(Watch the corresponding sermon here: https://www.youtube.com/live/tdrwlHv_fYY?si=laUuZTvGZXVF9GG7)
Stand therefore,… having put on the breastplate of righteousness. – Ephesians 6:14
The second piece of armor that the apostle Paul tells us to ‘put on’ in Ephesians six is the ‘Breastplate of Righteousness.’ The Breastplate of Righteousness is not a new concept invented by Paul, but part of the armor of God spoken of in the Book of Isaiah:
For He put on righteousness as a breastplate, And a helmet of salvation on His head; He put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, And was clad with zeal as a cloak. – Isaiah 59:17
Paul may have had his memory jogged by observing the Roman soldiers guarding his cell, but his concept of this armor came from his knowledge of the Old Testament scriptures. He calls the armor the ‘Armor of God’ because it is the ‘armor’ that God Himself wears. Just as He puts on the breastplate of righteousness and helmet of salvation, so should we. Of course, we should not take this analogy too far. Sometimes people get wrapped up too much with the metaphor of the armor. The point of the armor is to emphasize the importance of the spiritual truths associated with the armor, that we value them as a soldier would value that which protects his very life. These truths must be ‘put on’ as a soldier puts on armor. They are essential elements to keep in one’s mind and heart at all times. They should not be a distant thought that only arises at a church service. God wore righteousness as a breastplate, and salvation as a helmet. This means they were close to His heart and mind. In the same way, these truths must be very close to our hearts and minds to overcome the lies and deceptions of Satan. If we are not diligent in understanding them, and if we do not value them greatly, Satan will overcome us.
What is Righteousness
The first thing we must understand about this topic is the meaning of righteousness. Righteousness is not a term that is used often outside of the church. Because of this, many people do not know what it means. It is ‘Christianese,’ as they say, another language to most of the world. But it isn’t a difficult concept to understand. Righteousness comes from the root word ‘right,’ which means to be morally correct or morally good, as when someone might say, “We must do the right thing.” A righteous person is simply a person who always does the right thing. Another way to say it is that a righteous person is a good person. Thus, we should wear goodness as a breastplate, or moral virtue, or moral perfection. All these things are synonymous.
There are two great and destructive misunderstands regarding this subject. The first is the idea that most people are good people. The second idea is the exact opposite, that nobody can be morally perfect, or truly good. These two ideas are two of the greatest lies. Satan preaches them daily. He preaches these lies both in the world and in the church. I shall take up each:
Lie #1 – most people are good (righteous) people.
This lie is believed by most people in the world. If you ask anyone if they believe themselves to be good people, they will answer in the affirmative about 90% of the time. I know this by experience. The Bible also says this:
Most men will proclaim each his own goodness, But who can find a faithful man? – Proverbs 20:6
But the truth is that the vast majority of people are not good at all. In fact, all of us (every single one of us) are bad and sinners apart from Christ. The Bible expressly teaches this:
There is none righteous, no, not one…They have all turned aside…There is none who does good, no, not one – (See Romans 3:10-18)
A man came to Jesus in a passage that should shock us deeply. He said, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Observe Jesus’ answer:
Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but One, that is, God.” – Mark 10:18
The greatest moral Teacher who has ever lived has told us that no one is good except for God. If you still believe that you are a good person or that most people are good people, you need to take it up with Jesus. Jesus disagrees. In fact, compared to God, Jesus calls people ‘evil:’
If you, being evil, know how to give good gifts… – Jesus (Matthew 7:11)
God requires moral perfection. None of us, in our own strength, has been able to achieve this. We’ve all broken God’s law, some more than others, but all nonetheless. Whether we have lied, stolen, lusted, hated, coveted, or committed sins of pride and neglect of spiritual duties. We all are much more of a sinner than we probably realize. We certainly aren’t good and definitely not righteous.
Lie #2 – Nobody can be righteous
In the other extreme is the idea that no one can attain righteousness or moral perfection. But this is also a lie. While it is certainly true that righteousness and true goodness cannot be attained by human effort, it is also true that it can be attained with God’s assistance. Early in the Bible, the idea of imputed righteousness is introduced. This is a righteousness that is not earned by human effort or virtue but received as a gift. We see this first in the life of Abraham:
And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness. – Genesis 15:6
In other words, for those who receive this gift of righteousness, God does not consider their past wrongdoings. He forgives all past sins. He chooses to look at us and treat us as if we’ve never done anything wrong. When a person puts their faith in Christ, they become righteous. His atoning death on the cross ensures they are seen as innocent and pure as a newborn baby in the eyes of God. What great news!
Receiving this gift of righteousness both makes us righteous and enables us to live morally perfect (righteous) lives. What I mean by morally perfect is that it is possible (and required, even) to do the right thing every time we face a moral decision. It means that we can, and should, always obey God and resist temptation.
This doesn’t mean that we always will do the right thing, nor do I think that anyone will always do the right thing all the time, but we should know and understand that we are perfectly able to. As Holy Spirit-filled Christians, nothing and no one can prevent us from always doing what is right and good in every circumstance. Indeed, we should strive for this with all our might. If and when we sin, we should not think that it is inevitable, but only that we allowed ourselves to succumb to weakness. When this happens, we should be quick to repent and come back to our state of moral perfection (righteousness) once again. The apostle John sums this up well for us in his letter:
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. – 1 John 2:1
In other words, don’t sin! But if you do, we have a faithful High Priest who will lift us up, forgive us, and set us back on the path of righteousness.
Righteousness as a Breastplate
With an understanding of what righteousness is, we now should consider what it means to put on righteousness as a breastplate.
A breastplate protects the mass of our bodies that contain vital organs. One can live without a foot or an arm, but a blow to the heart is fatal. Similarly, the devil will mount many attacks against the righteous, harassing us and sometimes landing non-fatal blows, but the person who walks in righteousness is protected from devastating attacks. Spiritually, the righteous man is untouchable.
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. – 1 John 5:18
To be free from fatal and devastating attacks from Satan, we must keep ourselves from sin. This is what the text says: righteous living renders the devil unable to touch us. When we sin, we open the door for the devil’s attacks; when we sin, we put bullets in the devil’s gun.
I’ve observed this many times throughout my life. A person is lured away by some temptation. It may seem innocent at the time. The door opens for a satanic attack. Soon enough, this person’s marriage and family are in shambles. A small opening is given for the devil to come in. He sticks his foot in the door and bursts it wide open.
We also see plenty of biblical examples of this, as well. For Cain, it was envy that opened the devil’s door. Sin was like a tiger crouching, he opened the door and murderous hatred filled his heart.
For Saul, it was the fear of man. He loved the praise of men more than the praise of God, therefore an evil spirit came to torment him
David opened the door through lust. The devil decimated his family.
Judas opened the door through greed and petty theft, ultimately Satan himself entered him and he betrayed the Son of God.
All of this evil and destruction could have been avoided if these men had kept their breastplate of righteousness fully in place. They took off their breastplate and the devil struck a mighty blow. We must learn carefully from them and make all effort to ‘keep ourselves’ lest we also open ourselves to attack.
A Broken Breastplate Restored
What do we say to those who have removed their breastplate and suffered for their own foolishness? God is merciful!
There are two ways to go for those who have fallen. They can go deeper into darkness and despair as Saul and Judas did, or they can turn in humble repentance as Peter and David did. The devil doesn’t like to lose those who he has struck and will use every lie to keep them from turning back to God. He will tell them that it is too late, that they have sinned too much, or that God will not receive them back this again. He will tell them that a righteous life is impossible for them and that they might as well quit. But these are lies that should be rejected. God will answer the prayer of the lowly, no matter how far you may have fallen.
We see this in David, who sinned grievously and brought great sorrow and devastation to his life and family. He repented and humbled himself before the Lord and was forgiven. That doesn’t mean that all the brutal consequences of his sin were taken away, but it doesn’t mean that his soul was saved and his relationship with God restored. God still loved him and used him after his sin. He still had a future with God, and so do you.
Observe David’s words after he was rebuked for his sin:
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me hear joy and gladness, That the bones You have broken may rejoice. Hide Your face from my sins, And blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by Your generous Spirit. Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, And sinners shall be converted to You. – Psalm 51:10-13
God answered David’s prayer. He was cleansed, he was washed, he was not cast away from God’s presence, nor was His Spirit taken away. Instead, God restored to him joy and, to this day, David is still converting sinners unto God through the words he has written.
Conclusion
A righteous and holy life is a strong breastplate of defense against the devil’s attacks. If we wish to live a life pleasing to God and free from Satan’s influence, we must keep this breastplate firmly in place. That is, we must strive with the help of the Holy Spirit to ‘keep ourselves,’ as John puts it. We must keep ourselves from every evil and temptation. Our lives should be a hungering for righteous, instead.
If we do fall, we should be quick to repent and get back on the narrow road that leads to life. Remember, God is merciful, and the devil is a liar. Once the devil knocks you down, he’ll say anything to keep you there. But no matter how far you have fallen, God wants you to get back up and keep going. He still has a purpose and plan for your life. Be sure to fulfill it.
Hal Chaffee Ministries 