Friday, 31 May 2024
THE TRUTH, THE GOSPEL, AND THE WORD
Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith… and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God (Ephesians 6:14-17).
Observe the underlined portions of our theme scripture; they all have to do with using the Word of God. Was this just a repetition or do they refer to different things? These are actually different things. Let’s start with truth. Truth refers to the whole counsel of God.
Jesus said concerning the Word of God, “… thy word is truth” (John 17:17). Truth is what God has said concerning you, the world, the past, the present, the future, and anything else about life, about death, the spiritual, and the material. This means God holds the truth about anything and everything.
Number two is the Gospel of peace. The Bible says “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace… that publisheth salvation…” (Isaiah 52:7). The Gospel of peace therefore refers to the message of salvation.
Now, the whole Word of God isn’t necessarily about salvation, but it points to it. This means the message of salvation is a part of that body of Truth because after salvation, there’s still a life to live. So, what we’re dealing with here is the preparation of the Gospel. It says, “...your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace...” meaning that God is sending you with the message of salvation.
Then the third one is “...the sword of the spirit, which is the Word of God.” This isn’t just the Word revealed and kept within your spirit; it’s dealing with the spoken Word, the “Rhema” of God — God’s Word on your lips. It’s called the sword of the Spirit because it’s for combat.
As long as the Word is inside you, that’s Truth; you’re keeping the Truth in you, which is wonderful. Then the preaching of the Gospel saves, heals and delivers, but there’s a “war.” And the sword of the Spirit, which is the spoken Word of God, is your offensive weapon against the adversary. Therefore, speak the Word always and keep the enemy subdued. Hallelujah!
PRAYER: Dear Father, your Word is the true Light. I’ll never walk in darkness, because your Word guides my path in victory and glory. Your Word is in my heart and in my mouth, prevailing mightily in my life, city and nation as I speak it forth, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
FURTHER STUDY:
2 Timothy 2:15; Ephesians 1:13; Hebrews 4:12
1-YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN: John 15:18-16:1-16 & 1 Chronicles 5-6
2-YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN: 1 Corinthians 14:31-40 & Proverbs 27