Wednesday, October 21, 2026
Stand, therefore, with truth like a belt around your waist, righteousness like armor on your chest, and your feet sandaled with readiness for the gospel of peace. In every situation take up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit—which is the word of God. Pray at all times in the Spirit with every prayer and request, and stay alert with all perseverance and intercession for all the saints. Ephesians 6:14-18 CSB
His Righteousness or My Unrighteousness
One of the truths the Apostle Paul wants us to grasp in Ephesians 6 is that we ARE in the line of fire…every day. He impresses upon us that we are in a battle…not with earthly enemies, but with spiritual enemies. Standing in my own good intentions, I am tempted to dress myself in an armor of my own righteousness. We would all love for our personal strengths and spiritual perseverance to be sufficient in protecting us in the battles and temptations we face throughout the day.
The reality is that a breastplate of our own righteousness is going to be completely and utterly useless in the battle. The breastplate of our own righteousness has gaping holes in it. We strive to keep it polished, but in the heat of battle, it proves to be little more protection than wet tissue paper. Isaiah 64 speaks truth in verse 6: “All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.” Apart from Jesus we have no righteousness and cannot save ourselves or stand firm against the enemy’s attacks.
So what hope do we have? Whose righteousness will be our protection in this spiritual war? With what do we dress ourselves against this onslaught?
When we are dressed with the breastplate of righteousness, it is the righteousness of Christ that we wear by faith. It is not our reputation that rejects the accusations of the enemy, but Christ’s! It is not our faithfulness that stands, but His! It is because of Him that Isaiah 54:17 can testify: “No weapon formed against you will succeed, and you will refute any accusation raised against you in court. This is the heritage of the Lord’s servants, and their vindication is from me.” Our heritage is that we are protected and covered in him. No weapons the enemy hurls our way will succeed. They may knock us down – but they won’t take us out.
So how do I put it on?
Ephesians 2:8,9 makes it clear that our salvation is not based upon our own performance: “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Likewise, we do not take on the breastplate of Christ’s righteousness through our own good works or act of will. In fact it is in our weakness that His strength is made perfect. It is in surrender to Jesus that we are made victorious and clothed in his righteousness. He puts his righteousness on us. He takes our unrighteousness and gives us his righteousness so we can not only stand firm against the enemy, but so we can stand upright before God.
