Revelation: The two-edged sword

 

 The two-edged sword


Revelation 1:13-16 (ESV)
13 and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest.
14 The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire,
15 his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters.
16 In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength.

Last time, we focused on the white hair like wool and snow that we see here. This was more focused on justification and how Jesus stands in our place as a representative.
Today, we will focus more on faith itself. What does faith look like?
Here we see a two-edged sword coming out of Jesus' mouth. If we were to encounter someone with this, we would not only be startled but also cautious to avoid being struck by such a sword.
Paul tells us what this sword entails:

Hebrews 4:12-13 (ESV)
12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
13 And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

The word of God that comes from the mouth of Jesus is like a two-edged sword. It cuts things in two. It makes matters clear and gives a right judgment about how something is. Such judgment can be painful and even fatal.
But it is not merely fatal. Paul also describes how this sword can end up in our own hands:

Ephesians 6:12, 17 (ESV)
12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,

In our spiritual battle against Satan and his forces, the word of God is the sword. This is called the sword of the Spirit. This Holy Spirit fights in a spiritual manner. It goes directly against the kingdom of Satan in the heart and against the flesh. Our flesh here is what we naturally are; sinful.

For Paul tells us:

Galatians 5:17 (ESV)
17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.

This is an inner struggle for every person. We can help people with this by using the sword, and also when we fight against our own flesh, this must be done with the sword.
But how can we use that word well if we do not believe and trust it?
Using this sword is thus an act of faith. The word must remain in us in this way. It must constantly guide us because we trust in it. In this way, we must also remain in His word as a path that we follow, knowing that deviating from it can only go wrong.
Jesus says:

John 8:31-32, 34, 36 (ESV)
31 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples,
32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
34 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin.
36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

Jesus Himself is our example in this. Although He had no sin, He was still tempted like us by Satan to sin. And what did He do? With each temptation, He quotes God's word:

Matthew 4:4, 7, 10 (ESV)
4 But he answered, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
7 Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
10 Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’”

In our fight against sin, we must trust in our sword (God's word). As long as we do this and realize the power of this sword, we will move forward victoriously. But it is a whole process to learn how to handle a sword and how we can use it best and most quickly. We do not need to be afraid if we see that we are not yet well-trained to handle that sword. But let us at least move forward and practice in the fight of faith.
This is what faith looks like. And this is how sharp and clear the sword is to judge things so that we stay on the right path of love and true freedom; freedom from sin.

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