“As servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; . . . in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left” (2 Corinthians 6:4, 7)
All people are born into a world war of good against evil. The good side’s battle plan, God’s Word, reveals that, while this war is fought in many arenas, our fight is ultimately “not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 6:12). Normal, physical weapons are of no avail in such a battle. We need weapons of righteousness.
Christians, by God’s grace, have the privilege of fighting on the winning side (Revelation 20:7–14). As we know, “it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s” (1 Samuel 17:47). We are trained and equipped by God to complete our assigned missions in that battle (Psalm 144:1; Ephesians 6:10). Paul refers to the instruments God equips us with as “weapons of righteousness.”
In what way are the weapons linked to “righteousness”? God told the Israelites that their power to defeat the evil nations in Canaan was not due to their own righteousness (Deuteronomy 9:4–6), nor our own (Philippians 3:9). In fact, it is all about the righteousness of Jesus Christ: “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). To enter a battle without God’s righteousness assures defeat (Numbers 14:42).
There is no “neutral” side in the spiritual war. All people must choose to join one side or the other, for “no one can serve two masters” (Luke 16:13). Jesus declared, “Whoever is not with Me is against Me, and whoever does not gather with Me scatters” (Luke 11:23). Paul commands, “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God” (2 Corinthians 6:14–16).
Second Corinthians 6:3–10 provides the context of Paul’s reference to weapons of righteousness. Here Paul describes the tough life of a devoted warrior for Christ. The hardships he faces are of every kind—spiritual, emotional, and physical—and they are continuous. That’s why he must always carry his “weapons of righteousness” in both hands—right and left are equally balanced and engaged.
God has equipped us for the battles we face. “For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:3–5). Here are God’s primary weapons of righteousness:
- The Bible. All God’s words are true and righteous (Psalm 119:160, 172) and useful for “training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16). That makes the Bible an effective weapon for Christians. “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12). Jesus used God’s Word to defeat Satan’s temptations (Matthew 4:1–11). The word of the Lord has power to strike down the nations (Revelation 19:15, 21).
- Faith. The Old Testament tells of heroes “who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies” (Hebrews 11:33–34). Jesus revealed that even a small amount of faith has enough power to move mountains (Matthew 17:20). The Apostle John testified, “Everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith” (1 John 5:4).
- Prayer. “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective” (James 5:16). Summarizing the time of the judges, Nehemiah 9:27 says, “When they were oppressed they cried out to you. From heaven you heard them, and in your great compassion you gave them deliverers, who rescued them from the hand of their enemies.”
- Goodness. We are instructed to “overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:21). It may seem that evil is more powerful, or at least more prevalent, but it is only temporary. One believer, taking a stand on the side of goodness, can turn back much evil. It is important that we “add to our faith goodness,” which empowers us to defeat the evil without and within (2 Peter 1:4–5).
- Love. All our other weapons of righteousness are worthless without this one, the greatest commandment (Mark 12:30–31); it is even greater than faith (1 Corinthians 13:1–3), the fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22). “For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline” (2 Timothy 1:7). Love empowers Christians by giving us understanding, encouragement, and joy (Colossians 2:2–3; Philemon 1:4–7). God’s love will protect us from evil (Psalm 17:7; 52:8; 61:7) just as surely as it cleansed us from sin and defeated Satan’s plans against us (Psalm 103:10–12; John 3:16; Revelation 12:10).
War is marked by death. Our Savior conquered death, then gave to us that same power over death and all other threats. Therefore, “we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:37–39). Live victoriously!