The Sword of the Spirit

by C.H. Spurgeon

"And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God..." (Ephesians 6:16)

To be a Christian is to be a warrior. The good soldier of Jesus Christ must not expect to find ease in this world; for the world is a battlefield, and the christian's occupation is war. As he puts on piece by piece of armor provided, the believer may widely say to himself, "This warns me of danger; this prepares me for warfare; this prophesies opposition."

Difficulties meet us even in standing our ground, and the Apostle Paul, two or three times, commands us: "Stand." In the rush of the fight, men are apt to be knocked down. If they can keep their footing, they will be victorious; but if they are borne down by the rush of their adversaries, everything is lost. You are to put on the heavenly armor so that you may stand, and you will need it to maintain the position in which your Captain has placed you. If simply to stand requires all this care, consider what the warfare must be! The apostle also speaks of withstanding as well as standing. We are not merely to defend, but also to assail. It is not enough that we are not conquered; we have to conquer, and hence we find that we are to take a sword with which to fight. Ours, therefore, is a stern conflict, standing and withstanding; and we shall need all the armor from the divine Captain, all the strength from the mighty God of Jacob.

It is clear from the text that our defense and conquest must be obtained by sheer fighting. Many try to compromise, but if you are a true Christian, you can never do this business well. The language of deceit does not fit a holy tongue. The adversary is the father of lies, and those who are with him understand the art of equivocation; but saints abhor it. We have no order from our Captain to patch up a truce or offer concessions. It is said that if we yield a little, perhaps the world will yield a little also, and good may come of it. No such thing. Neither may we hope to gain by being neutral and as agreeable as we can with our Lord's foes, participating in their pleasures and tasting their dainties. No such orders are written here. You are to grasp your weapon and go forth to fight.

Neither may you dream of winning the battle by accident. No man was ever holy by random chance. Infinite damage may be done by carelessness, but no man ever won life's battle by it. To let things go on as they please is to let them carry us down to hell. We have orders instead to pray always and watch constantly. The one note that rings out is this: TAKE THE SWORD! TAKE THE SWORD! No longer is it talk and debate and compromise! The word of thunder is, Take the sword! The Captain's voice is clear as a trumpet. No Christian will have been obedient to the text, unless with clear, sharp, and decisive firmness, courage, and resolve, he takes the sword. We must go to heaven sword in hand, all the way.

It is noteworthy that there is only one weapon of offense provided, although there are several pieces of armor. The Roman soldier usually carried a spear as well as a sword. But Paul, for excellent reasons, concentrates our offensive weapon in one; because it answers for all. We are to use the sword, and that only. If you are to have no other, take care that you have this always in your hand. Let the Captain's voice ring in your ear, "Take the sword!" and so go forth to the field.

To be continued...

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(1834-1892)
Charles Haddon Spurgeon
...was a noted British Baptist minister who preached to throngs of souls at the Metropolitan Tabernacle in London, England (which held a total capacity of 6000 people, including Standing Room only). Greatly blessed by the Holy Spirit, his success and worldwide popularity were due in large measure to a genius intellect, natural gift of oratory, thoroughly biblical expository messages, along with the fervant prayers of his congregational Tabernacle members. Spurgeon's many writings and brilliant sermons are still widely published today, testifying to his TIMELESS APPEAL.

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