Some folks are offended by such martial terminology in reference to the Body of Christ. But this is not an idea invented by hot-headed theologians or pious political activists; the Lord Himself looks upon His Church as weapons of righteousness for advancing His reign.

We know, of course, that, as the Church, we are engaged in a constant spiritual warfare, for the waging of which the Lord has given us many valuable spiritual weapons (Eph. 6.10-20). This is not what we have reference to, however. Rather, the members of local churches – who are being built together as communities of servants into a holy nation and a glorious temple for the Lord – all church members are to consider that they themselves are weapons of righteousness in the hand of the Lord. Just what does this mean to suggest?

The goal of all we do

First, that righteousness is our objective in all we do as the people of the Lord. Righteousness is nothing more or less than the character of Jesus Himself, manifesting in and through us into all our relationships, roles, and responsibilities.

Jesus commanded us to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness (Matt. 6.33). Paul tells us that the Kingdom of God, in fact, is righteousness, and that we do well before God and with men to take this as our calling (Rom. 14.17, 18).

Thus, as servants of one another and the world, the end of all our service must be the increase of righteousness, the increase the resurrection presence and life of our Lord Jesus Christ. We want to grow in righteousness ourselves, and we want to aid and encourage others to grow in righteousness as well.

And, since the Law of God is righteous, walking in obedience to the Law and urging others to do so as well must be central to all our life and ministry in the churches (Rom. 7.12; Eph. 2.8-10).

The struggle for righteousness

With respect to those who do not know the Lord, church members must exemplify the righteousness of the Lord, but they must also call on others to forsake their sins and seek the righteousness of Jesus Christ by grace through faith (Acts 2.37, 38; Rom. 3.19-30).

Further, church members must prayerfully consider how to stimulate and encourage one another to good works of righteousness in every area of our lives (Heb. 10.24). We must pray for one another, prepare well for our times together, and plan specific ways to encourage and assist one another in the struggle for righteousness.

By such means the righteousness of the Kingdom becomes more visible in the lives and ministries of the members of local churches.

The psalmists envisioned the Lord Jesus as going forth each day to advance His cause of truth, meekness, and righteousness (Ps. 45.3-6). This He does with the “sharp arrows” of His people, who wield His powerful Word as they live in His righteousness, call others to repent of their sins and seek the righteousness of Christ, and encourage and equip one another for lives of righteousness in all we do.

No church leader can honestly be said to be building Christ’s church who does not consider the members of his or her congregation as weapons of righteousness in the Lord’s mighty hand, and does not prepare them to fulfill this high and holy calling.

Next steps

How’s the struggle for righteousness going in your life? In your Personal Mission Field? Talk with a pastor or church leader concerning how you might become “sharper” as a weapon of righteousness in this great struggle.

Additional Resources

Download this week’s study, Christ’s Vision for the Church.

Sign up for ViewPoint Leaders Training and start your own ViewPoint discussion group.

The Church is the flash point for revival, but only if we prepare for it as we should. Order a copy of T. M.’s book, Preparing Your Church for Revival, from our online store.

And men, download our free brief paper, “Men of the Church: A Solemn Warning,” by clicking here.

Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.