The Sword Method of Bible Study
In Matthew 10:34, Jesus says the following: “Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.”
For such a figure of peace, this language seems uncharacteristically bellicose. But the “sword” in question may not have been a literal weapon but rather the Gospel, which Jesus would have wielded as such. By the same token, the “sword method” to Bible study may at first evoke images of evangelism so vigorous that it borders on warfare—conversion at the tip of a sword. This is not the case. The sword method of Bible study is not an outward approach to study but rather an inward approach. Let’s explore further.
Why a Sword?
Let’s refer to the KJV once more, this time to Hebrews 4:12, where Paul writes, “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”
The prose is as beautiful and lyrical as ever, but there’s that sword again, this time in another metaphor for the Gospel. It’s natural that Bible scholars would latch onto this verse, for it lays out the precision and clarity of the word of God. From this comes the sword method.
The Parts of the Sword
Picture yourself holding a double-edged sword pointed skyward—to the heavens, as it were—with your hand wrapped around its handle. The sword is a segment of an imaginary line connecting you to God in the heavens. Along its two edges are four questions: on the left edge, “Is there a sin to avoid?” and “Is there a promise to believe?”, and on its right, “Is there an example to follow?” and “Is there a command to obey?” The fundamentals of these four questions—sin, promise, example, and command—form the mnemonic device SPEC. On either end of the SPEC questions are the tip of the sword and the hand that grasps it: “What do we learn about God?” and “What do we learn about people?”
Ask yourself these six questions each time you study the Bible and you’ll do more than just read the words: you’ll learn the lessons of the Bible and discover how to apply those lessons to your everyday life. That, in short, is the wisdom of the sword method.
You can apply the sword method of Bible study to any version of the Bible you wish. The translations may vary, but the fundamentals of studying and internalizing its lessons remain the same. However, if you’re going to devote yourself to such thorough Bible study, you owe it to yourself to pursue the English language at its most artful and enduring and let such writing wash over you. The KJV Store offers true 1611 editions of the KJV Bible for your in-depth studies, editions that feature timeless prose and that are built to last—books truly mightier than the sword.