Breastplate of Righteousness

If you are just joining us, we are studying the Armor of God in our Sunday Adult Bible Fellowships and in the Youth Group. Previously, we took more of an overview of the armor. Last month we looked at the belt of truth. This month we are going to be looking at the breastplate of righteousness.

Ephesians 6:14 CSB

14 Stand, therefore, with truth like a belt around your waist, righteousness like armor on your chest,

Have righteousness like armor on your chest. What is righteousness?

dikaiosynē (righteousness) - what is right, justice

Obviously, the next question is, “Who determines what is right?” “What is the standard for righteousness?”

It can’t be any human being. Not only do we know this through human experience, but also the Scriptures say,

Romans 3:10 CSB

10 as it is written: There is no one righteous, not even one.

This is a quote from . The Psalmist looked at the human condition and realized that naturally everyone turns away from what is right and seeks after their own interests. This is exemplified in the book of Judges.

Judges 21:25 CSB

25 In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did whatever seemed right to him.

It feels like that today, does it not? People are doing whatever they think is right to do. People seem to be just looking out for themselves. People are trying to get away with whatever they can get away with. The rule of law has been perverted. We can’t trust that people will do what is right. We can’t think that people will “do unto others as they would want done to them.” It is more like, “do unto others before they do unto you.”

I was reading articles this week about what is taking place across our border, just a few miles from here and it is seriously troubling. The State Department and Webb County Sheriff are urging people not to go to Nuevo Laredo because of the extreme violence that is taking place. They are highjacking vehicles, using explosives, and high caliber machines guns. Somehow bad guys always get guns, even when they are illegal.

The point is that both human experience and the Scriptures point out that humans are not righteous naturally. Yet, we are expected to put on the breastplate of righteousness. How can we put on righteousness when all of our “righteousness” is like filthy rags?

Isaiah 64:6 CSB

6 All of us have become like something unclean, and all our righteous acts are like a polluted garment; all of us wither like a leaf, and our iniquities carry us away like the wind.

Interestingly, the reference to the breastplate of righteousness is likely taken from . In , the prophet records:

Isa 59:15-

Isaiah 59:15–17 CSB

15 Truth is missing, and whoever turns from evil is plundered. The Lord saw that there was no justice, and he was offended. 16 He saw that there was no man— he was amazed that there was no one interceding; so his own arm brought salvation, and his own righteousness supported him. 17 He put on righteousness as body armor, and a helmet of salvation on his head; he put on garments of vengeance for clothing, and he wrapped himself in zeal as in a cloak.

In other words, the breastplate of righteousness comes from God himself. We have no righteousness in and of ourselves. The righteousness available to us comes from another source. It comes from God.

Romans 3:21–22 CSB

21 But now, apart from the law, the righteousness of God has been revealed, attested by the Law and the Prophets. 22 The righteousness of God is through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe, since there is no distinction.

The breastplate of righteousness we are to put on is God’s standard of what is right.

There are several passages of Scripture which point to God’s standards of right. One of them is found in .

Deuteronomy 6:4–5 CSB

4 “Listen, Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.

It is right to love God completely.

1 Samuel 15:22–23 CSB

22 Then Samuel said: Does the Lord take pleasure in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? Look: to obey is better than sacrifice, to pay attention is better than the fat of rams. 23 For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and defiance is like wickedness and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has rejected you as king.

It is right to obey God’s commands.

Micah 6:8 CSB

8 Mankind, he has told each of you what is good and what it is the Lord requires of you: to act justly, to love faithfulness, and to walk humbly with your God.

It is right to be just, love faithfulness, and walk humbly with God.

John 13:

John 13:34–35 CSB

34 “I give you a new command: Love one another. Just as I have loved you, you are also to love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

It is right to love other brothers and sisters in Christ.

There is more that could be said of God’s standards of right and wrong. There are the 10 commandments. There are other instructions and ethical codes of conduct found in the Scriptures, for example Romans 12-15. God’s expectations of righteousness are summarized in two statements:

Matthew 22:

Matthew 22:34–40 CSB

34 When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they came together. 35 And one of them, an expert in the law, asked a question to test him: 36 “Teacher, which command in the law is the greatest?” 37 He said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. 38 This is the greatest and most important command. 39 The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. 40 All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commands.”

Summary of God’s expectations for righteous living: Love God and Love people.

Everything else hinges on these two points. Love God and love people. The final question is how do we get it. We know God is the standard of righteousness. We know that righteousness isn’t something internal to humanity. We know that God’s expectations of how to live are found in his Word, but how do we do what is not natural for us to do? How do we become righteous people so we can do righteous things?

The key word I want to give you this morning is one that has been used for many many years to describe what we are talking about this morning. The word is “imputed”.

Imputed - credited to your account based on the work of another

2 Corinthians 5:21 CSB

21 He made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Specifically, Christ did something for us that we could not do for ourselves. He died and shed his blood for the forgiveness of sins. When we accept the saving work of Jesus by faith, he imputes, credits to our account, his righteousness. To not have Christ’s righteousness guarding our hearts would leave a massive gap in our armor.

Specifically, Christ did something for us that we could not do for ourselves. He died and shed his blood for the forgiveness of sins. When we accept the saving work of Jesus by faith, he imputes, credits to our account, his righteousness. To not have Christ’s righteousness guarding our hearts would leave a massive gap in our armor.

This gap is exposed when we lean to our own understanding. This gap is exposed when we try to do things our own way. This vulnerability exists when we think we determine what is right and wrong. A solider without body armor is vulnerable to everything. Likewise a Christian without Christ’s righteousness guarding his heart is vulnerable to all the attacks of the evil one. Christ’s work is our armor which guards our hearts. Our hearts are deceitful.

Jeremiah 17:9 CSB

9 The heart is more deceitful than anything else, and incurable—who can understand it?

Jer

We need Christ’s righteousness to guard our hearts from leading us astray.

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