Breastplate of Righteousness

“…having on the breastplate of righteousness….” Ephesians 6:14


Righteousness: “Purity of heart and rectitude of life; conformity of heart and life to the divine law.” (1828 Noah Webster’s American Dictionary)

Righteousness = Faith and Love

The problem is that “…all have sinned [lost righteousness], and come short of the glory of God.” Rom. 3:23. How then do we get righteousness? 1 Thess. 5:8: “…putting on the breastplate of faith and love….” Here we see righteousness equated with faith and love, as represented by the same piece of armor.

Faith = Righteousness

Rom. 4:5 tells us, “But to him that worketh not [who, despairing of acceptance with God by ‘working’ for it the work of obedience, does not attempt it—Jamieson, Faucett, and Brown], but believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.”


Love = Righteousness

Rom. 13:10 tells us, “love is the fulfilling of the law.” Cf. John 14:15 (Christ’s words), “If ye love Me, keep My commandments.” We are enabled to keep His commands when we believe the power of His Word. (See John 5:8, 9; Mat. 9:28, 29.)

Trust and Obey

This protective breastplate, then, is believing on Christ to cleanse us from our sins, and with a heart overflowing with His love, naturally and joyfully obeying His commands from the depths of our heart. This is the type of people Christ will have on the earth when He returns. Rev. 14:12: “Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.”
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Protection!

This type of righteousness is one of the pieces of armor that offers protection from the powers of darkness so we need not fear. “Hearken unto Me, ye that know righteousness, the people in whose heart is My law; fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye afraid of their revilings. For the moth shall eat them up like a garment, and the worm shall eat them like wool: but My righteousness shall be for ever, and My salvation from generation to generation.” Isa. 51:7, 8.

Photo Credit: By Rama (Own work) [CeCILL (http://www.cecill.info/licences/Licence_CeCILL_V2-en.html) or CC BY-SA 2.0 fr (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/fr/deed.en)], via Wikimedia Commons

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