Articles
Instruments of Righteousness
The apostle Paul reminded the Roman brethren that they had died to sin and had been baptized into Christ and raised to “walk in newness of life” (Rom. 6:3, 4), emphasizing that the old man was crucified with Christ that the “body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin” (Rom. 6:6). To further emphasize the point, he admonished them to “reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin” (Rom. 6:11), concluding, “Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace” (Rom. 6:12-14).
The conversion of every disciple requires that the old man of sin be put to death that we might truly become that “new creation” (2 Cor. 5:17) we are to be in Christ. We must no longer use our bodies for sinful desires, but, as Paul wrote, “instruments of righteousness to God” — that is, we are to use our bodies as the means by which righteousness is practiced, or carried out. But that is to be expected of God's people.
The wise writer gave us a short list of “six things the Lord hates, yes, seven are an abomination to Him” (Prov. 6:16-19), and from that list, let us note those things and how we should now be using our bodies for righteousness, instead.
Our Eyes. First on the list of things God hates is “A proud look.” [The ASV and ESV translate this as “haughty eyes.”] Pride has always been despised by God, if only for the fact it is the attitude of a man that thinks he is better than all others, or too good to bother looking on the needs or cares of another. Peter admonishes us, “be clothed with humility, for ‘God resists the proud’” (1 Pet. 5:5). Paul warns us, “Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion” (Rom. 12:16), and, “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others” (Phil. 2:3, 4), and then urges us to have the mind of Christ (Phil. 2:5-8).
As disciples — this “new creation” in Christ — we should have eyes of humility, understanding we are no better than anyone else, and we are who we are by the grace of God (cf. 1 Cor. 15:10). When we understand that we are called God's children by the abundant grace and mercy of our Lord, and not by our own 'goodness,' we understand we have nothing of which to boast, and we will see ourselves as unworthy of thinking we are more important than others. With humble eyes, we will see Christ alone as the one worthy of preeminence because that is what God intended (Col. 1:18).
Humble eyes will not look down on another man because of his race, his education [or lack of it], his financial standing, his social standing — or any other reason. [Or for no reason at all.] Instead of looking down on others because we have too high an opinion of self, we should look up to others as we serve them in humility.
Our Tongues. The wise writer then notes that God hates “A lying tongue” and “A false witness who speaks lies.” [It is significant to note that two of the things God hates have to do with what we say.] Dishonesty of any sort has always been despised by God, and this is to be expected since “God…cannot lie” (Titus 1:2) and “it is impossible for God to lie” (Heb. 6:18). He is completely truthful, and it is only fitting that we, His children, should be, too.
It is important we watch the words that come out of our mouths, for that is a sign of what is in our hearts (cf. Matt. 12:34). James reminds us, “If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one's religion is useless” (Jas. 1:26). Let us not render our professed faith as useless by speaking words or speaking in a way not fitting.
Our Hands. The wise writer also notes as one of the things God hates “Hands that shed innocent blood.” Murder is one of the earliest recorded sins (cf. Gen. 4:8, and one of the first sins whose punishment was named, and it was clear God's hatred for it: “Whoever sheds man's blood, by man his blood shall be shed; for in the image of God He made man” (Gen. 9:6). Not surprisingly, it was named within the Ten Commandments (Exod. 20:13).
Rather than using our hands for the destruction of another's life, we should be using them to save lives and, more importantly, bring eternal life to them. Carry your Bible with you, and open it up to teach others the words of life (John 6:63, 68). Extend your hand to the poor and needy (Prov. 31:20), and use your hands to lift up those who need some help.
Our Hearts. The wise writer then notes that God also hates “A heart that devises wicked plans.” Jesus noted the truth of this world when He said, “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things” (Matt. 12:35). What we have in our heart will come out in words or deeds, eventually, and this is why God hates the heart that “devises wicked plans”; He knows those plans will in all likelihood eventually be carried out.
Because the heart [mind] controls us and directs us, it is important that God's people have pure hearts (Matt. 5:8), and this means we must put forth the effort to make it pure and keep it pure. Instead of devising wicked plans, we should instead think on “whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy” (Phlp. 4:8). Wouldn't it be great if it could be said of us that we were people after God's own heart, too (cf. 1 Sam. 13:14)?
Our Feet. Finally, the wise writer lists “Feet that are swift in running to evil” as ones God hates. Obviously, God hates evil because it is contrary to Him and His will, and it only follows that He would not want His children to follow after evil, or even to have a desire for it. But what is our desire?
Instead of running to evil, we should direct our feet to the house of the Lord, where we can worship Him and study His word (Psa. 122:1). Instead of running to evil, we should “Depart from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it” (Psa. 34:14); we should “do good to those who hate you” (Matt. 5:44); we should “as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith” (Gal. 6:10); and we should “not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Rom. 12:21).
In everything we do, we should be striving to use our bodies as instruments of righteousness to God, distinguishing ourselves from the world in the very use of our bodies. Let us each be able to say, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Gal. 2:20). Instead of seeking to please ourselves, let us use our bodies to please the Lord, because we are His dwelling place. —— Steven Harper
