Bible Study
Our working description of the whole armor of God is: the complete set of Christian protective gear consisting of salvation, righteousness, trust (in the word), peace, faith and the spoken Word, worn always in order to withstand or resist the devil.
As we stated in Parts 2 and 3 of this study series, to put on the whole armor of God is to be continually conscious of, and unflinchingly committed to proclaiming who we are and what we have in Christ while living in this reality. The reality that we are born of God, we are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus, that the Word of God is our truth, that we have the peace that Jesus gives, and that all of God’s promises in Christ are yeah and amen (and we have them). Halleluyah!
“Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints”
Ephesians 6:14-18 NKJV
You may read up on the Helmet of Salvation in Part 3 and introduction on the breastplate of righteousness in Part 4.
Today, we conclude our study on the breastplate of righteousness.
Holiness and Righteousness
Sometimes righteousness is confused with ‘acts of holiness’.
Attempts by man to live a holy life only ended in futility. There is none righteous, only God (Isaiah 64:6). The righteousness we gained through Christ is God’s righteousness which we access by faith (2 Corinthians 5:21).
“Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death,”
Philippians 3:8-10 NKJV
The righteousness we are considering in this study is the one gained not by works or acts of ‘holiness’ but that which is freely received as provided by Christ to every son of God. When we became new creations in Christ, Ephesians 4:24, says we were created with God’s nature of righteousness and holiness..
“that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.”
Ephesians 4:22-24 NKJV
Wow! Isn’t it absolutely reassuring to know that God created us as righteous and as holy as He is?
Sin and our fellowship
Now, it’s important to state that the knowledge that we are righteous, without sin, without charge, doesn’t give us the liberty to sin. He who is born of God does not sin.
“We know that whoever is born of God does not sin; but he who has been born of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him.”
I John 5:18 NKJV
“What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?
Romans 6:1-2 NKJV
You see, the problem with sin is not that we will go to hell, no. Sin interrupts our fellowship (with God and sometimes with one another). Sin introduces a kind of condemnation within us, and with that condemnation we struggle to approach God’s presence. 1 John 1 throws more light on this….
“This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.“
I John 1:5-7, 9-10 NKJV
If we say because we were born righteous then we have no sin even when we sin, we deceive ourselves. And the sense of condemnation lingers on hindering our fellowship. However, if we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to cleanse us from all sins and with return back to fellowship with God, the blood of Jesus continually washes us from all sins.
Like we see in 1 John 2:1, Jesus is on standby as our advocate, to constantly plead forgiveness on our behalf, to bring to God’s remembrance (and indeed that of the enemy), that the eternal price for all sin has been paid. Halleluyah!
“My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.”
I John 2:1 NKJV
The surest way to live a life without filth in the sight of God to continue in the light, is to live in obedience to the Word and the Spirit of God. The fear of the Lord keeps us on the right track.
“Because we have these promises, dear friends, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that can defile our body or spirit. And let us work toward complete holiness because we fear God.”
2 Corinthians 7:1 NLT
“but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”
I Peter 1:15-16 NKJV
Being holy and living a holy life are not exactly the same. We are created holy, and yet Peter reminds us to be holy just as God is holy. To live holy is to live a sacred and separated life; separate and different from the way the world lives, different in thoughts, in words and in action.
The old covenant was based on the law of sin and death, but the new covenant we have in Christ Jesus takes away sin (and with it death) and instead based on the law of righteousness and life. Sin brought death, but righteousness has nothing to do with death, no, righteousness relates to life, the life of and nature of God.
The Gains of Righteousness
Righteousness gives us boldness and calm confidence to approach God without fear or condemnation. Righteousness assures us that God is not unhappy with us, indeed, on the contrary, we have peace with God.
“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”
Romans 5:1-2 NKJV
According to Isaiah 32:17, righteousness does not only usher in peace, it also keeps us in quietness.
“The work of righteousness will be peace, and the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance forever.”
Isaiah 32:17 NKJV
Knowing that my sins are forgiven and forgotten, knowing that God is not angry with me, knowing that I can freely access God at anytime surely gives me great assurance of the Father’s love and dismisses any fear or sense of guilt the enemy may want to put on me. I am free! He who the Son sets free, is free indeed. I am free!!! Halleluyah!
The Breastplate of Righteousness
Like we stated in Part 4, the breastplate covers vital organs in our body, notable among which is our heart. To put on the breastplate of righteousness we must guard our hearts with the truth; the truth of God’s Word.
We have to be conscious of our justification, that instead of the sin nature, we have the God nature, we have freedom from sin and it’s consequences. We have to always know that we have access to God and that we can approach Him without fear or condemnation.
We are not to allow the enemy play with our emotions, feelings or conscience. And this is achievable when we intentionally focus our heart/mind only on the truth of the Word of God.
Halleluyah! Thank You Lord. Thank You for the free gift of righteousness. And thank you for your Word that guards our hearts and equips us to live holy lives. Thank You Lord! Amen.
Hope you join me next time…
