10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.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. 13 Therefore take up the whole armour of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one;17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, 18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints."
Ephesians 6:10-18
There is only one other place in the New Testament where the imagery of the Word of God as a sword occurs, in Hebrews 4:12. 'The word of God is quick and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword' (but cf Isaiah 49:2, which Paul may have had in mind when he wrote the words before us). Interestingly, however, the Greek word in Hebrews 4:12 is 'logos', not 'rema', as here. This probably means there is some common ground between the two words so far as usage is concerned, but where something more definite is being conveyed there is a particular or special emphasis in the usage of the two words. Two different interpretations have been given of this. The Expositor's Greek Testament maintains that the proper use of the Greek 'rema' refers to the spoken word, the preached gospel and this in its length and breadth, the preached word in all its fullness. Another interpretation holds that 'rema' means 'a specific divine utterance'. That is to say, Paul, in using it here, is not thinking of the Scriptures in general but rather of a specific word that God gives us in specific times of need. One readily thinks of what Jesus said to His disciples when He sent them forth (Matthew 10:19): 'When they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak. For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you'. That is to say, God places a sword in our hand at the strategic moment, and gives us the word to speak. We may well combine both these interpretations for they are not mutually exclusive, but complementary to one another, for both refer to spoken utterance, although in different contexts. Both alike, however, are full of encouragement and challenge.