Using a Butter Knife when we have a Mighty Sword

— by Amanda Lawson

It’s not much of a stretch to say that the past two years have been a fight—for health and safety, for peace, for maintaining our jobs and organizations, and more. For many business owners, simply keeping the doors open and employees’ direct deposits submitted on time was a major struggle. Others dealt with furloughs and lay-offs and the burden of guilt that came with difficult decisions. Government stimulus funds mitigated some of the strain, but could do little to mollify the personal (and intrapersonal) tension that accompanied workplace pandemic struggles. In many cases, merely surviving in business felt like an uphill battle for which we were ill-equipped.

Paul encourages believers in a letter to the Ephesians to “put on the full armor of God” (Ephesians 6:11) in order to withstand the difficulties of life, reminding the Body of the salvation, righteousness, truth, and peace the gospel of Jesus Christ provides. While this is a joyful exhortation, it gets even better. The armor protects us from susceptibility to attack, it’s a great defense. Paul also refers to the “sword of the Spirit” (Ephesians 6:17) as part of the holy armor the Body needs, yet his point to the Ephesians was to persevere in defense of faithful living. But a team with only a good defense is not a good team. You need an offense. 

It seems like Christians (Team Jesus, if you will) have been building up good defenses—especially in our work—but if we are to truly walk in the joy, power, and freedom Christ offers us, we also need a strong offense. 

Throughout Scripture, words (ie. the mouth) are considered to be as strong as a double-edged sword. Twice in Revelation, Jesus is described as having a double-edged sword, at one point, coming out of His mouth (Revelation 1:16, 2:12). This is in fulfilment of prophecy in Isaiah about the Servant of the Lord, whose mouth was “like a sharpened sword” (Isaiah 49:2). The writer of Hebrews explains “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). 

We’ve all heard the phrase “the pen is mightier than the sword.” Whether from our parents trying to temper our anger with classmates as kids, or us filling out a customer survey after a rough interaction with a business, the power of words is not a shock. So, if the word is such a mighty weapon and we are believers who have access to Scripture, we have an amazing weapon to pair with our armor. We can mount a strong offense in addition to girding ourselves with defensive helmets, breastplates, and shields.

It begs the question, why do we use a butter knife when we have access to a sword? We have the very Word of God at our disposal. The mightiest sword in existence is sitting on our coffee tables, bookshelves, and even housed in an app on the phones in our pockets. Yet so often we stick to cheap, worldly encouragements in our interactions—especially at work. We tell struggling coworkers “you can do it” and “things will get better,” and we tell ourselves the same things when times get rough. 

But these well-intended encouragements don’t hold much weight. The truth and hope of Scripture, however, is living and active and incredibly powerful. It endures through the hardest seasons. When we are struggling to navigate the ups and downs of living and working in our ever-changing world, the lasting truth in the Word of God is the encouragement we need. 
When we put on the armor of God and we wield the sword rightly, we are a team with a powerful defense and offense against the battles of this world. So, let’s stop grabbing butter knives when we have access to a holy Excalibur. Let the words we speak truly bring life, build up the Body, and be the foundation for how we live every part of our lives, secure in the power of His Word.

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