Near the end of his letter to the church in Ephesus, Paul emphatically encourages the saints with this instruction:
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might
Ephesians 6:10 ESV
He then instructs the church exactly how to do so in verses 11-18.
Namely, how to “Put on the whole armour of God”.
Paul does this in order to equip the church in Ephesus to stand firm against Satan’s deceitful schemes (Ephesians 6:11)
Jesus referred to Satan as the father of lies for a reason [John 8:44]. We see this in practice early in the Bible when he very cunningly deceives Adam & Eve to eat from the forbidden tree, (Genesis 3)
That being said, it is in the believer’s best interest to take Paul’s words seriously regarding this “armour” to ensure we are well equipped.
Today, our focus will specifically be on the word of God or as Paul referred to, “the sword of the Spirit”,
“And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” – Ephesians 6:17 ESV
What does the word “Take” mean in this passage?
The original Greek term for “take” in this verse is dechomai which means to accept or welcome
We see this same word used in other scriptures like Acts 17:11 which provide us some clarity:
Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so
Acts 17:11 ESV
These Jews received the word with ALL eagerness.
This type of receiving is far more than simply taking the Bible and reading out of ritualistic obligations or linguistic intrigue
In other words, taking up the sword of the Spirit is to gladly accept God’s word.
It implies a desire to know it and Him and a posture of welcoming, rather than simply reading out of a mundane necessity.
In fact, It is possible to acknowledge the wisdom of God’s word but deny its power.
It is possible to acknowledge the historical significance of the scriptures while denying its power
It is possible to be moved by the poetic brilliance and complex literature of scripture while denying its power.
I had a couple of friends who attended Bible College and they once explained to me that one of their best professors was an atheist.
A professor who professionally studies the scriptures, understands the Greek & Hebrew translations along with all the complexities of scripture, all the while teaching it accurately…so much so that Christian’s benefit from it.
Yet, denying its power.
This is why it is so important for us to genuinely take up the word of God, to receive it with eagerness, read with expectation and to welcome the truth.
It is far better to be a man or woman of God who cherishes, accepts and walks in the simplicity of the few scriptures they know, rather then the an atheist who knows all the scriptures, the hermeneutics, exegesis and all the complexities of theology, but denies the wealth of this treasure.
This does not mean we should not delight ourselves in deepening our knowledge of God’s word, but rather be mindful of our heart posture towards.
Moreover, this does not mean that we do not struggle with the temptation of not finding delight in God’s word in our quiet time.
Rather, we make it our mindset to get up the next morning with great hope of receiving precious treasure from the word of God.
My prayer is that God will be gracious to us in transforming our appetite to Him and His word, so that we can agree with the Psalmist and declare for ourselves:
How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth
Psalm 119:103 ESV
More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold;
sweater also than honey and droppings of the honeycomb
Psalm 19:10 ESV
Soli Deo Gloria 