A local carpet cleaning business offers an illuminating service for their customers, showing them their need to remove pet stains and odors from their carpets. The cleaning specialists darken the room and then turn on a powerful black light. The black light exposes all the drops and dribbles that are present on the carpet, walls, curtains, furniture and even the lampshades. According to the owner of the business, one homeowner begged him to shut off the light, moaning, “I can’t bear to see it anymore.” The offense was there all the time but was invisible until the right light exposed it.

The writer of Hebrews saw God’s Word as the right light for believers. For him, the purpose of the Scriptures is not only to lead people to salvation (2 Timothy 3:14-15), but it is also intended to lead believers to maturity in faith by its rebuke and correction. He used a metaphor to declare the Bible’s power in accomplishing God’s purpose of transformation. He said the Word is a double-edged sword-the kind of sharp, compact sword that Roman soldiers used in close combat. The sword’s double edges made it ideal for “cut and thrust” warfare.

In other words, the Word is able to pierce through the outer layers of our defensive self-deception, just as a knife passes through the skin. It is able to delve deep into our inner lives, evaluating our motives, intentions, and attitudes and exposing everything that’s hidden.

For the writer of Hebrews, the purpose of the Word of God is to probe, diagnose, expose, and heal the human heart—in totality. As Jesus-followers, let’s slow down, find a quiet place, open our hearts, and spend time each day in God’s Word—experiencing the enabling grace and piercing light of its work within us.