17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;
and the sword of the Spirit,
The “sword” is the only offensive weapon mentioned in this passage. The sword here is the common sword carried by the Roman soldier. It was a double-edged sword about 18 inches in length used for close-quarter combat. It was employed for hand-to-hand combat. The sword is something the soldier wields against the enemy.
“Of the Spirit” shows where the believer gets his sword; it is the Spirit who gives him the word of God. It is the Spirit who authenticates truth. God’s truth commends itself to the person. This is what divine truth does. The Spirit is both the source and the One who makes the word effective for our lives.
which is the word of God;
The Greek word for “word” in this phrase (rema) is different from the word for the written word (logos). Rema is a particular utterance or text. It is a word for a special situation. In this context it has to do with a word or rema from God for a temptation. It is a word for an application of a specific Scripture.
PRINCIPLE:
God uses specific Scriptures for particular problems in our lives.
APPLICATION:
God gives us a “word” specially occasioned by the Holy Spirit to meet temptation. The reference then is to Scripture we use to address temptation for a particular situation. This kind of word is similar to Christ’s use of specific passages in His temptation with the devil (Mt 4:1-11).
The Holy Spirit gives us specific passages for definite temptations. God’s truth gainsays and resists all false philosophy, all distorted morality, all sophistries that the world presents to us. Satan’s philosophy is supernatural and it takes God’s specific supernatural truth to countervail its falsity.
Light dispels darkness and dissipates doubt (Jn 5:24). It delivers the believer from the devil. One of Satan’s most effective attacks against the believer is to make him or her doubt their salvation and God’s promises. Insecurity disables the Christian from dynamic living for God.
Memory of Scripture gives us relevant Scripture for a particular situation. God will bring to our minds what we need for a certain temptation because we have it stored in the reservoir of our mind.
