The Word of God: a scalpel and a gardening tool

The word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than any two-edged sword (Hebrews 4:12).

In Revelation chapter one, Jesus is described in a very interesting way: a sharp two-edged sword came from his mouth. Like most of the images in Revelation, this is not to be taken literally—but what does it mean? The answer can be found in the 4th chapter of Hebrews: the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. Clearly, the two-edged sword coming from Jesus’ mouth represents the word of God, which He speaks to us.

The words of Jesus are sharp; sometimes it hurts to hear them. We don’t like being told that we are sinners. We don’t like being told to change our ways. We don’t like being threatened with hell. It hurts to be told that we’ve got our priorities wrong. It hurts to be told that we’ve misunderstood the Bible. Even some of Jesus’ followers struggled with His words. After He told them that He was the Bread of Life, many of his disciples said, "This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?"…From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him (John 6:60, 66).

The word of God is like a two edged sword. One edge is like a scalpel; Jesus uses it to cut away the evil that infects us like gangrene. He tells us when we are sinning so that we will repent and can be healed through His forgiveness. Like a scalpel, this use of God’s word is often quite painful.

But the word of God does more than cut away sin; it also works to encourage growth. Jesus said, I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing (John 15:5). When we are joined with Christ, we are filled with life that flows from Him. And for us to realize our full potential, periodic trimming is necessary; Jesus said, I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful (John 15:1-2). The other edge of God’s word is like a gardener’s tool, shaping us into something beautiful and productive.

God’s words can be sharp and sometimes painful to hear; but we can be confident that our loving Lord will always use them carefully, to work in us a wonderful result.