because Jesus gave Himself for us:
“who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age…” Galatians 1:4
“…The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20
“…Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” Ephesians 5:2
“…Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her” Ephesians 5:25
“who gave himself as a ransom for all men–the testimony given in its proper time.” 1Timothy 2:6
“who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.” Titus 2:14
The written Word (the Bible) is perfect just as Jesus is perfect. The written Word “is God-breathed”:
“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17
“God-breathed” means “men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”:
“Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” 2 Peter 1:20-21 “Above all” means this is very important to know and believe. If we do not believe that the Bible is the Word of God, we will gradually fall away from the faith we have.
To apply “…the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” we need to use it “for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness”. We need to memorize it, study it and learn to apply each passage to become natural for us to do in our everyday life.
Paul told Timothy how to apply the Word:
“In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage–with great patience and careful instruction.” 2 Timothy 4: 1-2
We can use the Word in a specific situation. Jesus used the word of God as a weapon when the devil tempted Him. For instance, He said, “Man does not live by bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Matthew 4:4 Luke 4:4when the devil told Him to prove He was the Son of God by turning stones into bread. He was quoting from Deuteronomy 8:3
When Jim and I lived in Nova Scotia, we were talking to a young lady who had all sorts of problems. Suddenly Jim said to her, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28 That was what she needed to hear from the word of God at that moment. It was a weapon against the anxiety she was feeling.
Symbols for the Word:
Fire:
“But if I say, "I will not mention him or speak any more in his name," his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot.” Jeremiah 20:9
Hammer:
“Is not my word like fire," declares the Lord, "and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?” Jeremiah 23:29
Sword:
“…the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” Ephesians 6:17
“For the word of God is living 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.” Hebrews 4:12 How powerful is the Word—it penetrates our very being. We know that the Word has and judged us correctly.
“Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations.” Revelation 1:15
“To the angel of the church in Pergamum write: These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword.” Revelation 2:12
Water:
“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word,…” Ephesians 5:25-26
“But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water.” 2 Peter 3:5 God spoke and the earth was formed.
Other thoughts on the Word of God:
The Word of God will keep you away from sin:
“How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word.” Psalm 119:9
“I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” Psalm 119:11
“Direct my footsteps according to your word; let no sin rule over me.” Psalm 119:133
Sin will keep you away from the Word of God:
“This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.” John 3:19-20
The Word of God has power to deliver you from sin:
For instance, if you were involved in adultery and read about the young man in Proverbs 7 and his consequences, you might repent:
“Many are the victims she has brought down; her slain are a mighty throng. Her house is a highway to the grave, leading down to the chambers of death.” Proverbs 7:26-27
Suppose you have been stealing and read how a curse is put on the house of a thief:
“And he said to me, "This is the curse that is going out over the whole land; for according to what it says on one side, every thief will he banished, and according to what it says on the other, everyone who swears falsely will be banished. The Lord Almighty declares, `I will send it out, and it will enter the house of the thief and the house of him who swears falsely by my name. It will remain in his house and destroy it, both its timbers and its stones.’ "Zechariah 5:3-4
Sometimes it’s by experiencing consequences that our heart is changed:
“Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey your word.” Psalm 119:67
The real you is a spiritual being. The Word of God is spiritual food:
“Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation” 1 Peter 2:2
“Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly–mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. “1 Corinthians 3:1-2
Just as you need to exercise physically, you need to exercise spiritually by putting God’s Word into practice:
“But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.” Hebrews 5:15
When you meditate on the Word of God, then it will speak back to you and faith will grow:
“Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.” Romans 10:17
Consider the longest chapter in the Bible, Psalm 119, which is completely about greatness and benefits of living the Word of God.
Fill your mind with the Word of God. By knowing God’s Word, you get to know God.