Taken from my study of John MacArthur Commentary on Eph.6:14 – Wow – Incredible!
Eph 6:14b
and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, (6:14b)
No Roman soldier would go into battle without his breastplate, a tough, sleeveless piece of armor that covered his full torso. It was often made of leather or heavy linen, onto which were sewn overlapping slices of animal hooves or horns or pieces of metal. Some were made of large pieces of metal molded or hammered to conform to the body. The purpose of that piece of armor is obvious—to protect the heart, lungs, intestines, and other vital organs.
In ancient Jewish thinking, the heart represented the mind and the will and the bowels were considered the seat of emotions and feelings. The mind and the emotions are the two areas where Satan most fiercely attacks believers. He creates a world system, a sinful environment by which he tempts us to think wrong thoughts and to feel wrong emotions. He wants to cloud our minds with false doctrine, false principles, and false information in order to mislead and confuse us. He also wants to confuse our emotions and thereby pervert our affections, morals, loyalties, goals, and commitments. He desires to snatch the Word of God from our minds and replace it with his own perverse ideas. He seeks to undermine pure living and replace it with immorality, greed, envy, hate, and every other vice. He wants us to laugh at sin rather than mourn over it, and to rationalize it rather than confess it and bring it to the Lord for forgiveness. He seduces us to become so used to sin in us and around us that it no longer bothers our conscience.
The protection against those attacks of Satan is the breastplate of righteousness. Righteousness is to be taken and wrapped around our whole being, as it were, just as ancient soldiers covered themselves with breastplates of armor.
Paul is obviously not speaking here of self–righteousness, which is not righteousness at all but the worst form of sin. It is, however, with this sort of righteousness that many Christians clothe themselves, thinking that their own character and legalistic behavior and accomplishments please God and will bring His reward. But far from protecting a believer, a cloak of self–righteousness gives Satan a ready–made weapon to stifle and smother our spiritual life and service. Self–righteousness will as surely keep a believer out of the power of fellowship with God as it will keep an unbeliever out of His kingdom (Matt. 5:20). Our own righteousness, even as believers, is nothing more than filthy garments (Isa. 64:6). It brings us no favor with God and no protection from Satan.
Nor is Paul speaking here of imputed righteousness, the perfect righteousness God applies to the account of every Christian the moment he believes in Christ (Rom. 4:6, 11, 22–24). God made Christ, “who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Cor. 5:21). We cannot put on what God has already clothed us with. We are permanently dressed in that righteousness, throughout our lives on earth and throughout all eternity.
God’s imputed righteousness is the basis of our Christian life and of our Christian living. It protects us from hell, but it does not, in itself, protect us from Satan in this present life. The breastplate of righteousness that we put on as spiritual armor against our adversary is the practical righteousness of a life lived in obedience to God’s Word. (Cf. the putting on of righteous behavior in line with the “new self” in 4:24–27, which having been done, will “not give the devil an opportunity.” See also the putting on of righteous deeds in Col. 3:9–14.)
Paul shows the relationship between these two forms of true righteousness in Philippians 3. His salvation, he tells us, was based solely on God’s imputed righteousness, “not having a righteousness of [his] own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith” (v. 9). But his Christian living involved another kind of righteousness, the practical working out of his imputed righteousness: “Not that I have already obtained it, or have already become perfect, but I press on in order that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (vv. 12–14). Imputed righteousness makes practical righteousness possible, but only obedience to the Lord makes practical righteousness a reality.
If I had only been taught this early on in my Christian growth – what a powerful influence it would have had on me. I was in a very legalistic independent Baptist church where my deeds were taught to prove my righteousness – rather than Christ in me – and seeking to Honor Him according to His word. I have spent many years trying to be “Righteous” only to find that Tim Gowens really is not at all righteous. BUT Jesus in me is and it is He who wants to live His life in and through me. I will be more like Him when I submit to Him and obey what I know pleases Him. Then, He can make the impact on others that He wants to make.I must step aside and let Him do what He wants with or without me. I must trust Him.