Hopla And Your Body

Many Christians turn to Ephesians 6 for teaching on spiritual warfare. But Romans 6:12–14 is just as profoundly warlike—if we let the Greek speak.

At the heart of this passage is the word ὅπλα (hopla), which, in verse 13, refers to your bodily members as weapons. This changes how we read the entire section.

“Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts.
Neither yield your members as weapons of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as weapons of righteousness unto God.
For sin shall not have dominion over you: for you are not under the law, but under grace.”
— Romans 6:12–14 (with hopla rendered as “weapons”)

“Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts.”

Several truths stand out:

• Sin seeks to reign—to act as a king.

• The territory it wants to rule is your mortal body.

• Its rule is expressed through lusts—desires that pull your body into disobedience.

Your body is not a side issue in the Christian life:

Your body is the ground on which the spiritual war is visibly fought.

“Neither yield your members as weapons of unrighteousness unto sin…”

By “members,” Paul means:

• Eyes and ears

• Tongue and mind

• Hands, feet, and all bodily capacities

• Your sexual powers and physical strength

Each of these is not merely a “tool.” Paul calls them weapons (hopla):

• They can be deployed

• They can harm or heal, tear down or build up

• They are never neutral—they always serve one kingdom or the other

When you gossip, you are deploying your tongue as a weapon for unrighteousness.
When you indulge lust, your eyes and imagination become weapons in sin’s hands.
When you lash out in anger, your words and actions become ammunition against others—and ultimately against God’s purposes.

“Neither yield your members as weapons of unrighteousness unto sin…”

“Yield” means to present or place at someone’s disposal. Paul pictures two opposing commanders:

• Sin, seeking to conscript your members into its service

• God, calling those same members into His righteous purposes

There is no neutral zone:

In every temptation, you are deciding who gets your weapons—sin or God.

“…but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as weapons of righteousness unto God.”

Notice the order:

1. Yield yourselves unto God – the whole person first

2. Then yield your members – each bodily capacity specifically

And notice the identity Paul assumes:

• You are “those that are alive from the dead.”

• You have been united with Christ in His death and resurrection (Romans 6:1–11).

• You no longer belong to sin’s realm.

This means:

• Your tongue can now be a weapon of truth and encouragement.

• Your hands can be weapons of mercy, service, and generosity.

• Your eyes can serve as weapons of compassion and purity.

• Your mind can be a weapon of discernment, prayer, and meditation on the Word.

Righteousness becomes not passive restraint, but active combat in the service of God.