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  The sword…

…and the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God.                                                                             Ephesians 6:17b  The last piece of armor that Paul refers to is the sword of the Spirit, which he defines as the word of God. Unlike the other five pieces of armor, which serve as a…

For not knowing about God’s righteousness and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.                                                                                                                Romans 10:3-4  Paul had a heart for people. He…

This is eternal life that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.                                                                                                                    John 17:3  Salvation is all about knowing God and Jesus Christ. Today’s passage is a portion of a prayer spoken by Christ and in that…

And take the helmet of salvation…                                           Ephesians 6:17a  Knowing that we are saved is the subject of our next piece of armor. Paul describes this piece as the helmet of salvation. Combining the spiritual reality of salvation with the fact that he expresses it as a helmet would give us good…

But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind.                                                                                                                    James 1:6  Faith is essential in our salvation but it also plays a practical role in our daily Christian…

He who believes in Him (Jesus) is not judged (condemned); he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.                                                                                                                         John 3:18  Faith is an essential part of each of the…

…in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.                                                                                                                  Ephesians 6:16  Although we are told to put on the full armor of God, I can’t help but view…

Now all of these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.                                                                        …

Such confidence we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God, who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.                                                                                                           …