Christ’s Righteousness

When Paul talks about the “righteousness like armor on your chest” in Ephesians 6:14, is he talking about our righteousness or Christ’s righteousness?

I believe he is talking about Christ’s righteousness. That is not to say, of course, that our own righteousness (our moral uprightness) is unimportant, for as Paul points out in 2 Corinthians 6:7, our righteousness can be a definite defense against Satan. In Ephesians 6, however, the emphasis is not on our righteousness in Christ, but Christ’s righteousness in us.

So how does putting on the breastplate of righteousness act as a spiritual defense against the wiles of the Devil? Take, for example, those people who have definitely surrendered their lives to Christ but whom Satan afflicts with a feeling that they are not good enough to be saved. Why do they have such feelings? The answer is simple—they have taken their eyes off Christ and His righteousness and have focused on themselves and their righteousness. And in doing that, they have played right into the Devil’s hands.

You see, the Devil can find all kinds of flaws and blemishes in your righteousness, but he can find nothing wrong with the righteousness of Christ. The way to withstand an attack like this, then, is to put on the breastplate of righteousness. In other words, remind yourself and Satan that you stand not on your own merits but on Christ’s. This may sound simple, even simplistic to some, but I have lived long enough to see people latch on to it and come from the depths of emotional distress to the heights of spiritual exaltation.

Further Study

1Co 1:19-31; Isa 64:6; Rm 8:34; Php 3:9

What is our righteousness like?

What was Paul’s declaration?