What are the weapons of righteousness in 2 Corinthians 6:7?

Verse 7. "In the word of truth." There is here (as indeed in all these specifications of genuine ministerial grace) a challenge of comparison with those mealy-mouthed beguilers of unstable souls who, with loveless hearts wrought plausibly, by good words and fair speeches, to the ravening of the flock. There were many then (and their number is far greater now) who corrupted the word of God; but his boast to the close of his race was, that he had "kept the faith;" men's conscience bearing witness to his words.

"In the power of God" was his abiding confidence, and by that energy his works were wrought. For his personal distinction was bodily weakness and rudeness of speech. Others who trusted in themselves might have recourse to methods of deceit in their propagation of divers and strange doctrines, but as a minister of God he had renounced the hidden things of darkness, and with a confessed inability to think any thing as of himself he was mighty, in the Lord who sent him, to the effectual fulfilling of his mission, both by word and deed (Rom. 15:18-19). Prevailing most when most apparently prevailed against, he was, through a perfect subjection of heart and purpose to the will of the Master whom he served, raised always higher than the adversary, who sought without ceasing to obstruct in the person of this zealous labourer the fulfilment of the work of God (1 Thess. 2:18; Rom. 1:13; Eph. 3:1-13).

"By the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left." Having yielded himself to God as alive from the dead, his members are His also, to be wielded as instruments of righteousness in the work of His good pleasure (Rom. 6:13). Paul had learnt, as an apt disciple of the grace that saved him, to walk justly as well as holily in all his ways (1 Thess. 2:10; Titus 2:12). Whether assailing error or defending truth, he wrought in righteousness, as one who wrought with God and in His sight. His opponents were of Satan, his defence was of God, who saves the upright in heart (Ps. 7:10; 1 John 3:7). Many might secretly deride him, or revile him openly, but when brought before kings, he would speak of God's testimonies, and not be ashamed (Ps. 119:46; Acts 26; 2 Tim. 4:16-17).

"Through [or, with] the arms of righteousness on the right and left, through glory and dishonour, through ill report and good report, as deceivers and true, as unknown and well-known, as dying and behold we live, as chastened and not put to death, as grieved but always rejoicing, as poor but enriching many, as having nothing and possessing all things." (Vers. 7-10.)

As the Holy Ghost naturally precedes love unfeigned, and the word of truth is accompanied by the "power of God," so "the arms of righteousness" in full equipment follow. Some here as elsewhere take "righteousness" as that which is secured by justification before God. But this is to mistake both the figure and the context. As a figure it is a mistake, inasmuch as armour is used to protect one against the assaults of an enemy, which God assuredly is not to the believer. Hence, where we have details as in Ephesians 6, we see beyond controversy that we are told to put on the armour in order to withstand the powers and wiles of evil; not to stand before God, in which case we hear of a robe, not of arms. Clearly then righteousness in the practical sense is in question, rather than the righteousness of God. And the context equally requires it; because the apostle is insisting here, not on the standing of the believer, but on the avoidance of all which could expose the ministry to reproach, and on the cultivation of all that should approve it to universal conscience, representing God aright in a world where everything is opposed, and spite of a nature which is enmity against Him, and this in an earthen vessel as weak as the pressure of circumstances was great and varied and constant, so as to test the workman in every conceivable way.

In 2 Corinthians 6:7, the Apostle Paul in speaking of how he and Timothy commended themselves as God's ministers, he mentions among many things, "the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left." No matter what the circumstances may be, nothing could ever excuse the servant of the Lord, or any saint of God, for acting unrighteously. Anything unrighteous would falsify the testimony of the righteous God Whom we serve, and bring that glorious testimony into disrepute before the world. Therefore at all times, and in all circumstances, righteousness must mark God's servant.

As to moral character, pureness implies no mixture of principles; knowledge is that full awareness of what one stands for, and does; long-suffering is the fruit of a faith that knows God will eventually triumph; kindness is genuine courteous treatment of others. And behind this is the living presence of the Spirit of God operative in the servant; and a resulting "love unfeigned," a genuine real concern for the good of others. "The Word of truth" is a vital matter here too, the one court of appeal as to all that is morally appropriate. And in subjection to this, the power of God is evident in the vessel. Finally, "the armour of righteousness" is found on the right hand and on the left: this is proper concern to maintain righteous moral conduct in both directions, not taken off guard by watching only on one side.

And then he himself was marked by grace, in keeping with the grace he proclaimed. Verses 6 and 7 speak of this. Again we find the matter summarized under nine heads, beginning with pureness and ending with the armour of righteousness on the right hand and the left. Purity and righteousness stand like sentinels, right and left, before and behind; and protected thus, knowledge, longsuffering, love, truth, are found in the energy of the Spirit, and in the power of God. What a beautiful blending of spiritual graces is found here. The servant of God who is armed with righteousness, and yet is full of longsuffering and kindness and love unfeigned, must be like a polished sword in the hand of the Holy Ghost.

This is not the righteousness of God, before God, as Paul teaches us in Romans. This is practical righteousness when we stand before men. Righteousness, briefly, is what is right, but what is the standard? It is for this reason we spent so long at the beginning in opening up the teaching in Ephesians. The practical life that is looked for in this epistle manifests itself in the features of a heavenly man on earth, not doing dramatic things necessarily, as we have already seen, but bringing the ribband of blue, to use the Old Testament picture (Numbers 15:38), the heavenly colour, into all the relationships and activities of everyday life, the home life, the business life, our relations with one another, our relations with all men. Moreover, since here we have mention of a breastplate it supposes a defensive position when the enemy is looking for points to attack and if there are holes how he will exploit them! Think for a moment then of our blessed Lord in what may be called a battle scene, John 8. Here you will remember He was surrounded by religious leaders, bitter enemies. At the end of the chapter they took up stones to stone Him. Later as we all know, they engineered His death. Well, that is the scene in John 8 and our blessed Lord does not hesitate to unmask them. In a lengthened discourse He shows them their true character: "Ye are of your father the devil" (v. 44). The shaft struck right home, and the response was: "Say we not well that thou art a Samaritan and hast a devil" (v. 48). A tense situation indeed! How the enemy would have loved to find a hole in His armour at such a time. Could they? Certainly not! "Which of you convinceth Me of sin?" (v. 46). Does it not gladden your heart as it does mine that we have such a captain of our salvation? No weapon that was formed against Him could prosper and every tongue that rose against Him did He condemn (Isa. 54:17). It will be just the same in glory. When the heavenly warrior comes (Isa. 59:17) He will wear the breastplate of righteousness. "In righteousness will He judge and make war" (Rev. 19:11). But when He has cleared the scene in judgment (what judgment!) and all His enemies will be dust (Ps. 72:9). He will be justified when He speaks, and clear when He judges (Ps. 51:4). Each one, saint and sinner, will feel that their assigned position in that day will be perfectly just. Our blessed Lord wears and will still wear, the breastplate of righteousness. But what of ourselves? Victory is possible, as Paul shows us in 2 Cor. 6. In defending his apostleship (what a need there is today to defend that apostleship) he could speak of "the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left" (v. 7). A hole in the armour is disastrous as even Shakespeare notices "conscience doth make cowards of us all". But "the righteous (that is, those practically righteous) are as bold as a lion" (Prov. 28:1). The breastplate covers our vital organs and how we need it all the time!

There is a slight change in the middle of verse 7 indicated by a difference in the preposition and beginning with the needed arms of the christian servant. We have ἐν ("in" or "by") no longer, but διά. Even the latter cannot here, or elsewhere, be restricted to the sense of "by means of;" for though this might suit the first occurrence, it does not fit in with the two which follow, but rather "through," or "with" as with the genitive it sometimes means (as in 2 Cor. 2:4).

Beseeching them thus, he can appeal to that which was manifestly a character of his own testimony, giving no manner of offence in anything, causing none to stumble and the ministry so to be blamed, "but in everything commending ourselves as the ministers of God, in much endurance, in afflictions, in necessities, in labors, in watchings, in fastings." These were the circumstances suited for the development of such a character as he goes on to speak of: "In pureness, in knowledge, in longsuffering, in kindness, in the Holy Spirit, in love unfeigned, in the word of truth, in the power of God." It is evidently a world just suited to display these things in, as darkness is suited for the stars to shine in it. With reference to the opposition also: "By the armor of righteousness on the right hand and the left, by glory and dishonor, by evil report and good report"; "as deceivers" in the evil report, and "true" in reality; "as unknown," on the one side, and "well known" on the other; "as dying" in the life here, with regard to all the things that in men's thoughts constitute life, "yet living" in the life which alone is true and eternal; then "as chastened and not put to death; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing and possessing all things." What contradictions and anomalies here are nevertheless made all to work harmoniously for the manifestation of Christ and His people! And this was so evident as to the apostle that there was no need indeed to enlarge upon such things. They knew that the staple of his life was found in them. He could therefore appeal confidently in the fulness of the love which he had to them, and in which now through grace he could count upon them. His mouth was open to them, his heart enlarged. Indeed, it had never been in himself that they were straitened, but in those affections really in which, speaking in love as unto his children, he could ask them by way of recompense now to be enlarged.

And working together we also beseech that ye receive not in vain the grace of God (2 for he saith, In an acceptable season I listened to thee, and in a day of salvation I helped thee: behold, now a right acceptable season, behold, now a day of salvation), 3 giving none offence in anything that the ministry be not blamed. 4 But in everything as ministers of God commending ourselves, in much patience, in affliction, in necessities, in straits, 5 in stripes, in prisons in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in fastings, 6 in pureness, in knowledge, in long-suffering, in kindness, in [the] Holy Ghost, in love unfeigned, 7 in [the] word of truth, in [the] power of God. Through [or, with] the arms of righteousness on the right and left, 8 through glory and dishonour, through ill report and good report, as deceivers and true, 9 as unknown and well known, as dying and, behold, we live, as chastened and not put to death, 10 as grieved but always rejoicing, as poor but enriching many, as having nothing and possessing all things.

"But in everything as ministers of God commending ourselves, in much patience, in affliction, in necessities, in straits, in stripes, in prisons, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in fastings, in pureness, in knowledge, in long-suffering, in kindness, in [the] Holy Ghost, in love unfeigned, in [the] word of truth, in [the] power of God." (Vers. 4-7.)