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BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS |
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... Having put on the breastplate of righteousness, -- Ephesians 6:14 Is it your and my righteousness that saves you and I, or is it God's righteousness? Are you aware that no one can become righteous enough by their own attempts to satisfy God's demands of being holy and righteous? Are you aware that God freely gives Christians HIS righteousness so that they can fully meet God's demands of being holy and righteous? More about this later ... In Ephesians 6:14 believers are admonished (exhorted) to put on “the breastplate of righteousness,” as protection against satanic attacks. At the time the Bible was written, the breastplate was perhaps the most important piece of armament for a Roman soldier to put on and keep on in battle. It protected his heart area, and other vital organs. What significance does the “breastplate of righteousness” have for believers now? It is perhaps best understood in this manner: Project yourself into the future. Imagine standing before God on the Judgment Day. You will enter the place of Judgment with one of these two garments. 1) Your filthy robe of unrighteous rags. Either you will have your filthy unrighteous robe of rags covering you, or you will have Christ’s spotless robe of righteousness covering you -- there is no third robe God will allow you to wear on the Judgment Day. And ... it will be your choice of which robe you will be wearing: God gives each of us that choice right now. How do we describe your or my “filthy robe of rags?” Our robe of filthy, sin-saturated rags is our own perceived holiness – our own perceived righteousness - we bring or attempt to present to God, based on our “religous doing good.” This was what we ignorantly (or pridefully) did during our lifetime on earth to try to help make ourselves “good enough” to be allowed to spend eternity in heaven with God. How do we describe Christ’s “spotless robe of righteousness?” Christ’s “spotless robe of righteousness” is given to those who will receive it, free of charge. It was made available to each and every sinner because of the Cross of Calvary. The Bible says that Christ took the punishment for my and your sins on the cross, and in exchange, He gave you and me His righteousness – His holiness. It’s called the Great Godly Garment Exchange. Saying it a little differently … on the Cross when Christ died for your and my sins, you and I handed Him our filthy robe of rags to take to the grave with Him, and He handed you and I His perfect, spotless, holy “robe of righteousness” to wear for all eternity after He resurrected from the grave. Among other things, it’s the only acceptable wedding garment that will enable us to participate in the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. Here is Biblical proof (Highlighting and bolding mine, for important focused emphasis): But we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousness is like filthy rags; (Isaiah 64:6 NKJV) As it is written, “There is none righteousness, no, not one;” (Romans 3:10 NKJV) Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the law and the prophets, even the righteousness of God, which is through faith in Jesus Christ to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:20-23 NKJV) “I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law ["Law" meaning: Trying to obey the 10 commandments and trying to rely on the animal sacrifices that were only a temporary means God gave the Jewish people to cover their sins] then Christ died in vain. (Galatians 2:21 NKJV) And not being weak in faith (speaking of Abraham), he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah's womb. He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. And therefore "it was accounted to him for righteousness." Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him, but also for us. It shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification. Therefore, having been justified by faith, [Editor's note: "Faith" in WHAT? Faith that God has imputed His righteousness to us who trust what is written in His Word concerning what righteousness is capable of saving us: Our righteousness (which is as filthy rags compared to God's), or God's righteousness imputed to us?] we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, (Romans 4:19-25; 5:1 NKJV). But 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. (Philippians 3:8-9 NKJV)
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