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Righteousness can be viewed in a number of ways:
But the overall indisputable fact and absolute truth is that Righteousness is exclusively of God. For no other person is righteous unless it is granted to them by God.
- It can be defined as the mind of God.
- It is also fulfilling the will of God. God’s will is the plan of God for us. God has good plans for His people. Plans which only are aimed at doing us good (Jeremiah 29:11).
- It is being right with God
- Righteousness is also believing the word of God.
But the overall indisputable fact and absolute truth is that Righteousness is exclusively of God. For no other person is righteous unless it is granted to them by God.
Yet again, righteousness can be viewed as the Spirit of God in us. And we can only be justified by way of the Spirit of God in and on us (Romans 8:14-16), (Ephesians 4:30).
We can only and only have the Spirit of God in us by submission to Jesus Christ. Thus for scripture to say; he who is without the Spirit of Christ is not for Christ (Romans 8:9).
When Jesus came, He introduced Himself to us. He wanted rather to be identifiable from all the rest (John 10:8). He wanted us to know who He is and what He came to do. And He said:
We can only and only have the Spirit of God in us by submission to Jesus Christ. Thus for scripture to say; he who is without the Spirit of Christ is not for Christ (Romans 8:9).
When Jesus came, He introduced Himself to us. He wanted rather to be identifiable from all the rest (John 10:8). He wanted us to know who He is and what He came to do. And He said:
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, 19To preach the acceptable year of the Lord (Luke 4:18-19).
In this scripture, Jesus was teachings us that all that He was going to perform was powered by the Spirit of the Lord upon Him. For the Spirit of the Lord is the power in us to perform the things of God.
It is also this Spirit of God which gives us strength to bear fruit. Thus the fruit we bear is called the fruit of the Spirit. For it only comes by the Spirit of God in us. The fruit of the Spirit which we bear by way of the Spirit of God in us is the weapon of righteousness.
It is also this Spirit of God which gives us strength to bear fruit. Thus the fruit we bear is called the fruit of the Spirit. For it only comes by the Spirit of God in us. The fruit of the Spirit which we bear by way of the Spirit of God in us is the weapon of righteousness.
But the opposite is true. If one has not the Spirit of God in them, there is then another spirit. And that spirit can't be anything else other than the spirit of Satan. Each spirit is identifiable by the fruit that comes forth. Out of spiritual ignorance, the disciples John and James asked Jesus to call fire from heaven upon the Samaritans for not seeming to welcome them in that part (Luke 9:52-54).
But Jesus rebuked them and He told them they knew not the kind of spirit that was operating in them (Luke 9:55-56). What spirit could this be?
So then, more often than not, the devil operates in our lives and we are terribly oblivious of this (Luke 23:34). What can this result into?
In this, if we mention the word weapon, it directly implies there is a battle or something to fight against. And in this, we can reliably conclude that this is fighting in the spirit. In any battle, it is pretty true that there are two terribly opposing sides.
So, if we are in battle with an enemy, it is imperative that we understand who that enemy is. It is also very important to understand the nature of the other fighting party. Upon this, we can define the nature of the battle or rather what the battle is about.
And having understood who the enemy is will be helpful to define the kind of weapon to use. That we do agree that the enemy is spiritual, it translates into spiritual warfare. And if it is spiritual warfare, it calls for a spiritual weapon.
The enemy is invisible and thereby using an invisible weapon. In response, ours also has to be a spiritual weapon. Thus ours is called the weapon of righteousness or rather bearing the fruit of the Spirit for that matter.
NB No one would want battles and conflicts. But battle can be pretty interesting if you are winning and your enemy can't tell what your weapon is. Or that even when he knows what your weapon is, it must be that it is pretty difficult for him to acquire and use the same. That means you will hit him over and over again until when he is no more.
Our is not a war to be fought with pangas, machetes or guns. All these will not have an effect on the enemy. For they can destroy the body, but they can't touch the spirit. So then, to be effective in this warfare, we have to identify who and where the enemy is. And if we can do that, then we know what to do.
Now we are well aware that there is an enemy who is terribly targeting and seeking to fail us in this journey and subsequently destroy us. So then, that we can identify who the enemy is, upon this, we must identify what kind of weapon he is using. And if we can identify what the enemy's weapon is, then we know what kind of weapon we should use in response so we defeat him.
Examples of the weapon of unrighteousness
Uncleanliness, Lasciviousness, Idolatry, Witchcraft, Hatred, Variance, Emulations, Wrath, Strife, Sedition, Heresies' Envy, Murders, Drunkenness, Revelings
That we are attacked, and knowing the weapon we are being attacked with, we must fight back in a way. Now, we already said that bearing the fruit of the Spirit or rather the weapon of righteousness is the weapon of the Christians.
With this particular weapon, we fight not how we feel, but how we are directed in the Spirit. The following are examples of the weapon of righteousness or rather the fruit of the Spirit.
Prayer, Worship, Testimony, Fasting, Love, Joy, Peace, Long-suffering, Gentleness, Goodness, Faith, Meekness, Temperance.
The case and example of a soldier
We are soldiers of the Heavenly Kingdom. Agree? How are we soldiers, though? We are soldiers because we have given our lives to the commander who is Jesus Christ, and are therefore Born Again.
We are in the army of God because we have taken the side of God. By being on God's side, we are defying the enemy, and if this is so, we must expect the evil opposing forces to fight back. And the enemy is not simply fighting back, but he is doing so with the intention to destroy.
The army of God is fighting the dark forces, the forces of evil, strong holds, and principalities. Thus for scripture to refer to us the axe of God:
“You are My battle-ax and weapons of war:
For with you I will break the nation in pieces;
With you I will destroy kingdoms;
21 With you I will break in pieces the horse and its rider;
With you I will break in pieces the chariot and its rider;
22 With you also I will break in pieces man and woman;
With you I will break in pieces old and young;
With you I will break in pieces the young man and the maiden;
23 With you also I will break in pieces the shepherd and his flock;
With you I will break in pieces the farmer and his yoke of oxen;
And with you I will break in pieces governors and rulers.
(Jeremiah 51:20-23)
Who is a soldier?
A soldier is one who fights as part of an organized land-based armed force. A soldier can be an enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, or junior-commissioned officer, or an officer.
There are some key words in this definition, but let us pick on the word "organized". To be organized means doing things a certain way. Organization is helpful in preparation and coordination. If these two are lacking, the whole project will fail.
The commander who is but Jesus is coordinating the warfare and commanding it in the spirit. So, if we do not fight as how our commander has directed us, the result is getting lost and outright defeat. For instructions are given but to overcome the enemy and win the warfare.
Once a person enlists as a soldier of any armed forces, that person ceases to be his own. For soldiers have no life of their own. Everything that they do or seek to do must be permitted and directed by the commandant. The reason is that a soldier is always spot on.
Features of a soldier
So then, as soldiers in the army of God, we must learn that instructions are very imperative. Sometimes these instructions can appear very difficult and shaming, but we must take them seriously because this is the sure way to win.
For war is not about just appearing to win, but winning it in real terms. And to win it, you must have tactics. Our commandant gives us these tactics in form of instructions. Thus for Paul to write to Timothy that: once a soldier, your life and its cares is placed in the hands of the commandant (2Timothy 2:4).
He (Paul) adds on that if to be counted a winner, you must strive lawfully. Thus we (the soldiers) of God must follow the instructions of the commandant if we want to win this warfare (2Timothy 2:5).
But Jesus rebuked them and He told them they knew not the kind of spirit that was operating in them (Luke 9:55-56). What spirit could this be?
So then, more often than not, the devil operates in our lives and we are terribly oblivious of this (Luke 23:34). What can this result into?
In this, if we mention the word weapon, it directly implies there is a battle or something to fight against. And in this, we can reliably conclude that this is fighting in the spirit. In any battle, it is pretty true that there are two terribly opposing sides.
So, if we are in battle with an enemy, it is imperative that we understand who that enemy is. It is also very important to understand the nature of the other fighting party. Upon this, we can define the nature of the battle or rather what the battle is about.
And having understood who the enemy is will be helpful to define the kind of weapon to use. That we do agree that the enemy is spiritual, it translates into spiritual warfare. And if it is spiritual warfare, it calls for a spiritual weapon.
The enemy is invisible and thereby using an invisible weapon. In response, ours also has to be a spiritual weapon. Thus ours is called the weapon of righteousness or rather bearing the fruit of the Spirit for that matter.
NB No one would want battles and conflicts. But battle can be pretty interesting if you are winning and your enemy can't tell what your weapon is. Or that even when he knows what your weapon is, it must be that it is pretty difficult for him to acquire and use the same. That means you will hit him over and over again until when he is no more.
Our is not a war to be fought with pangas, machetes or guns. All these will not have an effect on the enemy. For they can destroy the body, but they can't touch the spirit. So then, to be effective in this warfare, we have to identify who and where the enemy is. And if we can do that, then we know what to do.
Now we are well aware that there is an enemy who is terribly targeting and seeking to fail us in this journey and subsequently destroy us. So then, that we can identify who the enemy is, upon this, we must identify what kind of weapon he is using. And if we can identify what the enemy's weapon is, then we know what kind of weapon we should use in response so we defeat him.
Examples of the weapon of unrighteousness
Uncleanliness, Lasciviousness, Idolatry, Witchcraft, Hatred, Variance, Emulations, Wrath, Strife, Sedition, Heresies' Envy, Murders, Drunkenness, Revelings
That we are attacked, and knowing the weapon we are being attacked with, we must fight back in a way. Now, we already said that bearing the fruit of the Spirit or rather the weapon of righteousness is the weapon of the Christians.
With this particular weapon, we fight not how we feel, but how we are directed in the Spirit. The following are examples of the weapon of righteousness or rather the fruit of the Spirit.
The case and example of a soldier
We are soldiers of the Heavenly Kingdom. Agree? How are we soldiers, though? We are soldiers because we have given our lives to the commander who is Jesus Christ, and are therefore Born Again.
We are in the army of God because we have taken the side of God. By being on God's side, we are defying the enemy, and if this is so, we must expect the evil opposing forces to fight back. And the enemy is not simply fighting back, but he is doing so with the intention to destroy.
The army of God is fighting the dark forces, the forces of evil, strong holds, and principalities. Thus for scripture to refer to us the axe of God:
“You are My battle-ax and weapons of war:
For with you I will break the nation in pieces;
With you I will destroy kingdoms;
21 With you I will break in pieces the horse and its rider;
With you I will break in pieces the chariot and its rider;
22 With you also I will break in pieces man and woman;
With you I will break in pieces old and young;
With you I will break in pieces the young man and the maiden;
23 With you also I will break in pieces the shepherd and his flock;
With you I will break in pieces the farmer and his yoke of oxen;
And with you I will break in pieces governors and rulers.
(Jeremiah 51:20-23)
Who is a soldier?
A soldier is one who fights as part of an organized land-based armed force. A soldier can be an enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, or junior-commissioned officer, or an officer.
There are some key words in this definition, but let us pick on the word "organized". To be organized means doing things a certain way. Organization is helpful in preparation and coordination. If these two are lacking, the whole project will fail.
The commander who is but Jesus is coordinating the warfare and commanding it in the spirit. So, if we do not fight as how our commander has directed us, the result is getting lost and outright defeat. For instructions are given but to overcome the enemy and win the warfare.
Once a person enlists as a soldier of any armed forces, that person ceases to be his own. For soldiers have no life of their own. Everything that they do or seek to do must be permitted and directed by the commandant. The reason is that a soldier is always spot on.
Features of a soldier
- Puts on camouflage
- Carries a gun or any other arms
So then, as soldiers in the army of God, we must learn that instructions are very imperative. Sometimes these instructions can appear very difficult and shaming, but we must take them seriously because this is the sure way to win.
For war is not about just appearing to win, but winning it in real terms. And to win it, you must have tactics. Our commandant gives us these tactics in form of instructions. Thus for Paul to write to Timothy that: once a soldier, your life and its cares is placed in the hands of the commandant (2Timothy 2:4).
He (Paul) adds on that if to be counted a winner, you must strive lawfully. Thus we (the soldiers) of God must follow the instructions of the commandant if we want to win this warfare (2Timothy 2:5).
God wants us to fight in the way which reconciles us with Him. Once we are reconciled with God, then we can fight from a position of strength.
Having become stronger, we can then face the enemy, rather with confidence. And then we can defeat him. To have the enemy defeated means having Christ seated and dwelling in our hearts. It is then that we begin to bear fruit.
And when we have borne fruit, then we can impact on our families, communities, friends, and everybody else. If this happens, then we can be proud that we have pretty much won the warfare.
Having become stronger, we can then face the enemy, rather with confidence. And then we can defeat him. To have the enemy defeated means having Christ seated and dwelling in our hearts. It is then that we begin to bear fruit.
And when we have borne fruit, then we can impact on our families, communities, friends, and everybody else. If this happens, then we can be proud that we have pretty much won the warfare.
So then, to say that we ought to fight with the weapon of righteousness is never to mean that you remain idle. No never. Rather you fight the righteous way and using tactics different from those of the enemy. The assurance of victory is but by fighting a certain way and in strict observance of specified
principles of which are.
- Not vengeful.
- It is aimed to save and preserve.
- It is spiritual
- It is not intended for a show.
Where is the enemy?
The enemy is not left or right. He is not up or down. Rather the enemy is not anywhere else. He is in you much as he is in another person. The enemy is in you and me. This enemy is the evil spirit. This evil spirit is operating in each one of us. We are only bent on denying and wishing it away.
Well, how can it be that the enemy is in me?! But how also can it be that the enemy is in the other person?! It is upon this that Jesus told James and John they didn't know what kind of spirit was operating in them (Luke 9:55-56). For if they hadn't been welcomed in Samaria, how were they to manage the situation? So then, it could only be a perception that the other one is bad and not me! For righteousness is never reactionary.
If you will defeat your enemy, you ought to locate them. One of the vital things about righteousness is that it can't be provoked. And if we find ourselves in a position that we are provoked, that pretty testifies that the enemy is in me much as he is in you.
For it is this kind of scenario which provides the fertile ground for me and you to fall prey. But for one of the two or three who are possessed who gets to know the possessor, and thereby fight back by bearing the fruit of the Spirit, will be assured of sweet victory.
Upon this, much as we may perceive the enemy in another person and not in us or me for that matter, it is pretty incumbent that we realize how each one is faced with internal personal battles.
This is a clear indicator that it is only a perception that the enemy is in another person. For if it were not so, why does each one of us have those internal personal battles? On this then, the devil operates in each one of us. The devil uses other persons to attack us, much as he uses each individual to break us.
It is a battle with former self (Romans 6:6). It is not a fight that I may need to hit myself hard. Like we said, the enemy is spiritual and literally invisible. We can only fight this battle by submission to Jesus by whose only power and grace can we overcome.
We are continually confronted with uncontrolled appetite for sex, riches hunger, power, ego, and faced with diseases and demonic attacks etc. These are not directed at us per Se, but they are directed to kill our Faith in God. The devil is already condemned and his only reward is hell. It is a battle to avoid ending there with him.
We are now well aware that there are two terribly opposing forces within us. There is the force which seeks to save and preserve (the Spirit of God). And there is also another force which is seeking to kill and destroy both the spiritual man and the physical man (Satan).
Satan has an agenda, and that is to kill and destroy. And so then, it is not mistaken that scripture tells us that the devil came but to steal, kill and destroy, but Jesus came that we may have life and have it in abundance (John 10:10-11).
For everything which manifests in the flesh, has a spirit behind it. Having realized this, the apostle Paul wrote that we are not battling with physical bodies, but with invisible spirits and principalities (Ephesians 6:10-18).
It is rather the devil's scheme that we become aggressive to each other which can only lead to self mass destruction.
Scripture tells us we are battling with evil thoughts, human reasoning, pride and the like. These can never be dealt with using the weapons of this world. Thus for scripture to say:
Well, how can it be that the enemy is in me?! But how also can it be that the enemy is in the other person?! It is upon this that Jesus told James and John they didn't know what kind of spirit was operating in them (Luke 9:55-56). For if they hadn't been welcomed in Samaria, how were they to manage the situation? So then, it could only be a perception that the other one is bad and not me! For righteousness is never reactionary.
If you will defeat your enemy, you ought to locate them. One of the vital things about righteousness is that it can't be provoked. And if we find ourselves in a position that we are provoked, that pretty testifies that the enemy is in me much as he is in you.
For it is this kind of scenario which provides the fertile ground for me and you to fall prey. But for one of the two or three who are possessed who gets to know the possessor, and thereby fight back by bearing the fruit of the Spirit, will be assured of sweet victory.
Upon this, much as we may perceive the enemy in another person and not in us or me for that matter, it is pretty incumbent that we realize how each one is faced with internal personal battles.
This is a clear indicator that it is only a perception that the enemy is in another person. For if it were not so, why does each one of us have those internal personal battles? On this then, the devil operates in each one of us. The devil uses other persons to attack us, much as he uses each individual to break us.
It is a battle with former self (Romans 6:6). It is not a fight that I may need to hit myself hard. Like we said, the enemy is spiritual and literally invisible. We can only fight this battle by submission to Jesus by whose only power and grace can we overcome.
We are continually confronted with uncontrolled appetite for sex, riches hunger, power, ego, and faced with diseases and demonic attacks etc. These are not directed at us per Se, but they are directed to kill our Faith in God. The devil is already condemned and his only reward is hell. It is a battle to avoid ending there with him.
We are now well aware that there are two terribly opposing forces within us. There is the force which seeks to save and preserve (the Spirit of God). And there is also another force which is seeking to kill and destroy both the spiritual man and the physical man (Satan).
Satan has an agenda, and that is to kill and destroy. And so then, it is not mistaken that scripture tells us that the devil came but to steal, kill and destroy, but Jesus came that we may have life and have it in abundance (John 10:10-11).
For everything which manifests in the flesh, has a spirit behind it. Having realized this, the apostle Paul wrote that we are not battling with physical bodies, but with invisible spirits and principalities (Ephesians 6:10-18).
It is rather the devil's scheme that we become aggressive to each other which can only lead to self mass destruction.
Scripture tells us we are battling with evil thoughts, human reasoning, pride and the like. These can never be dealt with using the weapons of this world. Thus for scripture to say:
"We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. 5 We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ. 6 And after you have become fully obedient, we will punish everyone who remains disobedient" (2Corinthians 10:4-6)
And this translates that if we battle in the body, we can only fulfill Satan's agenda of having us destroy each other. But if we fight in the spirit by prayer, fasting and bearing fruit, it gives us an opportunity to identify, aim at, and target the enemy.
Once we have identified the enemy, then we can fight him accordingly (Ephesians 6:16). This way, it is a good fight. We must fight to win, and to save and preserve each other.
Once we have identified the enemy, then we can fight him accordingly (Ephesians 6:16). This way, it is a good fight. We must fight to win, and to save and preserve each other.
That there is the weapon of righteous, it translates that there is also the weapon of unrighteousness. And if we are instructed to fight with the weapon of righteousness, it means we have to desist from using the weapon of unrighteousness.
Upon this, we could reliably conclude that the weapon of unrighteousness is but of Satan. And the weapon of righteousness is but of God. And to understand well what the weapon of righteousness is, it means we have to understand what the righteous God would do or has done when there are such situations.
How God has managed that, is how we ought to go about it. For God always is, and has always been our perfect example (Matthew 16:24, 20:25-28), (John 13:13-16). That we look to God so we know how to manage our lives to the glory of Him (God).
The question should be: how would God have done this? Or rather how would God have responded to this or that? If we keep seeking God's counsel, then we are counted righteous and have fought the righteous way. For the weapon of righteousness does not seek to promote our bodily ego.
Who fights?.The question should be: how would God have done this? Or rather how would God have responded to this or that? If we keep seeking God's counsel, then we are counted righteous and have fought the righteous way. For the weapon of righteousness does not seek to promote our bodily ego.
Features of righteousness
This way, this weapon (the righteous weapon) can be effective.
Emotions operate within our bodies. But they are engineered by evil pride and the ego of the flesh of which is Satan. Satan uses the following weapons to engineer emotions in us:
The example of David
David was righteous over Saul because much as Saul had sought for the life of David, David did not act the same way Saul did. David knew it was nothing else but that Saul wanted him dead. But when David had the opportunity to finish Saul, and being persuaded by his colleagues to do just that, David never allowed his emotions to overtake him, he spared Saul’s life.
In fact, David continued to refer to Saul as his master (1 Samuel 24), (1 Samuel 26). David had decided to leave everything to God. From David’s experience we learn that some of the things that present themselves to us as if they are opportunities, may not necessarily be so, they could simply be a way for God to test how we manage the mind in such situations.
The example of Jesus
Jesus taught us about the Kingdom of God. He came so that He can take us back to this Kingdom. And that Jesus died and rose again from the dead, He has established this Kingdom (God's Kingdom). The Kingdom of God is now in us. Upon this, much as we may appear literally to be here, yet we are of the Kingdom of Heaven (John 17:11-16). For when we submit to Jesus Christ, we are made members of the Kingdom of God.
Jesus told His tormentors that His Kingdom is not of this world. If it were so, Jesus' followers would have fought back (John 18:36-38). But this Kingdom is not on earth. For it is a spiritual Kingdom. So then, it was a spiritual warfare.
So, it is not that Jesus wasn't fighting back, but He was doing so in a different way and using different tactics. And that Jesus is our perfect example is that we ought to learn from Him. For we fight how He fights. In this, it is that this Kingdom (God's Kingdom), dictates that we react His way and not our way.
The trial of Jesus
Upon His trial, there was no case ever that Jesus was guilty of. Rather Jesus was pretty innocent. That in itself implies that Jesus had every right to fight back, but He didn't. The Pharisees and all the rest ganged up on Him (Mark 15:1-4). He allowed the Pharisees, doctors of the law, and the Roman authorities to exit their evil ego on Him (Matthew 26:67-68, 27:27-31, 27:41-44), (Mark 14:65, 15:31-32), (Luke 22:63-65, 23:11, 23:35-36).
Jesus knew that it was through this way that He would excel in His mission. For He acted in accordance with the demands of the mission and He pretty much succeeded.
The purpose we fight is to win, not to lose. Jesus was only showing us the way how to win this battle which is but a spiritual one. For they mocked Him, spat on Him, mocked Him and exited all sorts of their evil anger on Him, but He did not react literally.
"The soldiers took Jesus into the courtyard of the governor’s headquarters (called the Praetorian) and called out the entire regiment. 17 They dressed him in a purple robe, and they wove thorn branches into a crown and put it on his head. 18 Then they saluted him and taunted, “Hail! King of the Jews!” 19 And they struck him on the head with a reed stick, spit on him, and dropped to their knees in mock worship. 20 When they were finally tired of mocking him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him again. Then they led him away to be crucified" (Mark 15:16-20).
In doing all this, they appeared to be winning, yet it was only a way that they were being defeated. Jesus rather used His suffering to defeat the enemy (Mark 10:32-34), (Luke 17:25, 18:31-32).
And straightway in the morning the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council, and bound Jesus, and carried him away, and delivered him to Pilate. 2And Pilate asked him, Art thou the King of the Jews? And he answering said unto them, Thou sayest it. 3 And the chief priests accused him of many things: but he answered nothing. 4 And Pilate asked him again, saying, Answerest thou nothing? behold how many things they witness against thee. 5 But Jesus yet answered nothing; so that Pilate marveled. (Mark 1:1-5)
Jesus' tactics amaze not only us, for Pilate was equally amazed. He had expected Jesus to defend Himself and fight back in equal measures (Mark 15:5). But He (Jesus) did not respond as was expected.
Jesus was not being idle when He forgave His tormentors on the cross (Luke 23:34). He was rather pretty fighting in the spirit. But they didn't understand what exactly He meant by this. When He (Jesus) defeated them, it is then that they understood what He was doing.
That Jesus looked weak and defeated when He forgave them was the very reason that He defeated them. Jesus is now King of kings. It is surely painful to fight the righteous way, but it is the sure way to victory. Thus for scripture to say; we are strong when we are weak. For the body appears defeated, but the spirit is gaining strength (2Corinthians 12:9-11).
Cutting of the the servant's ear
When Jesus was being arrested, one of His disciples cut off the servant's ear. It would have literally been expected that it was right for this disciple to defend his Master this way. For they had physically been attacked. But Jesus rebuked him. He told him that had He (Jesus) wanted to fight this way, He would have done so, but this wasn't to be the case (Matthew 26:51-54).
For the sword can only be answered with the sword. Jesus wanted to stop this. Upon this, Jesus placed back the ear on the servant from whom it had been chopped (Luke 22:50-51).
The call for fire
When Jesus, together with James and John headed to Samaria, they were not well received. Rather they must have been mocked and pelted. For John and James being that mortal, they asked Jesus to punish the Samaritans by calling fire from heaven like Elijah did (Luke 9:52-55). But Jesus rebuked them. He told them they knew not what kind of spirit was operating in them (Luke 9:56). What spirit could it be?
The Spirit will direct us not emotionally. Jesus defied emotions because of His love for us. Rather His love for us dictated His actions.
Jesus loves us when He should be hating us, He blesses us when He should be cursing us. We ought to learn from Jesus.
What do we learn from Jesus?
We learn from Jesus that salvation is fulfilled in us when we obey and look to Him (Jesus) for spiritual strength, regeneration and progress. For Jesus is our Commander. We must take instructions from Him and duly obey.
- Righteousness is approved only by God. Rather God only approves if we have fought the righteous way (2Corinthians 10:18).
- Righteousness is not occasional. Rather, it is not when it is convenient for us that we should be righteous. Righteousness must remain so even in the most challenging of situations. Thus goes the saying: "what doesn't challenge you can never change you"
- The weapon of righteousness is not a visible one.
- This weapon is in the heart. Rather this is a weapon that is rooted in the heart.
- Righteousness is not a matter of body emotions.
- Righteousness can only be understood and ingrained by a person in the spirit.
This way, this weapon (the righteous weapon) can be effective.
Emotions operate within our bodies. But they are engineered by evil pride and the ego of the flesh of which is Satan. Satan uses the following weapons to engineer emotions in us:
- To vent anger
- To be heard
- To be understood
- To feel cared about
The example of David
David was righteous over Saul because much as Saul had sought for the life of David, David did not act the same way Saul did. David knew it was nothing else but that Saul wanted him dead. But when David had the opportunity to finish Saul, and being persuaded by his colleagues to do just that, David never allowed his emotions to overtake him, he spared Saul’s life.
In fact, David continued to refer to Saul as his master (1 Samuel 24), (1 Samuel 26). David had decided to leave everything to God. From David’s experience we learn that some of the things that present themselves to us as if they are opportunities, may not necessarily be so, they could simply be a way for God to test how we manage the mind in such situations.
The example of Jesus
Jesus taught us about the Kingdom of God. He came so that He can take us back to this Kingdom. And that Jesus died and rose again from the dead, He has established this Kingdom (God's Kingdom). The Kingdom of God is now in us. Upon this, much as we may appear literally to be here, yet we are of the Kingdom of Heaven (John 17:11-16). For when we submit to Jesus Christ, we are made members of the Kingdom of God.
Jesus told His tormentors that His Kingdom is not of this world. If it were so, Jesus' followers would have fought back (John 18:36-38). But this Kingdom is not on earth. For it is a spiritual Kingdom. So then, it was a spiritual warfare.
So, it is not that Jesus wasn't fighting back, but He was doing so in a different way and using different tactics. And that Jesus is our perfect example is that we ought to learn from Him. For we fight how He fights. In this, it is that this Kingdom (God's Kingdom), dictates that we react His way and not our way.
The trial of Jesus
Upon His trial, there was no case ever that Jesus was guilty of. Rather Jesus was pretty innocent. That in itself implies that Jesus had every right to fight back, but He didn't. The Pharisees and all the rest ganged up on Him (Mark 15:1-4). He allowed the Pharisees, doctors of the law, and the Roman authorities to exit their evil ego on Him (Matthew 26:67-68, 27:27-31, 27:41-44), (Mark 14:65, 15:31-32), (Luke 22:63-65, 23:11, 23:35-36).
Jesus knew that it was through this way that He would excel in His mission. For He acted in accordance with the demands of the mission and He pretty much succeeded.
The purpose we fight is to win, not to lose. Jesus was only showing us the way how to win this battle which is but a spiritual one. For they mocked Him, spat on Him, mocked Him and exited all sorts of their evil anger on Him, but He did not react literally.
"The soldiers took Jesus into the courtyard of the governor’s headquarters (called the Praetorian) and called out the entire regiment. 17 They dressed him in a purple robe, and they wove thorn branches into a crown and put it on his head. 18 Then they saluted him and taunted, “Hail! King of the Jews!” 19 And they struck him on the head with a reed stick, spit on him, and dropped to their knees in mock worship. 20 When they were finally tired of mocking him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him again. Then they led him away to be crucified" (Mark 15:16-20).
In doing all this, they appeared to be winning, yet it was only a way that they were being defeated. Jesus rather used His suffering to defeat the enemy (Mark 10:32-34), (Luke 17:25, 18:31-32).
And straightway in the morning the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council, and bound Jesus, and carried him away, and delivered him to Pilate. 2And Pilate asked him, Art thou the King of the Jews? And he answering said unto them, Thou sayest it. 3 And the chief priests accused him of many things: but he answered nothing. 4 And Pilate asked him again, saying, Answerest thou nothing? behold how many things they witness against thee. 5 But Jesus yet answered nothing; so that Pilate marveled. (Mark 1:1-5)
Jesus' tactics amaze not only us, for Pilate was equally amazed. He had expected Jesus to defend Himself and fight back in equal measures (Mark 15:5). But He (Jesus) did not respond as was expected.
Jesus was not being idle when He forgave His tormentors on the cross (Luke 23:34). He was rather pretty fighting in the spirit. But they didn't understand what exactly He meant by this. When He (Jesus) defeated them, it is then that they understood what He was doing.
That Jesus looked weak and defeated when He forgave them was the very reason that He defeated them. Jesus is now King of kings. It is surely painful to fight the righteous way, but it is the sure way to victory. Thus for scripture to say; we are strong when we are weak. For the body appears defeated, but the spirit is gaining strength (2Corinthians 12:9-11).
Cutting of the the servant's ear
When Jesus was being arrested, one of His disciples cut off the servant's ear. It would have literally been expected that it was right for this disciple to defend his Master this way. For they had physically been attacked. But Jesus rebuked him. He told him that had He (Jesus) wanted to fight this way, He would have done so, but this wasn't to be the case (Matthew 26:51-54).
For the sword can only be answered with the sword. Jesus wanted to stop this. Upon this, Jesus placed back the ear on the servant from whom it had been chopped (Luke 22:50-51).
The call for fire
When Jesus, together with James and John headed to Samaria, they were not well received. Rather they must have been mocked and pelted. For John and James being that mortal, they asked Jesus to punish the Samaritans by calling fire from heaven like Elijah did (Luke 9:52-55). But Jesus rebuked them. He told them they knew not what kind of spirit was operating in them (Luke 9:56). What spirit could it be?
The Spirit will direct us not emotionally. Jesus defied emotions because of His love for us. Rather His love for us dictated His actions.
Jesus loves us when He should be hating us, He blesses us when He should be cursing us. We ought to learn from Jesus.
What do we learn from Jesus?
We learn from Jesus that salvation is fulfilled in us when we obey and look to Him (Jesus) for spiritual strength, regeneration and progress. For Jesus is our Commander. We must take instructions from Him and duly obey.
Advantages of the weapon of righteousness:
Yet all this looks quite literally impossible. Thus we say it is by the Spirit of Christ in us that we can bear this fruit. It is not a wish to fight this way. It is not of our own to be this kind of people, but our resolve and will is paramount. It is our humility which breaks any stubbornness, our love breaks any hate, our resolve, will and persistence will break any resistance.
We are fighting an enemy who only manifests rather occasionally in the human body. But his driving force is derived from the evil spiritual powers.
So, there is the possessor and the possessed. Thus the devil seeks to empower the human body by igniting the evil pride so that it is in the human body that he (the devil) does fulfill his agenda.
But Jesus also came so that He empowers the spirit man. And if the spirit man is empowered, he can then overcome the evil desires of the corrupted human body. In this, our weapon should be aimed at the possessor (Satan) and not the possessed (human body).
Paul's good fight
What did Paul mean when he said: "...I have fought a good fight..."? What is this good fight? For it pretty implies that to be defined as a "good fight", rather it is unique in a way. It must be defined in some way (2Timothy 4:7).
And after Paul had said he had fought a good fight, he rather gives two key components and these are:
The "some definable way" of the fight is what we are discussing here. It is rather the righteous way, or the weapon of righteousness for that matter. It is the way that God in His Son Jesus Christ has directed and instructed us to fight.
If we win this warfare, it is a way we gain confidence. But if we lose the warfare, it is a way we lose the same. Paul has confidence that he had fought well because he was pretty confident that he had fought just as was instructed and required.
The following is the outcome of Paul's fight:
It is painful to fight the righteous way.
Fighting the righteous way inflicts damage to the ego of the flesh. Yet out of this damage caused to the flesh, the spirit gains strength. Everyone in the flesh wants to prove a point somewhere somehow. And because of this, a righteous fight can gravely be painful to the egoistic physical man.
Disadvantages of fighting the unrighteous way
- There is assured victory
- The victory is eternal
- It is constructive to the spirit
- It reunites us with God
- It preserves us
The apostle Paul in one of his epistles said this about love. He said that
Charity suffers long, and is kind; charity envies not; charity vaunts not itself, is not puffed up, 5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeks not her own, is not easily provoked, thinks no evil; 6 Rejoices not in iniquity, but rejoice in the truth; 7 Bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
(1Corinthians 13:4-8)
And this is pretty true a revelation that Paul had about love. But there can't be love to speak of in this particular sense if it is not for righteousness. Rather love is a product of righteousness. And if we can reliably conclude that love is not provoked, so it is that righteousness too can't be provoked. So then, because love is a product of righteousness, upon this, we can reliably conclude that whatever love is, so righteousness is.
Why am I saying all this? Righteousness kept Jesus from being provoked. For Jesus didn't simply keep His emotions under check (like most of us simply do), He was pretty righteous. Being righteous is not simply a matter to wish. Righteousness is not a matter to be nurtured. It is a matter of the heart and the mind.
Righteousness is a matter not to be wished. It is not about self. Upon this, Jesus taught that unless our righteousness surpasses the righteousness of the scribes and the Pharisees, we will by no means enter the Kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:20).
All this therefore should teach us that we must never act from a point of anger, but from a point of benevolence. Recall that we fight to save and preserve. For if the enemy uses violence as a weapon, then we must not use the same. We must rather find an effective alternative weapon.
For many of us (Christians) have been found defeated in battle because we rather play it very predictably. We more often than not fight out of provocation. Jesus overcame because He fought rather differently. Jesus denied His enemies the opportunity ever to predict Him. They only realized when He had finished the mission. For if they had known, they would have played it rather differently (1Corinthians 2:8).
In this same vein, our Lord Jesus Christ taught the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5). And many Bible scholars do agree that this is actually the gist of Jesus' mission. In this sermon, Jesus was basically teaching regeneration and transformation.
That on many occasions He used the reference; "...but I tell you now..." He wanted us to know that He was not only giving us direction and instruction, but in Him was all that He taught. For in addition to teaching these things, Jesus had authority over them. Rather He was teaching us what He is.
Jesus wanted to touch our hearts. For meaningful transformation comes inside out and not from outside in. So then, in teaching us these things, Jesus wanted us to regain our authority over what we are. All this can only be by righteousness (Isaiah 54:14-16).
Charity suffers long, and is kind; charity envies not; charity vaunts not itself, is not puffed up, 5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeks not her own, is not easily provoked, thinks no evil; 6 Rejoices not in iniquity, but rejoice in the truth; 7 Bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
(1Corinthians 13:4-8)
And this is pretty true a revelation that Paul had about love. But there can't be love to speak of in this particular sense if it is not for righteousness. Rather love is a product of righteousness. And if we can reliably conclude that love is not provoked, so it is that righteousness too can't be provoked. So then, because love is a product of righteousness, upon this, we can reliably conclude that whatever love is, so righteousness is.
Why am I saying all this? Righteousness kept Jesus from being provoked. For Jesus didn't simply keep His emotions under check (like most of us simply do), He was pretty righteous. Being righteous is not simply a matter to wish. Righteousness is not a matter to be nurtured. It is a matter of the heart and the mind.
Righteousness is a matter not to be wished. It is not about self. Upon this, Jesus taught that unless our righteousness surpasses the righteousness of the scribes and the Pharisees, we will by no means enter the Kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:20).
All this therefore should teach us that we must never act from a point of anger, but from a point of benevolence. Recall that we fight to save and preserve. For if the enemy uses violence as a weapon, then we must not use the same. We must rather find an effective alternative weapon.
For many of us (Christians) have been found defeated in battle because we rather play it very predictably. We more often than not fight out of provocation. Jesus overcame because He fought rather differently. Jesus denied His enemies the opportunity ever to predict Him. They only realized when He had finished the mission. For if they had known, they would have played it rather differently (1Corinthians 2:8).
In this same vein, our Lord Jesus Christ taught the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5). And many Bible scholars do agree that this is actually the gist of Jesus' mission. In this sermon, Jesus was basically teaching regeneration and transformation.
That on many occasions He used the reference; "...but I tell you now..." He wanted us to know that He was not only giving us direction and instruction, but in Him was all that He taught. For in addition to teaching these things, Jesus had authority over them. Rather He was teaching us what He is.
Jesus wanted to touch our hearts. For meaningful transformation comes inside out and not from outside in. So then, in teaching us these things, Jesus wanted us to regain our authority over what we are. All this can only be by righteousness (Isaiah 54:14-16).
Yet all this looks quite literally impossible. Thus we say it is by the Spirit of Christ in us that we can bear this fruit. It is not a wish to fight this way. It is not of our own to be this kind of people, but our resolve and will is paramount. It is our humility which breaks any stubbornness, our love breaks any hate, our resolve, will and persistence will break any resistance.
We are fighting an enemy who only manifests rather occasionally in the human body. But his driving force is derived from the evil spiritual powers.
So, there is the possessor and the possessed. Thus the devil seeks to empower the human body by igniting the evil pride so that it is in the human body that he (the devil) does fulfill his agenda.
But Jesus also came so that He empowers the spirit man. And if the spirit man is empowered, he can then overcome the evil desires of the corrupted human body. In this, our weapon should be aimed at the possessor (Satan) and not the possessed (human body).
Paul's good fight
What did Paul mean when he said: "...I have fought a good fight..."? What is this good fight? For it pretty implies that to be defined as a "good fight", rather it is unique in a way. It must be defined in some way (2Timothy 4:7).
And after Paul had said he had fought a good fight, he rather gives two key components and these are:
- Finishing the race
- Keeping the faith.
The "some definable way" of the fight is what we are discussing here. It is rather the righteous way, or the weapon of righteousness for that matter. It is the way that God in His Son Jesus Christ has directed and instructed us to fight.
If we win this warfare, it is a way we gain confidence. But if we lose the warfare, it is a way we lose the same. Paul has confidence that he had fought well because he was pretty confident that he had fought just as was instructed and required.
The following is the outcome of Paul's fight:
- Paul submitted to Jesus and witnessed for Christ (1 Corinthians 9:19-23).
- Paul lost nothing in the fight. A good fight saves, brings life, mends, reunites, and it is driven by love. He hadn’t substituted anything else for his love of God. This gave him confidence
It is painful to fight the righteous way.
Fighting the righteous way inflicts damage to the ego of the flesh. Yet out of this damage caused to the flesh, the spirit gains strength. Everyone in the flesh wants to prove a point somewhere somehow. And because of this, a righteous fight can gravely be painful to the egoistic physical man.
Disadvantages of fighting the unrighteous way
- Destruction
- Enmity
- Perpetuated hate
- Strife
That we have submitted to the authority of Christ, we do not look to victory to satisfy our own personal ego, but we fight to save and preserve. It is intended to bring many to the obedience of the will of God.
We get victory for us and for those we seem to be fighting against by having them submit to the will of God. For the loser can only be Satan. Everybody ought to know God’s loving kindness for all of us.
We get victory for us and for those we seem to be fighting against by having them submit to the will of God. For the loser can only be Satan. Everybody ought to know God’s loving kindness for all of us.
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