Ephesians 6:17

“And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God”

“And take”: Here is another reference to human cooperation. God has never "failed" anyone (Hebrews 13:5). People fail spiritually because they fail to make good use of the free gifts that God has provided for everyone. “Helmet”: “The Roman soldier's helmet was usually made of. tough-metal like bronze or iron. An inside lining of felt or sponge made the weight bearable. Nothing short of an axe or hammer could pierce. heavy helmet, and in some cases. hinged vizor added frontal protection” (Stott p. 281). “Of salvation”: This could refer to the forgiveness of our sins (past salvation) or the hope of future glory (1 Thessalonians 5:8 “as. helmet, the hope of salvation”). It “is that measure of salvation which we have already received (forgiveness, deliverance from Satan's bondage, and adoption into God's family) or the confident expectation of full salvation on the last day (including resurrection glory)” (Stott p. 282). This letter has discussed both (Ephesians 1:3-18).

A clear remembrance of one's deliverance (2 Peter 1:9; 1 Timothy 1:13) is. powerful weapon and defense against evil. The Christian who has "heaven" on their mind, will not trade such eternal wealth for some short-lived earthly pleasure (Hebrews 11:25). The Christian realizes that Satan is fighting. lost cause (Matthew 25:41; Revelation 20:10). The faithful Christian also realizes that the Devil is desperate. In addition, he is also very foolish. Everyone who sides with the Satan will lose everything, and that for all eternity. This demands that the Christian must be well aware of what is at stake. Take the time to find out how wonderful heaven is! Realize what is at stake in this battle and what Satan is trying to keep you from (Revelation 21:4).

“Sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God”: “The Roman sword, unlike the large Thracian sword, was short enough to be effective in close-quarter, hand-to-hand combat” (Boles p. 340). “Moreover, the kind of attack envisaged will involve close personal encounter, for the word used is ‘machaira', the short sword” (Stott p. 282). The revelation given by the Spirit (John 16:13; 1 Corinthians 2:13; Ephesians 3:3), is the instrument the Holy Spirit uses to convict (John 16:8) mankind of their sins and to persuade them to come to Christ (Acts 17:2). Various modern views of the Bible crumble when they encounter this verse. In the Bible the written word of God is extolled for it's ability to enlighten, guide, and cut (Psalms 19:7 ff; Psalms 119:97; Hebrews 4:12; 2 Timothy 3:16). Obviously, such terms cannot be applied to. "corrupted" revelation. “The gospel message placed in the hands of the Christian warrior must be firmly grasped and used with skill” (Erdman p. 138). See 2 Timothy 2:15)

Thus we see the importance of Bible study, for God expects Christians to take the offensive in the fight against Satan (Ephesians 5:11; Mark 16:15). But. soldier who is ignorant concerning the use of the weapon given him, stands at. great disadvantage. Carefully note that the Bible is ineffective for the person who has not learned how to handle it accurately. The gospel is the power of God unto salvation, when it is preached correctly and coherently (Romans 1:16). “A sword is dangerous in the hands of the unskilled. The word of God cannot be effectively used by just any charlatan who can stand on. box and yell” (Spiritual Sword Lectureship p. 243). Years ago. ran across the following:

“It is the firm conviction of this writer that the Bible does not need to be ‘made relevant' to twentieth-century man, any more than it needed to be made relevant to fifth-or seventeenth-century man. Holy Scripture, as the utterance of the living God, is by its very nature the most relevant Word ever spoken. When Charles Spurgeon was asked by. feverish young man, ‘Dr. Spurgeon, how can. defend the Bible?' the great expositor replied: ‘How would you defend. loin? Let it out of its cage and it will defend itself!'. common failing of men in every era is their naive belief that their own time constitutes. qualitatively different situation from all others, thereby rendering the Biblical Word somehow irrelevant for them”. [Note:. The Bible The Living Word of Revelation. Edited by Merril C. Tenney. pp. 202-203]