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Welcome to another installment of “Well That’s Interesting” (you can find the first post with a detailed explanation of the series here, or bookmark this page to keep track of the whole series).

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I was talking with someone recently about the idea of what I’ll call undefined, agreeable phraseology. What I mean by that are the words or phrases we might agree with, or even use regularly, yet when asked to define or explain them, we can’t. We might not know how to articulate what those words or phrases mean (and in some cases we might not even realize that we don’t know what they mean until someone asks), but as long as it sounds good, we find ourselves nodding along.

Now, maybe I’m the only one who struggles with this, but I think it is actually quite common in Christianity. It’s not that we’re seeking to be deceitful or sound smarter than we are (although that definitely can be part of the problem). But I think, for those of us who have spent significant time in the church, it’s easy to absorb into our vernacular a plethora of words and phrases used in Christianity, and unknowingly treat as commonplace imagery and symbolism we really couldn’t fully explain if pressed. Take a moment and consider how you would explain, using a sentence or two, some of the following words or ideas we use in church all the time:

• worship
• fellowship
• the blood of the lamb (or how about the lion and the lamb)
• the difference between grace and mercy (don’t ask me about the time I completely botched explaining this in a youth class. It was more recent than I’d like to admit…)
• holy/holiness
• blessing

Now, maybe you were able to fly through those definitions no problem, or maybe you’re sitting at home, ego bruised, feeling like you don’t know anything about the faith system you profess. My guess is most people reading this are somewhere in between those two extremes. If that’s the case, today’s post is for you!

The Words in Question

That was, I realize now, an incredibly long preamble, as a background for what led me to the passage in question today: Hebrews 4:12–13. Quite simply, this passage contains a phrase that we’ve all heard around the church, but I imagine, more than a few of us might struggle to explain. Let’s read the text together.

¹² For the word of God is living and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, even penetrating as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. ¹³ And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him to whom we must answer.

Hebrews 4:12–13 NASB

Now, it’s possible there are a few different phrases in there that are common yet confusing, but the one I noticed specifically is the idea that the word of God is “sharper than any two-edged sword“. If you’ve spent any time around a church, you’ve no-doubt heard this metaphor. We talk about the word cutting like a sword (or in some cases, a scalpel), and we even specifically call the word a sword when listing off the armour of God: “And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Eph. 6:17). But what does it mean.

Well thankfully when we look within the verse as a whole, the author of Hebrews gives some more insight (albeit in the midst of more imagery). Now, I could take the rest of this post trying to explain the nuances of all of the metaphors and and descriptions used here. But I want to make sure we really get to the heart of the issue (which, coincidentally, seems to be what the author of Hebrews is doing here as well).

The author makes it clear first that the word of God is “living and active”. The Bible is not just an old book, written over multiple centuries by multiple authors and brought together as a collected work over a thousand years ago. While those facts about it are true, it is also true that the Bible has one unifying divine author: God himself, and his words are just as important, relevant, and applicable today as they have ever, and will ever be. And that is what sets the Bible apart from anything that has ever, or will ever, be written. It is the very words of God.

The Sword in Question

But now we come to the imagery of the day: a two-edged sword. I’m sure many of us have heard the idea that the best defense is a good offense, perhaps even in a teaching on the armour of God, most likely with reference to Jesus using scripture to face the temptation of the devil in the desert (Matt. 4:1–11). But here in Hebrews 4, it’s not the “weapon-ness” of the sword that is the focus, but its ability to cut sharply. We’re given the picture of a sword that pierces deeply; deep enough to touch the “division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow”. Many a scholar has sought to explain what the author is referring to with this imagery, but what is very clear is that the word of God can pierce through to the deepest parts of us. I won’t include the entirety of it here, but think of Psalm 139, and the way David describes God’s intricate and intimate knowledge of every part of our being. Here are the first few verses to help us get the idea:

Lord, You have searched me and known me.
² You know when I sit down and when I get up;
You understand my thought from far away.
³ You scrutinize my path and my lying down,
And are acquainted with all my ways.
⁴ Even before there is a word on my tongue,
Behold, Lord, You know it all.

Psalm 139:1–4 NASB

And on the off-chance anyone reading this section of Hebrews thought God’s knowledge of them was purely physical or even spiritual, the author takes it even further. The word of God is “able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart”. The word of God does what no physical sword could ever do, and pierces through to a person’s thoughts and intentions; their ideas, desires, temptations, and ultimately, their motivations.

When I read these words in conjunction with the sword imagery, my mind goes to fear of God. You think a sword is scary? It can pierce deep, sure. It can separate your limbs, rip your life from your body. But God sees everything. He knows the action you are about to take before you take it, and he know exactly why you are taking that action too. My mind goes to Matt. 10:28, “And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” The word of God is able to expose the deepest parts of our innermost being: physical, mental, spiritual, emotional. It is through the word of God that we are able to know exactly what God desires of us: obedience, holiness, perfection. And that same word of God reveals to us just how far we’ve fallen short of that glorious standard (Rom. 3:32). Read again the next verse in Hebrews 4:

 And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him to whom we must answer.

Hebrews 4:13 NASB

God sees all. Everything. Nothing within us can or will remain hidden from the one “to whom we must answer”.

Why Does it Matter?

I’ll admit, I struggled to write this post. Ironically, I think another phrase we Christians often quickly agree with is the idea that God sees all. Yet I’ll be the first to admit that there are times when it is easy to live as though I don’t believe that. Where it’s easier to focus just on human perception, how others see me. Or to make it all about my actions: am I doing good things? Are people seeing me doing good things? Yet often with little-to-no regard for the heart, thoughts, ideas, and motivations behind those actions. Serving in a specific way out of obligation, doing something “good” to be noticed, or not partaking in a specific action out of fear for what someone might think.

Yes, I stopped myself from being unkind to that person. But I sure ripped them apart afterwards in my mind. Is that really better? We’re taught from a young age “if you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say anything at all.” But what about our not-so-nice thoughts that we keep within, dwelling, stewing, growing in discontent and resentment? Jesus makes it very clear in one of his most famous teachings on sin that the standard of holiness is so much more than just our physical actions (Matt. 5:21ff.), and it’s the word of God that cuts to our core, making that very clear to us. God desires our obedience, and that goes far beyond the actions we take in public or in private: to the very innermost depths of our hearts.

The reality is that one day we will stand before our Lord, and you and I will have to account for what we have done with the time he has given us on this earth. We will be held responsible for every disobedient action, but also our disobedient motivations. Our idolatry. Our selfishness. Our dishonesty. Our hatred. Our lust. Our greed. Our envy.

Now, I thank the LORD that on that day I can point to Jesus and say “I’m with him. He died for all my sins so that I can be forgiven.” But the Bible also makes it clear that there are rewards available for those who serve faithfully. And what cuts me deep in this passage today is the thought that when those rewards are on the table, and the entirety of my life is spread there exposed before the Lord—every thought, action, desire—that I might not be so proud of what I have to offer. Today I echo the words of David: “Create in me a clean heart, God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me” (Ps. 51:10).

I know this isn’t the cheeriest of topics, and I’m not normally one to end these things on such a heavy note. But hey, who said being cut with a sword is painless?