Christ’s Vision for the Church (5)
“For I have bent Judah, My bow,
Fitted the bow with Ephraim,
And raised up your sons, O Zion,
Against your sons, O Greece,
And made you like the sword of a mighty man.” Zechariah 9.13
The Church militant
Theologians sometimes refer to the Church on earth in any given era as “the Church militant.” The Scriptures go so far as to refer to the Church as the warhorse of the Lord, His conveyance in battle against the forces of wickedness and sin (cf. Ps. 45.3-5; Rev. 6.2; Zech. 10.3).
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 self-righteous political activists; and it is no license for invading nations or going willy-nilly to war, whether actual or verbal. The Lord Himself looks upon His Church as weapons of righteousness for advancing His reign. Our duty is to understand what He intends by this metaphor and to obey what it teaches.
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 here, 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 of 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. We want our conversation, culture, and community to be righteous. And we are resolute and adamant about this.
And, since the Law of God is righteous, walking in obedience to the Law, urging others to do so, and seeking applications of God’s Law in every area of life and culture must be central to all our life and ministry in the churches (Rom. 7.12; Eph. 2.8-10). What else could God possibly mean by calling us, His children and members of His Body, weapons of righteousness? We are to fight for righteousness in all we say and do.
The struggle for righteousness
With respect to those who do not know the Lord, church members should exemplify the righteousness of the Lord, but we must also call on them to forsake their sins and seek the righteousness of Jesus Christ by grace through faith (Acts 2.37, 38; Rom. 3.19-30). We will also need to be conversant with the ways of righteousness—how the Law of God applies to all of life—and willing to explain and defend our views, and to expose false claims to “righteousness”, at every opportunity.
We can do this if we will take seriously our call to seek the Kingdom and righteousness of God. And if we prayerfully consider how to stimulate and encourage one another to good works of righteousness (Heb. 10.24); if we pray for one another, studying and learning the ways of righteousness; if we prepare well for our times together, and plan specific ways to encourage and assist one another in the struggle for righteousness, we may expect to see real progress in the Kingdom in our lives and community.
We must seek to become increasingly equipped to wage the battle for righteousness. What we read and study—or if we read and study nothing at all—will determine our progress in the righteousness of Jesus. Let us not be found lacking in this most basic pursuit of life in the Kingdom.
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 their congregation as weapons of righteousness in the Lord’s mighty hand, and does not prepare them to fulfill this high and holy calling.
For reflection or discussion
1. Are you at all troubled by this terminology, “weapons of righteousness,” in referring to the church? Why or why not?
2. What is righteousness? How do Christians, as weapons of righteousness, increase in righteousness (cf. 2 Cor. 3.12-18)?
3. Why do you think so many believers are reluctant to “call on others” to turn from sin to Christ? How can we improve in this aspect of our calling?
Next steps—Transformation: How’s the struggle for righteousness going in your life? In your Personal Mission Field? Seek the Lord, asking Him for specific guidance to be a more effective weapon of righteousness in His hand.
T. M. Moore
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment to give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
Men, check out our Spring Men’s Reading Groups. Great reads, sound learning, warm fellowship.
This week: Our Read Moore podcast is looking at the Kingdom of God in our book, The Kingdom Turn. In our Crosfigell teaching letter, we are looking at the state of pastors and churches during the period of the Celtic Revival, using contemporary witnesses. And in our Scriptorium column we are studying the sermon on the mount. Click here to see all the other columns and writers available to you.
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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
