Wednesday, August 8, 2007

Bits & Pieces: The Bible (6 cont'd.)

"For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart," (Hebrews 4:12).

* "sharper than any two-edged sword" In Ephesians 6, among the articles provided by our Lord for the spiritual warfare in which all believers must be engaged, is the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. Of the various pieces of armor, it is the one given for offense... the others are for defense.
When our Lord was attacked by Satan in the desert, it was the Word He used to counter Satan's strategies. We, too, must keep the edge of our sword keen, ready for use against our foe(s). How? Hearing the Word, reading it, studying it, memorizing, and meditating on it. It is then that we will be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

* The other aspect of this two-edged sword relates to the Word's use by the Spirit in the lives of the lost. For the unsaved one, the Word has a cutting work of conviction of sin, revealing God's standard of holiness, and the righteous requirements of the Law.
Regardless of intellectual objections, rationalizations, or stubborn resistance, the Holy Spirit can use the Word to cut through it all, forcing the unbeliever to face the fact of his/her lost and hell-bound condition.

Learning to answer objections from Scripture is a worthy endeavor, enabling us to "give an answer for the hope that is within us".... but equally needed is the reminder that our arguments are not promised power--- but God's Word has the power of the living God Himself behind it!

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