FRIDAY July 26th
Ephesians 6:14
‘. . . and having put on the breastplate of righteousness’
The breastplate would have protected the soldier’s chest from the arrows, spears or anything else that was used to attack the soldier, and along with truth we need to have the breastplate of righteousness to help protect us from all that is unrighteous and unholy in this world today.
When it comes to righteousness, first, we know that Christ Jesus has become our righteousness, for in and of ourselves we could never be righteous. 1 Corinthians 1:30 ‘And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption.’ Christ has made his righteousness available to us as we come to accept him by faith as our Saviour and Lord. We sing in the song, ‘He is all my righteousness, I stand complete in him’. This is what is called imputed righteousness.
But secondly, and in the context of the armour, we need to live in such a way that the righteousness of Christ is reflected in our lives. We should desire to live righteously; it speaks of our desiring to live and display to those around us lives that are holy and pure. We won’t reach sinless perfection in this life, because we are still living in a fallen world, but as we desire to be holy, just as God is holy, it is symbolic of our putting on the breast plate of righteousness, we seek to live in such a way that the finger of accusation cannot be pointed at us.
If the finger of accusation was pointed at us, and the accusation was correct, especially in areas of morality or integrity then it would be like a spear, or an arrow penetrating our Christian testimony, it would be marred. That is why we should desire to live holy and separate lives so that we can be found to be pure and holy, not only for when Christ returns, but when the enemy seeks to bring anything up against us.
Back in chapter four of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians he says this ‘to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.’ (verses 22–24) He could so easily have said this; ‘Put off the old self, corrupt, deceitful desires and instead put on the breastplate of righteousness, make sure your lives reflect something of the holiness of God.’