The Breastplate of Righteousness: 4. Practical Righteousness   So far…

The need for a breastplate; Benefits of the Righteous The Righteousness of God

Faithfulness Compassion Judgement Salvation

Practical Righteousness

Righteous requirements of the Law Righteousness in Christ 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 ...