Breastplate of Righteousness, Part 2

We are continuing to examine Eph 6:13-18, and in particular the Breastplate of Righteousness. The last post concluded with the following:  The first part of our breastplate of righteousness must be our faith, since it says in both the Old and New Testaments that “the righteous will live by faith.”¹

Faith is essential to our righteousness, but the Bible gives several descriptions of the life of the righteous.

• prayer The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective (James 5:16b).
• caring for the poor and needy:

The righteous care about justice for the poor, but the wicked have no such concern. (Pr29:7)

Then the righteous will answer him, “Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?’ The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me. (Mt 25:37-40)

• impacting others for Christ:

The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise. (Pr 11:30)

The wicked man flees though no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion. (Pr 28:1)

• obedience to God’s Word (Ro 2:13) The way of the Lord is a refuge for the righteous, but it is the ruin of those who do evil. (Pr 10:29)
• living for God instead of for self: And you will again see a distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not. (Mal 3:18)
• perseverance through trials and repentance: for though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again, but the wicked are brought down by calamity. (Pr 24:16)
• encouraging others: The lips of the righteous nourish many, but fools die for lack of judgement. (Pr 10:21)
• give generously: The wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous give generously. (Ps 37:21)
• appropriate speech:

The heart of the righteous weighs its answers, but the mouth of the wicked gushes evil. (Pr 15:28)

The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom, but a perverse tongue will be cut out. The lips of the righteous know what is fitting, but the mouth of the wicked only what is perverse. (Pr 10:31-32)

That list is pretty challenging!  Don't panic!  Remember from the previous post that 

righteousness does not mean perfection!

Recall the Apostle Paul’s words in Gal 2:21.

“I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!”

Christ died to make us righteous, so where does the list above fit in? Since we can never perfectly maintain all the righteous acts listed above, how can we know if we are being righteous?

It all boils down to our hearts. The desire of the righteous ends only in good, but the hope of the wicked only in wrath. (Pr11:23).

For a moment forget about how well you have performed the righteous acts above. Consider these questions at a very deep level.

• Do you desire God’s will for your life?
• Do you desire to please God?
• Do you get upset when you fail because you know it hurt God?

If you can honestly answer those questions with a “YES”, then you are on the right track.

Now remember that “faith without deeds is dead” (Js 2:26). When we do fail, we can’t just claim God’s grace and continue to sin away. Lets take a look at a few descriptions of the righteous person that come into play when we fall short on the ones listed above.

• The righteous detest the dishonest (Pr 29:27a)

The righteous hate what is false, but the wicked bring shame and disgrace. (Pr 13:5)

Do you hate falsehood in your life? We need to be radically open about our sin and our temptation so that Satan will not get a foothold in our lives.

• repentance: And if I say to the wicked man, ‘You will surely die,’ but he then turns away from his sin and does what is just and right -- if he gives back what he took in pledge for a loan, returns what he has stolen, follows the decrees that give life, and does no evil, he will surely live; he will not die. None of the sins he has committed will be remembered against him. He has done what is just and right; he will surely live. (Eze 33:14-16)
• take responsibility for your sin: the righteous man leads a blameless life. (Pr 20:7a)

from the dictionary: “blame: to find fault with, to hold responsible or responsible for²”,

Blameless does not mean perfect. Rather, one who is blameless is someone who is not hiding from responsibility or fault. Being blameless requires openness, confession and repentance which includes owning responsibility for your sin.

The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day. But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble. My son, pay close attentions to what I say; listen closely to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to a man’s whole body. Above all else guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. (Pr 4:18-23)

This openness, confession, and repentance is crucial to being righteous before God.

1 Hab 2:4, Heb 10:38

2 The New Merriam-Webster Dictionary