Have you ever heard the Word of God referred to as a double-edged sword? This description is based on the teaching in the Epistle to the Hebrews: “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12).
As a child, I listened to preachers read this passage from the Bible and wondered what a double-edged sword was like and whether the blade really extended in both directions from the hilt. As I grew older, I understood that there is only one blade, which has both edges sharpened! But what does that have to do with the Word of God? Can you, dear reader, think of what those two edges in the Word of God are? They are the law and the gospel, each having its own purpose.
The Jews had strict ‘traditions of the elders’ or ‘laws’ based on the commandments God gave to Moses. By following them, they tried to be acceptable to God. However, Jesus taught that the law requires perfection: “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” (Matt. 5:27-28). Or: “’You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment.” (Matt. 5:21-22).
The law is so demanding that no human being can fulfill it. It judges people for their thoughts, words, and deeds, as is clearly evident from Jesus’ words. Paul also states that no one is saved by their deeds (Eph. 2:8-9).
Why does the Word of God place so much emphasis on the law?
The apostle Paul writes to the Romans: “What shall we say, then? Is the law sinful? Certainly not! Nevertheless, I would not have known what sin was had it not been for the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, ‘You shall not covet.’” (Rom. 7:7). He continues: “Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin.” (Rom 3:20).
The law, therefore, awakens a sense of sin in people. The situation has not changed since the days of the Old Testament: King David had fallen into the sins of adultery and murder. A man of God, the prophet Nathan, went to him and told him about a wealthy man who took a poor man’s only sheep when he needed food for his banquet. David was outraged and declared, “As surely as the Lord lives, the man who did this must die!” Nathan said, “You are the man! … You struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and took his wife to be your own.“ Straight talk, preaching the law, which awakened David’s conscience. He said, ”I have sinned against the Lord.” (2 Sam. 12:5-13).
An unbelieving man went to a church service of believers. He had heard malicious stories about believers and their gatherings, and he wanted to hear with his own ears so that he would not have to repeat stories told by others. The sermon dealt with various forms of sin. After the sermon, the man muttered angrily to the crowd leaving the church: “You are strange people. Someone told that preacher all the sins of my life, and he revealed them to the whole congregation in his sermon!” A woman said to him: “No one told him. The Holy Spirit guided him to speak about them so that you, too, could find your way into the kingdom of God!” In his autobiography, the man happily recounts that this awakened his sense of sin, and so he, too, received forgiveness for his sins through the words of a believer and the gift of faith in his heart.
It may seem strange, but even awakening a person’s conscience and, with it, the fear of death, is an expression of God’s love. No matter how much we preach that “the kingdom of God is at hand, repent and believe the gospel”, a person cannot believe that his sins are forgiven unless God first awakens him to his sins. If he does not know his sins, how can he repent?
The law leads sinners to Christ
“So the law was our guardian until Christ came that we might be justified [=become acceptable to God] by faith. Now that this faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian.” (Gal 3:24-25). In this portion of the Word of God Paul refers to the most important function of the law, which is to awaken a sense of sin, but also to awaken a desire for salvation and a search for help. One who is truly in distress has a need to seek Christ’s fellowship and beseech Him for help when the opportunity arises. In this way, the law awakens people to their sins and guides them to Christ. Where the function of the law ends, the ministry of the gospel begins.
But how should a person who has been ‘helped to believe’, that is, who has repented, live their life once the law has fulfilled its purpose for them? In the Epistle to the Romans, Paul asks: “What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? By no means! … But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.” (Romans 6:15, 17-19). To Titus, Paul writes simply: “For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say No to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age,…” (Titus 2:11-12).
The other edge of the sword – the message of forgiveness
Grace means God’s undeserved kindness and favor, forgiveness, and mercy toward mankind. Already the first human pair, after falling into sin, heard the promise of a Savior, a hero who would crush the head of the serpent, the enemy of the soul, defeat the power of death, and atone for their sins and the sins of all people (Genesis 3:6-15). Believers who lived before the birth of Jesus were able to believe and trust in that gospel of promise, the promise of a future atoner for sins. Through that faith they inherited eternal life as a gift from God.
The prophet Nathan also believed in the coming Savior promised by God. This faith gave him the authority to declare on behalf of God to King David, who regretted his sins: “The Lord has taken away your sin. You are not going to die.” (2 Sam. 12:13). Neither was Abraham acceptable to God because of his obedience, but because “Abram believed the Lord, and He credited it to him as righteousness.” (Genesis 15:6). The prophet Isaiah also looked to the Savior promised by God: “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5).
Since man is incapable of fulfilling God’s will by obeying the law, salvation is based entirely on God’s grace. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16). In Him, Jesus Christ, is the only foundation of our salvation.
Can people today still receive forgiveness for their sins?
The risen Jesus sent his disciples to proclaim this forgiveness of sins: “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” After saying this, he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” (John 20:21-23). The apostles preached the same good news, the forgiveness of sins through Christ’s merits, immediately after Christ’s ascension into heaven.
A court official in the service of the queen had come all the way from Ethiopia to Jerusalem to pray. He found no peace for his soul in prayer or in reading the Bible, and was returning home empty-handed. However, God had awakened his sense of sin. He sent Philip to explain the Word of God to the man. Through Philip’s explanation, the Spirit of God opened the court official’s heart to the good news of Jesus’ atoning work, through which his sins had also been atoned for. This became clear when the court official asked to be baptized, and Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” The court official replied, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” When the court official accepted the gospel proclaimed by Philip, God gave him the power to believe and become a child of God. So Philip baptized him. The court official did not see him again, but continued on his way rejoicing (Acts 8:26-39). After his resurrection, Jesus said, “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” (Mark 16:16).
This message of mercy and forgiveness continues to be proclaimed from God’s kingdom. The ‘blade of grace’ of the sword of the Word of God touched the angry man sitting in the pew, who had been awakened by the ‘blade of the law’, and he received forgiveness for all his sins in the name and blood of Jesus through a believer’s proclamation of absolution. Even today, sinners can grasp this message of forgiveness of sins with faith. And it gives what it promises: forgiveness for all sins, even unbelief. That sermon continues to echo as a cleansing, living, and life-giving message from God’s congregation, which you can easily reach through the contact form.
In the words of the writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews, the sword of the Word of God “penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” (Heb 4:12). The blade of the law detaches a person from the rock of unbelief, and the blade of grace transfers that person from under the law to under grace, to the freedom of God’s children.
Author: Vesa Tahkola
Image: Juha Alanko, Credits: SRK
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