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Answer
As Paul listed some of the trials he faced in the ministry, he wrote, “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” «But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, », (2 Corinthians 6:4,7) «by the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, », (2 Corinthians 6:4,7). In the spiritual battle, it’s beneficial to have weapons of righteousness.
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” «For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. », (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” «And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saves not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD’s, ».eth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD’s, and he will give you into our hands.” , (1 Samuel 17:47). We are trained and equipped by God to fulfill our assigned missions in that battle (Psalm 144:1; Ephesians 6:10). Paul refers to the tools God equips us with as “weapons of righteousness.”
In what way are the weapons connected to “righteousness”? God informed the Israelites that their ability to conquer the evil nations in Canaan was not because of their own righteousness (Deuteronomy 9:4-6), and similarly, we Christians are provided our spiritual weapons solely due to Christ’s righteousness, not our own «and be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: », (Philippians 3:9). “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” «For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.», (2 Corinthians 5:21). To engage in a battle without God’s righteousness ensures defeat see Numbers 14:42.
There is no “neutral” side in the spiritual war. All individuals must choose to align with one side or the other, for “no one can serve two masters” «No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. », (Luke 16:13). Jesus informed His disciples,“Whoever is not against you is for you” «And Jesus said unto him, Forbid him not: for he that is not against us is for us. », (Luke 9:50), but He also declared, “Whoever is not with Me is against Me, and whoever does not gather with Me scatters” «He that is not with me is against me: and he that gathereth not with me scattereth. », (Luke 11:23). Those statements leave no middle ground—you’re either on one side or the other. So 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 occupied.
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).
Any gift from GodThe power to destroy evil can be described as a “weapon of righteousness.” Here are a few things that can be called a weapon of righteousness:
The Bible. All God’s words are true and righteous «Thy word is true from the beginning: And every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever. », (Psalm 119:160,172) «My tongue shall speak of thy word: For all thy commandments are righteousness. », (Psalm 119:160,172) and useful for “training in righteousness” «All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction 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” «For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged 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. », (Hebrews 4:12). Jesus used God’s Word to defeat Satan’s temptations (Matthew 4:1-11). The word of the Lord is pictured as a sword coming out of His mouth, having power to strike down the nations «And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. », (Revelation 19:1).
(Revelation 19:15,21) «And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.», (Revelation 19:15,21). God’s Word is one of the “weapons of righteousness” against the forces of hell.
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). This should not surprise us, since Jesus revealed that even a small amount of faith has enough power to move mountains «And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. », (Matthew 17:20). “Everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith” «For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. », (1 John 5:4).
Prayer. “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective” «Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. », (James 5:16). Scripture is full of examples of the power of prayer. Summarizing the tIn the time of the judges, Nehemiah 9:27 states, “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.” Through prayer, the drought began and ended during Elijah’s day (James 5:17-18). By praying, Elisha asked the Lord to strike his enemies blind, as written in 2 Kings 6:18. Samson achieved victory over the Philistines through prayer (Judges 16:28-30).
Goodness is another weapon of righteousness. We are advised to “overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:21). While evil may sometimes seem more powerful or prevalent, it is only temporary. One believer, standing on the side of goodness, can push back much evil. It is crucial that we “add to our faith goodness,” which enables us to overcome the evil in the world and within our own sinful nature (2 Peter 1:4-5).
Love is paramount. All our other weapons of righteousness are meaningless without this one, the greatest commandment (Mark 12:30-31); it is even greater than faith (1 Corinthians 13:1-3). Love is a fruit of the Holy Spirit, as stated in Galatians 5:22-23.
(Galatians 5:22). “For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love, and self-discipline” «For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. », (2 Timothy 1:7). Love empowers Christians by uniting us, giving us understanding, encouragement, and joy (Colossians 2:2-3; Philemon 1:4-7). We are to trust in God’s love, and it will protect us from evil (Psalm 17:7; Psalm 52:8; Psalm 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).
In addition to the weapons of righteousness, Christians are supplied with the “full armor of God” to empower us mere humans to stand against Satan himself and all the forces of hell (Ephesians 6:10-17). Our protective gear includes the breastplate of righteousness, the helmet of salvation, and the shield of faith, plus one offensive weapon, our sword, the Word of God (verse 17). We, the church, are to be on the offense, God’s army against whom the gates of hell cannot prevail «And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. », (Matthew 16:18).
War is marked by death. Our Savior conquered death, then gave to us that same power over death and all other threats. Therefore, we “we are more than conquerors through
Through Him who loved us. 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).
