The Armor of God #2: Body Armor of God's Righteousness
A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.
Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.
Last week we put on truth, as truth protects us and even sets us free. Today we put on our body armor – the breastplate in biblical times. A breastplate was vitally important in the case of attack, as it covered the chest and protected the heart.
The heart is obviously vulnerable to physical attacks, be they in the form of arrow, sword, or dagger. But it is also vulnerable to spiritual attacks. In fact, I believe that Satan is always looking for ways that he can attack our hearts. As Christians, we exist in three major parts: heads, hands, and hearts. Our heads comprise our intellect. We can debate, weigh evidence, and reason about spiritual matters. Our hands are the center of our service to others. We do God’s work with our hands. And our hearts are the center of love. We love God and we love our neighbor with our hearts.
It’s easy for our hearts to get sidetracked from love. It’s easy for our hearts to be broken. It’s easy for our hearts to get hardened and callused to the point where we no longer love. In fact, all of these result from Satan’s attacks.
In order to withstand these attacks, we need proper armor, and the proper armor in this case is God’s righteousness. Now before we go any farther, we need to define our terms. The word “righteousness” is a good example of Christianese – it has a certain meaning in Christian circles, but pretty frequently we pastors use this kind of word without defining it, and when we do so, we might as well be speaking German.
So lets define terms. Righteousness is always a relational concept – I could define it as “right relationship with God.”
This is why “self-righteousness” is so ugly; it sets the self up as a god.
Here’s how righteousness worked in the Old Testament: God, who wants to have a relationship with humanity, chose the nation of Israel and established a covenant with them – remember all the talk about Abraham, how God was going to bless him so he would be a blessing to the nations? God promised to be their God, and Israel promised to be His people. But here’s the rub – when Israel rebelled and sinned, they broke their part of the covenant, and only the innocent party is allowed to re-establish a broken covenant! So we humans couldn’t do anything to get back what we’d broken.
This is why we find Jesus making statements like “Unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:20) – the Pharisees and teachers of the Law did all they could to follow the Law to the T, but they could not re-establish their innocence.
That’s the Old Testament version, but in the person of Jesus Christ, we find a new hope. You see, through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, God has re-established the covenant! Of course, as part of this restored relationship, both parties assume certain responsibilities to uphold our parts. Our requirements are to admit that through sin, we have failed to uphold our end, and to accept God’s gift of a restored relationship. Then, as people in a restored relationship with God, we are to obey His commandments.
Remember how Jesus answered the question: “what is the most important commandment?” He answered that it’s most important to love God and to love neighbor. Our hearts are the battlegrounds on which Satan fights to disrupt our obedience to the most important commandment. And our hearts are protected by a right relationship with God.
Your relationship with God is the center of everything. This is why Jesus tells his followers to “seek the Kingdom of God above all else and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need.”
Think about it – living like this protects us from Satan’s attacks. How many times have we heard about someone whose need for more money has landed them in hot water? As a part of our ordination vows, we are asked the question, “Are you in debt as to embarrass yourself?” The truth is, most of our culture cannot say, “No” to that question. We’re all in debt, and often it’s because we seek that which we do not need. I’ve heard it said about men that we use money we don’t have to buy stuff we don’t need to impress people we don’t like. That’s not living in a right relationship with God.
In contrast, how about the ones who live their lives generously? They give first to God and to ministry and then live off the rest. Have you ever heard them complain, “If only I didn’t tithe…” No, and probably also because those who do tithe don’t make an issue of it – it’s part of their relationship with God – righteousness, that is.
It is extremely easy for money to sidetrack us from a right relationship with God, but this is just one area of our lives. We can allow anything to get between us and God; our relationships, unchecked or unrepented sin, all sorts of things can cause those weak spots in our armor… the bad news is that we can all find those areas all too easily.
The good news is this: do remember how Paul spoke of this particular piece of armor? He called it “body armor of God’s righteousness.” Notice that he didn’t simply call it body armor of righteousness. No, it is specifically body armor of God’s righteousness. This is highly significant, because we all know that we can’t completely live righteous lives on our own.
Let’s do a little exercise – turn to your neighbor and say this: I’ve tried and failed… but God never fails.
God is always in right relationship with us, and if we admit our failings and accept Jesus Christ’s gift, then we are in right relationship with Him! This protects us from Satan’s attacks, because the very nature of our relationship with God allows God to set the boundaries.
Instead of allowing Satan to put a price tag on our integrity, we stand behind God’s body armor, saying, “That’s not for sale – I belong to God.”
Instead of allowing Satan to put our focus on material things and “stuff”, we stand behind God’s body armor, saying, “That’s not what’s important – owning a right relationship with God is more important than owning anything else.”
Well, if this righteousness of God is supposed to be body armor, how can we put it on? Matthew 5:6 gives us a clue. In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” Basically, this means putting that relationship first. Wanting it, needing it like food and water. And if you aren’t there, asking God to help you want it. Because when you pray like that, Jesus promises you will be filled – you will get it. It might not be instantaneous, but you will get it. In Philippians 3, the apostle Paul writes “I don’t want some petty, insignificant brand of righteousness that comes from keeping a list of rules when I could get the robust kind that comes from trusting Christ – God’s righteousness. … I’m not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don’t get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I’ve got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward – to Jesus. I’m off and running, and I’m not turning back.
So let’s keep focused on that goal, those of us who want everything God has for us. If any of you have something else in mind, something less than total commitment, God will clear your blurred vision – you’ll see it yet! Now that we’re on the right track, let’s stay on it.
This is a good place to stop for the day. Now that we’re on the right track, let’s stay on it.
Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.
Ephesians 6:10-18
Last week we put on truth, as truth protects us and even sets us free. Today we put on our body armor – the breastplate in biblical times. A breastplate was vitally important in the case of attack, as it covered the chest and protected the heart.
The heart is obviously vulnerable to physical attacks, be they in the form of arrow, sword, or dagger. But it is also vulnerable to spiritual attacks. In fact, I believe that Satan is always looking for ways that he can attack our hearts. As Christians, we exist in three major parts: heads, hands, and hearts. Our heads comprise our intellect. We can debate, weigh evidence, and reason about spiritual matters. Our hands are the center of our service to others. We do God’s work with our hands. And our hearts are the center of love. We love God and we love our neighbor with our hearts.
It’s easy for our hearts to get sidetracked from love. It’s easy for our hearts to be broken. It’s easy for our hearts to get hardened and callused to the point where we no longer love. In fact, all of these result from Satan’s attacks.
In order to withstand these attacks, we need proper armor, and the proper armor in this case is God’s righteousness. Now before we go any farther, we need to define our terms. The word “righteousness” is a good example of Christianese – it has a certain meaning in Christian circles, but pretty frequently we pastors use this kind of word without defining it, and when we do so, we might as well be speaking German.
So lets define terms. Righteousness is always a relational concept – I could define it as “right relationship with God.”
This is why “self-righteousness” is so ugly; it sets the self up as a god.
Here’s how righteousness worked in the Old Testament: God, who wants to have a relationship with humanity, chose the nation of Israel and established a covenant with them – remember all the talk about Abraham, how God was going to bless him so he would be a blessing to the nations? God promised to be their God, and Israel promised to be His people. But here’s the rub – when Israel rebelled and sinned, they broke their part of the covenant, and only the innocent party is allowed to re-establish a broken covenant! So we humans couldn’t do anything to get back what we’d broken.
This is why we find Jesus making statements like “Unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:20) – the Pharisees and teachers of the Law did all they could to follow the Law to the T, but they could not re-establish their innocence.
That’s the Old Testament version, but in the person of Jesus Christ, we find a new hope. You see, through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, God has re-established the covenant! Of course, as part of this restored relationship, both parties assume certain responsibilities to uphold our parts. Our requirements are to admit that through sin, we have failed to uphold our end, and to accept God’s gift of a restored relationship. Then, as people in a restored relationship with God, we are to obey His commandments.
Remember how Jesus answered the question: “what is the most important commandment?” He answered that it’s most important to love God and to love neighbor. Our hearts are the battlegrounds on which Satan fights to disrupt our obedience to the most important commandment. And our hearts are protected by a right relationship with God.
Your relationship with God is the center of everything. This is why Jesus tells his followers to “seek the Kingdom of God above all else and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need.”
Think about it – living like this protects us from Satan’s attacks. How many times have we heard about someone whose need for more money has landed them in hot water? As a part of our ordination vows, we are asked the question, “Are you in debt as to embarrass yourself?” The truth is, most of our culture cannot say, “No” to that question. We’re all in debt, and often it’s because we seek that which we do not need. I’ve heard it said about men that we use money we don’t have to buy stuff we don’t need to impress people we don’t like. That’s not living in a right relationship with God.
In contrast, how about the ones who live their lives generously? They give first to God and to ministry and then live off the rest. Have you ever heard them complain, “If only I didn’t tithe…” No, and probably also because those who do tithe don’t make an issue of it – it’s part of their relationship with God – righteousness, that is.
It is extremely easy for money to sidetrack us from a right relationship with God, but this is just one area of our lives. We can allow anything to get between us and God; our relationships, unchecked or unrepented sin, all sorts of things can cause those weak spots in our armor… the bad news is that we can all find those areas all too easily.
The good news is this: do remember how Paul spoke of this particular piece of armor? He called it “body armor of God’s righteousness.” Notice that he didn’t simply call it body armor of righteousness. No, it is specifically body armor of God’s righteousness. This is highly significant, because we all know that we can’t completely live righteous lives on our own.
Let’s do a little exercise – turn to your neighbor and say this: I’ve tried and failed… but God never fails.
God is always in right relationship with us, and if we admit our failings and accept Jesus Christ’s gift, then we are in right relationship with Him! This protects us from Satan’s attacks, because the very nature of our relationship with God allows God to set the boundaries.
Instead of allowing Satan to put a price tag on our integrity, we stand behind God’s body armor, saying, “That’s not for sale – I belong to God.”
Instead of allowing Satan to put our focus on material things and “stuff”, we stand behind God’s body armor, saying, “That’s not what’s important – owning a right relationship with God is more important than owning anything else.”
Well, if this righteousness of God is supposed to be body armor, how can we put it on? Matthew 5:6 gives us a clue. In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” Basically, this means putting that relationship first. Wanting it, needing it like food and water. And if you aren’t there, asking God to help you want it. Because when you pray like that, Jesus promises you will be filled – you will get it. It might not be instantaneous, but you will get it. In Philippians 3, the apostle Paul writes “I don’t want some petty, insignificant brand of righteousness that comes from keeping a list of rules when I could get the robust kind that comes from trusting Christ – God’s righteousness. … I’m not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don’t get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I’ve got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward – to Jesus. I’m off and running, and I’m not turning back.
So let’s keep focused on that goal, those of us who want everything God has for us. If any of you have something else in mind, something less than total commitment, God will clear your blurred vision – you’ll see it yet! Now that we’re on the right track, let’s stay on it.
This is a good place to stop for the day. Now that we’re on the right track, let’s stay on it.
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