I was trying to cut through some rope with a box cutter the other day and it was not going well. My friend asked me if the blade needed to be changed. I swapped the blade out and what do you know it cut just like it should have. I told him “you gotta keep your blade sharp.”
There is a truth in this when it comes to study of the Word.
The Word is often referred to as a sword as in Ephesians 6:17 (KJV) and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. We are told here to take the sword, but what if we haven’t taken time to sharpen our sword? No, the Word of God doesn’t need us to sharpen it, but we need to be studied in it. This sharpens us, this gets us intimately close with the sword so we know how the edges are. We know how the blade is.
Then we can effectively use it to accomplish what God intends. We must do as it says in 2 Timothy 2:15 (KJV) Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
Think about that: if we can rightly divide the truth, that means it can also be wrongly divided. Just like in the natural world, a dull blade is actually more dangerous than a sharp one. With a dull blade, you have to use excessive, uncontrolled force, which easily leads to slipping. In spiritual matters, an unstudied approach to the Word often leads to forcing a verse to mean something it doesn’t, wrongly dividing it and causing unintended harm to ourselves or others.
Also when you use a dull blade, you have to sweat, strain, and lean your entire body weight into the cut just to make a dent. In spiritual terms, this perfectly illustrates legalism, self-reliance, and burnout. When we aren’t sharp in the Word, we stop relying on God’s truth to do the cutting and start relying on our own human grit, willpower, and effort to push through life’s challenges. As it says in Ecclesiastes 10:10 (ESV) If the iron is blunt, and one does not sharpen the edge, he must use more strength, but wisdom helps one to succeed.
So grab your sword and study it, so it can sharpen you.
Hebrews 4:12 (KJV) The word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit… and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
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