Isaiah 59 should be read in any study of Ephesians 6 and the armor of God. Isaiah tells of a day when the wiles of the devil (as in Eph. 6:11) seem to have swept the field. All is sin and iniquity. Justice is not practiced.
There is no man to stand up and make a difference. Then Isaiah reminds us that God’s hand is not shortened that it cannot save. The Lord comes armed with a breastplate of righteousness (Isa. 59:16ff) and conquers, saving all who turn to Him. His armor is no mere external protection. It is rather His essential character. His righteousness protects His heart, ensuring victory. Who He is determines what He does.
Paul tells the Ephesians that we live in just such a day (2:1-3, 11-13; 4:14, 17-19, 22; 5:8). He reminds us of our great salvation in Christ and exhorts us to live accordingly, for the devil is still a wily character (5:3-7, 11, 15-18). We must “put on the breastplate of righteousness” with the rest of God’s armor (i.e., that which He wears in Isaiah 59) in order to live for God’s good pleasure. A heart covered with righteousness is invincible.
TWO KINDS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS
In the book of Ephesians the Church is “His body” (1:22-23; 2:15-16; 4:12-16). Because our Lord works on earth bodily in His Church, He provides His own armor (6:11). It is our place to take it up and put it on. Our hearts must be protected by this character trait of righteousness.
In Ephesians 1 we are chosen in Christ, blessed, and having an inheritance. In chapter 2, we are seated in the heavenly places in Christ. In chapter 3, this mystery was hidden in past ages but has now been revealed, so Paul prays that we might be strengthened within. For all of this we do not need the breastplate of righteousness since our Lord is our Righteousness and we are accepted in the beloved Son.
But chapter 4 tells of a walk worthy of the Lord. Such a walk needs a heart for unity. Only in this way will we exercise our spiritual gifts. Thus the whole body is built up in love. The Holy Spirit lives in us to this end. We must not grieve Him.
Chapter 5 has us walking in light, filled with the Holy Spirit. It also says our marriages are a vital part of our walk. Then in Chapter 6 we see the importance of the Christian family and of our work in the world. All this comes under the practical heading of walking worthily. For this we need the armor of God.
Paul makes this same distinction between the imputed righteousness of God and practiced righteousness in His letter to the Romans. Romans 3:21–5:21 tells of imputed righteousness. It is none of our doing. Such justification (being judicially declared right) sets us free to live according to God’s purposes. Then Romans 6:13, 16 and 19 tell of practiced righteousness. We present our “members,” our faculties, to live as His instruments, to do His will, which is always right.
Clearly we have not put on the breastplate of righteousness if we do not walk in the liberty of being justified. If we always try to justify ourselves, or feel the need to live up to others’ expectations, we are not armed with His breastplate. Neither are we so armed if our liberty means freedom to indulge our lusts. To arm ourselves we need a heart-conviction of how justified we are in Christ. When we feel no need to “do” or “not do” in order to measure our worth, we are free to devote ourselves to His will.
This response of love to Him is the way our armor is put on our spiritual beings.
Perhaps this is the meaning of Ephesians 4:22-24. In verse 22, we put off the old man whose lusts include self-justification and selfish living. So we are free. In verse 24 we put on the new man. Here we live rightly because we live by His Word, desiring His good pleasure. We must put off in order to put on.
PUTTING ON THE BREASTPLATE
Ephesians shows that God’s pleasure is to save us and reveal His will to us (1:5, 9), that we might work a different righteousness (2:10) and so demonstrate His wisdom to the very powers which we wrestle against (3:10f; 6:12). Our new man is created in righteousness (4:24) and His Spirit in us produces the fruit of righteousness (5:9). We put on the breastplate of righteousness by our settled commitment to live by His Spirit, according to His Word.
The breastplate of righteousness then consists of a heart committed to:
• Unity (4:1-16). We are always right to edify one another. Such a heart does right by taking its proper place in the body. We confidently minister Christ to our brethren and expect them to minister to us according to their gifts. Thus the whole body is built up and we can arrive at the knowledge of the Son of God and of a perfect man (4:13).
The devil will entice us to blame our brethren for problems that exist. He will try to convince us we are better off without certain believers. He will appeal to our self-righteous flesh to think we are better than others because we do things better, or more properly, than they do. But we know the Lord (4:20) and so practice patience, forgiveness and love to one another, as given in the rest of chapter 4. The fiery darts of bitterness, pride, and self-righteousness cannot reach a heart armed with God’s righteous unity.
• Worship (5:19-20). We are always right to fear the Lord. A heart of worship shows our love and fear for Him. We joyfully express it in word and in music when together. It also leads us to mutual respect (5:21).
The devil tempts us to give up our first love as he did the Ephesians (Rev. 2:4). There is a danger of thinking that activity and success in other areas makes us spiritual. Happiness or success can replace the fear of the Lord.
Armed with the breastplate of righteousness, our hearts are secure in the worship of the Lord. Even an extra hour’s sleep couldn’t keep us from His remembrance.
• Submission (5:22-33). We are always right to submit to Him. Such a heart shows daily in our marriages and also in the local church. Both come from recognizing and practicing the headship of Christ. The church is not a self-help group; it is Christ’s body. It works correctly when we behave towards Him as a wife to her husband. So the marriage relationship is vital to successful assemblies.
The devil demands a liberty that means we don’t have to submit to anyone. We can insist on our right to have everything done for us by our brothers. Or we serve others but with false humility refuse to receive help from others; even marriage must serve our ends or we walk away from our spouse. The devil is desperate to convince us that our marriages can be worldly and our assembly life spiritual.
The breastplate of righteousness keeps our hearts in a proper relationship with the Lord and with our spouses.
• Obedience (6:1-9). We are always right to serve the Lord. Such a heart is seen by godly human relationships. Our families demonstrate the obedience of love. Our master/servant relationships are also correct. Our meetings exhibit the same spirit of obedience. Is it merely eye service (6:6)? Notice that all depends on our proper relation to our Master in heaven (6:9). Only such a spirit will direct our lives in the way of His righteousness.
The devil assures us that obedience is legalism; it does not matter how we meet or live. Everything is driven by expedience: What do I get out of this? Results measure spirituality. Freedom in Christ is pitted against heart obedience. Hearts that desire to please the Lord by doing His will according to His Word cannot be touched by such fiery darts.
By wearing the breastplate of righteousness, we can act according to God’s Word in every part of our lives. So, “having done all” (Eph. 6:13), we stand. Doing all means acting rightly. Such acts result from our commitment to Christ, never from a desire to justify ourselves.
The world and our flesh, our other enemies, fall easily into line with the devil. He is the god of this world (2 Cor. 4:4). We have formidable opposition and must never lose sight of our real enemy (Eph. 6:12). A spiritual enemy demands spiritual armor.
So let us “stand” in this age of change. Modern ways, thought, and culture prevail in many believers’ hearts. It is easier to achieve goals than to live righteously. Such are the fiery darts of the wicked. Let us walk freely according to His Word, by His Spirit, practicing the unity, worship, submission, and obedience that He has provided at such great cost.
If so, we can still see the world turned upside down!