The Breastplate of Righteousness: 4. Practical Righteousness

 

So far…

1. The need for a breastplate; Benefits of the Righteous
2. The Righteousness of God
   1. Faithfulness
   2. Compassion
   3. Judgement
   4. Salvation
3. Practical Righteousness
   1. Righteous requirements of the Law
   2. Righteousness in Christ
   3. Why we need to put on a breastplate: “You must be reckoned perfect before you can make headway in becoming good.” (John Piper)

 

This time…

Where we left off last time showed us that righteousness in Christ Jesus is not the end goal but the starting point of a whole new spiritual journey. We have gained our salvation in Christ, but we are created for good works.

 

Paul puts this best for our context in his letter to the Ephesians:

 

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, ² in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. ³ All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.

(Ephesians 2:1-3)

 

 

The overall context of this series has been that we are in a spiritual battle against rulers and authorities. We need to put on the full armour of God, of which the breastplate of righteousness is a part. Verse 2 of the above passage shows that before we were saved, we were living under the influence of this dark force.

 

We were dead in transgressions, unrighteous. Even if we’d tried to become righteous in our own strength, by works of the flesh and by obedience to the Law, we would never be good enough. These verses show the reality of our true status before God in heaven. We are not righteous outside of Christ’s redemptive work.

 

⁴ But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, ⁵ made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions – it is by grace you have been saved. ⁶ And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, ⁷ in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. ⁸ For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – ⁹ not by works, so that no one can boast. ¹⁰ For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

(Ephesians 2:4-10)

 

Despite our unrighteousness, we are saved by the grace of God. It is often said that ‘grace’ stands for ‘God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense’. We are truly rich because of what Christ has done. But reading on, we see that our salvation from the ‘ruler of the kingdom of the air’ was not an end in itself. Look at verse 10 again. We, the new creation, are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

 

Spirit-led works

He created works for us in advance! How amazing is that! He knew we would be saved and designed bespoke works for us. Works that would flow out of his grace, not our guilt or sense of a need to earn salvation.

 

It is essential to get this the right way around. Without faith it is impossible to please God. If we try to do good works out of our own self-effort, we are not acting in the realm of faith. He has exciting Spirit-led works for us to do that will bear much fruit. We must follow his lead and listen.

 

The law will teach us not to murder or steal, etc. but the Spirit will inspire you to live like this and will also lead you into specific outworkings of the Law. It is in the Law to love your neighbour, but the Spirit will teach you how to show that love to a specific person – how to reach into their heart with a word or a gift or a practical offer of help. He will set you up to bump into someone just at the right time or lead you to a work that you would not have had time for if you were too busy in your self-made good works.

 

As we put on the breastplate of God’s righteousness we are protected from the sense of our own righteousness and are free to work for him, at his pace, in his leading. It’s pretty releasing! But we have to be mindful that there will be lots of other Christians who shun your freedom and think you should be doing other things. Ignore them. Keep your eyes on Jesus and listen to his calling.

 

Righteous living

When we live righteous lives, we are protected from distraction and from the devil. Wearing the breastplate is not just knowing we are righteous in Christ but also living accordingly. Every sin creates a hole in the armour.

 

⁴ Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness. ⁵ But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin. ⁶ No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him.

⁷ Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. The one who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. ⁸ The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work. ⁹ No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God. ¹⁰ This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: anyone who does not do what is right is not God’s child, nor is anyone who does not love their brother and sister.

(1 John 3:4-10)

 

At first glance some of these verses can appear to be promoting righteousness by works: the one who does right is righteous… anyone who does not do what is right is not God’s child. But we must assess any verse in the light of the whole of scripture. In these verses we see what the evidence of inner righteousness looks like. Many will come into the church claiming to be born again. How can we identify true believers? Jesus said in Matthew 7 that you will know a prophet by his fruit and in John 13 that people will know that we are his disciples because we love one another. We don’t bear fruit or love one another in order to be true believers. We do these things because we are.

 

 

Elevation God’s way

It is God’s will that you are elevated. He wants to lift you from the miry clay and put your feet on a rock. He always has new things for you. But when we slip into self-effort and self-promotion we have strayed from God’s path. But as we live humbly, aiming to please God with a righteous life, he will lift us up in due course.

 

Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

(James 4:10)

 

The following passage shows the example of Jesus, who lived a perfect righteous life, it then shows his being lifted up, and finishes with a few pointers on practical righteousness. We can never be like him fully but we can have attitudes that earnestly desire to reflect his likeness more and more.

 

⁵ In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

⁶ who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
⁷ rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
⁸ And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death –
even death on a cross!

⁹ Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
¹¹ and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

¹² Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed – not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence – continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, ¹³ for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfil his good purpose.

¹⁴ Do everything without grumbling or arguing, ¹⁵ so that you may become blameless and pure, ‘children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.’ Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky ¹⁶ as you hold firmly to the word of life. And then I will be able to boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labour in vain.

(Philippians 2:5-16)

 

The bible teaches that we are righteous in Christ alone, but it never assumes that the righteous will live blameless lives without working out their salvation with fear and trembling.

 

Practical Steps

 

Three ways I repeatedly tell people to do this are by

 

1. Remain in the Word of God – read, listen, journal daily
2. Pray – talk to and listen to God, and if you have the gift of tongues, use it. If you haven’t, receive it.
3. Fellowship – stay in close connection with trusted friends who also love the Lord.

 

Next time we will look at how the knowledge of our righteousness in Christ plus our own practical outworking of righteousness is a guard for the heart and mind.

 

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Home group discussion ideas:

 

1. Read the following…

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, ² in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. ³ All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.

(Ephesians 2:1-3)

Why does Paul say that those who are dead in their transgressions do wrong? (v2)

Is it possible to still be led astray by the enemy even after we are born again?

2. Now read this…

⁴ But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, ⁵ made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions – it is by grace you have been saved. ⁶ And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, ⁷ in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. ⁸ For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – ⁹ not by works, so that no one can boast. ¹⁰ For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

(Ephesians 2:4-10)

Jesus has saved us, by grace, through faith, so that our righteousness is not our own doing. Great. But what does Paul say should happen next in the life of the believer? (v10)

3. More reading…

⁴ Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness. ⁵ But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin. ⁶ No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him.

⁷ Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. The one who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. ⁸ The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work. ⁹ No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God. ¹⁰ This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: anyone who does not do what is right is not God’s child, nor is anyone who does not love their brother and sister.

(1 John 3:4-10)

Does verse 7 and verse 10 mean that we are righteous because of what we do? (See notes above if needed!)

What practical ways can we express our righteousness in Christ by the way we live? How can we ensure that we stay on the right track?

Pray together, especially for those known to us who have not yet accepted Jesus’ offer of righteousness. Enjoy one another’s company, rejoice 🙂

 

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