What Does "Iron Sharpens Iron" Mean?

IRON SHARPENS IRON: March 13, 2023

This past weekend, I was honored with the opportunity to give the message at Ignition Ministries' first annual Warrior Women's Conference based around the verse in Proverbs 27:17 -- "As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another." Over the next few weeks, I'm going to do a blog series recapping key takeaways from the message God laid on my heart if you were unable to attend the conference. If you were at the conference, this blog series will highlight things you might have missed or wanted to be able to write down (sorry, I talk really fast haha!).

This first blog is going to break down what it means to sharpen iron and how the Bible says we ought to do it:

In preparing this message, I googled what it literally means to sharpen iron. According to ToolsOwner.com, the second sentence of an article on how to sharpen an iron says, “An essential aspect of creating a high-quality blade is the sharpening process.” As you scroll, there’s a section for WHEN iron needs to be sharpened. It reads: “Iron may need to be sharpened at many points. Especially when making knives, it is important that your blades are sharp, as dull blades can be dangerous.”

If we as Christians are a knife, then the refining and sharpening process is essential in our walk if we want to be what they call “high quality.” Like the article says, we’ll need sharpening at many points in our life. It’s not a one-time thing. It’s not a couple times a year thing. It’s a constant thing. If we don’t get sharpened often, we run the risk of becoming dull and thus allowing a greater chance for an accident to happen.

There are two simple truths to be learned here: 1.) Left by themselves, two pieces of iron would be dull and useless, and 2.) They get sharper with the help of the other.

In other words, iron sharpens iron.

So, how do we sharpen? Well, before we look at the HOW to sharpen iron, we have to look at the WHERE we learn how to sharpen iron: the Bible.

Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is living and active, SHARPER than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”

We have to be in the Word consistently. When we’re sharpening iron, we're not the ones speaking in those conversations. It’s the Holy Spirit speaking through us.

The Bible gives us 6 qualities of a person who sharpens iron:

1. Good Listener: “Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger.” – James 1:19.

The Bible tells us that listening is an act of love. I think a lot of times, our flesh is focused on ourselves and what we’re struggling with that we forget to check in on our sisters and meet them in their struggles and to listen to their needs. And how similar is that with God? Like with prayer, how often are we only going to Him with prayer requests and asking Him for things we want and not taking the time to tell him what we’re thankful for or telling him all the attributes of who He is. Or just having a conversation with Him because He’s there and wants to hear from us. I know I’m definitely guilty of that. But that’s what having a relationship with Jesus is all about!

2. Counselor: “A stubborn fool considers his own way the right one, but a person who listens to advice is wise.” – Proverbs 12:15

Good counsel can’t come from our feeble human minds. If someone has wronged our friend, our fleshly thought might be to get back at them. But what does the Bible say about that? It tells us to turn the other cheek. To love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. We have to be in prayer for the words to speak truth in love to those around us. The Bible tells us that in James 1:5, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given to him.”

3. Encourager: “Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.”-- 1 Thessalonians 5:11

We need to check in on our sisters, ask how we can pray for them that day, send them promises from scripture, send them songs, etc. We may only play a small role in the grand scheme of their faith walk, but it might make all the difference in the world. One way we do this is leading by personal example. People are watching you. You may not know this, but by your example, you are a mentor to many, particularly those you’re walking alongside most closely.

4. Bears Someone's Burdens: "Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ."— Galatians 6:2

I have the visualization of someone carrying the weight of a sin, of a broken heart, of a heavy prayer request and coming up under that weight and helping them carry that load. That’s what Ruth did with Naomi in Ruth 1:16. She said, "Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die." That's primetime burden-bearing.

5. Calls Out Sin with Love: “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.” – Galatians 6:1

When you see your sister in Christ falling, you have a Biblical duty to come alongside her and talk to her with a spirit of gentleness. 2 Timothy 2:24-26 lays out how we ought to do this: “And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.”

We all need people to hold us accountable and share truth when we step out of line in our faith walk. It’s important to remember that it’s not our job to make them repent. God will handle that. It’s our job to bring it to their attention.

Rachel G. Scott says, “Sharpening should always lead our brothers and sisters to rise to a standard of holiness established by God, not ourselves. It should not depict us as better than each other, but, instead, point us to the ways of Christ so that we do not stain the reputation of our Holy God. I once heard someone say, 'It’s not judgment to point out what the Judge Meant.' Sharpening should not be presented as judgment but should instead bring deeper revelation to what the Judge (God) meant.”

When you’re having these conversations, it’s a fine line of coming at someone accusingly and coming at them affectionately. But it’s a conversation worth having to motivate them for greater things. Along these same lines, we need to confess our sin to one another. There is freedom in your confession. That vulnerability can be so powerful. If you’re struggling with a certain sin, tell your sister so they can be praying for you.

6. Prayer Warrior: "And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people." – Ephesians 6:18

While we can do all these things (be a good listener, be a counselor, be an encourager, bear their burden, call out their sin in love), we need to be in daily prayer for our fellow Christians. Of course, we need to pray when times are tough, but we need to be praying daily for protection against the spiritual warfare that will inevitably come around, especially when you're doing the Lord's work.

Thank you for reading this first installment in the blog series breaking down my message from the Warrior Women's Conference. Next week, I'll break down what happens when we sharpen iron, but more importantly, what happens when we don't...