Breastplate of Righteousness
Notes
Transcript
The breast plate of righteousness is dependent on the belt of truth. Everything that we dealt with last week is for us to go into a study on righteousness. That’s why we spend time in the word of truth.
Belt of truth supports the breastplate of righteousness.
What is righteousness? We have to make sure we have a right understanding.
Righteousness - the quality of being righteous or in the right and means the same as “just,” “justness,” and “justice.” In biblical usage, in relation to human subjects, “righteousness” primarily denotes a legal and social status or a moral state.
Righteousness relates to legal standing. Ie Are you righteous or unrighteous?
Not “on a given” day (a criminal can do some “right things” in jail), but a state of being: Guilty or Innocent?
ILLUS using “man’s law”: If someone lives their whole lives free from crime (not even breaking the speed limit!), but commits one single felony, they are criminals, guilty of a crime, and will go to prison.
There is no balance of the scales. ONE thing makes them a GUILTY PERSON.
An important question that has to be answered:
Can we be righteous on our own? Only if you can be innocent on your own.
Not, can I keep the scale tipped in my favor, but can I keep the other side of the scale completely empty all the time? Again, to be innocent is to be completely free from guilt.
I am, then, obligated to keep the whole law.
James 2:8-11 : … if you fulfill the royal law prescribed in the Scripture, Love your neighbor as yourself,, you are doing well.
8 Indeed, if you fulfill the royal law prescribed in the Scripture, Love your neighbor as yourself, you are doing well.
9 If, however, you show favoritism, you commit sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.
10 For whoever keeps the entire law, and yet stumbles at one point, is guilty of breaking it all.
11 For he who said, Do not commit adultery, also said, Do not murder. So if you do not commit adultery, but you murder, you are a lawbreaker.
9 If, however, you show favoritism, you commit sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.
10 For whoever keeps the entire law, and yet stumbles at one point, is guilty of breaking it all.
11 For he who said, Do not commit adultery, also said, Do not murder., So if you do not commit adultery, but you murder, you are a lawbreaker.
Galatians 3:10 (CSB): For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, because it is written, Everyone who does not do everything written in the book of the law is cursed.,
10 For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, because it is written, Everyone who does not do everything written in the book of the law is cursed.
Paul keeps it simple: Romans 3:23 – All have sinned... Therefore, can’t justify yourself.
So Paul follows up in Galatians 3:11 (CSB): Now it is clear that no one is justified before God by the law, because the righteous will live by faith.
11 Now it is clear that no one is justified before God by the law, because the righteous will live by faith.
In James 2:12 followed up by saying, (12)“Speak and act as those who are to be judged by the law of freedom.”
12 Speak and act as those who are to be judged by the law of freedom.
Two ways of saying the same thing.
I don’t want to assume that everyone here knows what the law freedom is or, even if you do know, that you’re living according to it — clearly, Paul and James were both writing to Christians who weren’t — so I want to be really clear before going further.
What the law of freedom is:
Romans 4:3-8
3 For what does the Scripture say? Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him for righteousness.
4 Now to the one who works, pay is not credited as a gift, but as something owed.
5 But to the one who does not work, but believes on him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited for righteousness.
6 Likewise, David also speaks of the blessing of the person to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:
7 Blessed are those whose lawless acts are forgiven and whose sins are covered.
8 Blessed is the person the Lord will never charge with sin.
[This is great news!!!!]
13 For the promise to Abraham or to his descendants that he would inherit the world was not through the law, but through the righteousness that comes by faith.
14 If those who are of the law are heirs, faith is made empty and the promise nullified,
15 because the law produces wrath. And where there is no law, there is no transgression.
16 This is why the promise is by faith, so that it may be according to grace, to guarantee it to all the descendants—not only to the one who is of the law but also to the one who is of Abraham’s faith. He is the father of us all.
The SOURCE of faith:
8 For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift—
9 not from works, so that no one can boast.
17 So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the message about Christ.
Who are the recipients of faith? Romans 4:23-25
23 Now it was credited to him was not written for Abraham alone,
24 but also for us. It will be credited to us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.
25 He was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.
The RESULT of faith:
19 For just as through one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so also through the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.
20 The law came along to multiply the trespass. But where sin multiplied, grace multiplied even more
21 so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace will reign through righteousness, resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
This means our legal standing has been changed by believing in the sacrifice of Christ for justification, cleansing us from our unrighteousness, leaving us declared righteous.
That’s the good news. The bad news is…
Satan still uses the Law against us: Verse 20a above: “The law came along to multiply the trespass.”
The Law was designed to demonstrate the depth of our unrighteousness to ourselves.
God said “keep the Law and you’ll be righteous.” No one has ever been able to which leads to hopelessness unless there is another way. That way is Jesus. So, once we are saved, the Law has no power over us because it served its purpose; it was fulfilled in Christ.
Satan tries to keep the law in front of our faces, pointing out how we don’t deserve salvation because of our inability to live according to the perfection of the Law.
That’s where the battle lies! It is attacks against our faith; against our standing before God. If we doubt our righteousness in Christ, we are vulnerable.
Areas of vulnerability:
· Doubting God’s sufficiency to make us secure in Christ (You’re not really saved!)
· Reliance on “self-righteousness” – weaponry of the flesh (You got this!)
· Identification with the world, the flesh, and the devil. Destroy our testimony. (You don’t need to stand out!)
That’s why we need the breast plate of HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS!
Many of you know that, but you are still being successfully attacked by the enemy. Why?
Because the armor of God doesn’t fit.
ILLUS:
armor does it fit over armor.
Means we first have to take off any of the weaponry of the flesh we’re already wearing.
1 So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.
2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.
3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
4 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
5 Therefore, put to death what belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desire, and greed, which is idolatry.
6 Because of these, God’s wrath is coming upon the disobedient,
7 and you once walked in these things when you were living in them.
8 But now, put away all the following: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and filthy language from your mouth.
9 Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old self with its practices
10 and have put on the new self. You are being renewed in knowledge according to the image of your Creator.
11 In Christ there is not Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave and free; but Christ is all and in all.
12 Therefore, as God’s chosen ones, holy and dearly loved, put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience,
13 bearing with one another and forgiving one another if anyone has a grievance against another. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you are also to forgive.
14 Above all, put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.
15 And let the peace of Christ, to which you were also called in one body, rule your hearts. And be thankful.
16 Let the word of Christ dwell richly among you, in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another through psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.
Righteousness of God leads to righteousness in life (Romans 2:14-16 )
14 So, when Gentiles, who do not by nature have the law, do what the law demands, they are a law to themselves even though they do not have the law.
15 They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts. Their consciences confirm this. Their competing thoughts either accuse or even excuse them
16 on the day when God judges what people have kept secret, according to my gospel through Christ Jesus.
Not because we are trying to appease God, but because Christ has already appeased God and through a new life, our desires change from wanting to walk in disobedience and sin, to wanting to walk in righteousness -- we go from doing some that is unnatural (LEGITIMATE righteousness) to Christ-honoring, humble righteous living. Righteousness as defined by Scripture, not self-righteousness (religiosity/moralism).