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David Platt, in his book Radical, takes the above passage and pieces together the steps to salvation beginning in verse 15 and moving backwards in the passage. Those who preach are sent; those who hear do so from someone who preaches; those who believe do so from hearing; those who believe call on Him in whom they believe.

If it weren’t for the Gospel, raising idolaters would be inevitable. Christian parents would be mired in despair, unable to shake the burden of watching their precious children race toward false worship. Knowing that we are born running away from worshipping the one true God, knowing that only a heart change can rescue our children, knowing that in our weakness we ourselves could point our children to idolatry—all this knowledge would only be devastating if it weren’t for the Gospel.

The Bible has much to say about how we view money, possessions and giving. I would like to focus on the last category: giving. The Bible not only commands us to give but also dictates the manner in which we give.

The sword is the final piece to the armor of God that Paul, in Ephesians, instructs us to take up. Although the sword can be used defensively in combat, it is the only offensive weapon given in the list. Paul says, “and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God”. Notice that we must take the sword. Merely recognizing