Walking Worthy of our calling #81 (Drawing to a close) Eph 6:23-24 “Peace be to the brothers, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be with all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with love incorruptible.”

After Paul draws things together by sharing about Tychicus, his faithfulness, and his purpose for being sent, he now draws things to a close in verses 23-24. Paul has a unique way in closing his letters in such a way that ties in the doctrine that he has been teaching in his epistle with encouraging closing remarks.

“Peace be to the brothers,” who are “the brothers”? they are of we who believe in Christ, who have been born from above into the family of God, thus being adopted as sons and obtaining an inheritance. Therefore we can refer to each other as brothers. Peace…what is the peace based upon? Romans 5:1 says: “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” We can only have peace with the brethren if we have peace with God. We can only have peace with God if we have been justified by Christ.

“and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” This shows that the source of love and of faith are God the Father, and Christ the son. This also highlights the familial relationship hinted at in these verses and expounded upon throughout the rest of the letter. God the Father sent Christ the son to take our sin upon him so that we who place our faith in him have Christ’s righteousness imputed to our account, declaring us righteous before God and thus securing peace with him. This is why we can call each other “brothers”

“Grace be with all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with love incorruptible.” God’s unmerited favor is to be to all who love Christ, who is our Lord, with incorruptible love. But that’s impossible for us, to love Christ perfectly. This is where grace comes in. God helps us to do what we can’t do on our own. It is only by God’s grace that we can have peace with him. It is only by God’s grace that we have faith to believe in him. Paul begins his epistle magnifying God’s grace (Eph 1:2) and ends his epistle magnifying God’s grace (Eph 6:24). This is a great reminder that as trophies of God’s grace (Eph 2:5-7), all that he has done in our lives and will do, is to the praise of his glorious grace.

 

Walking Worthy of our calling #80b (Tychicus: A Faithful Example) Eph 6:20-21 “So that you also may know how I am and what I am doing, Tychicus the beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord will tell you everything. I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are, and that he may encourage your hearts.”

So what characteristic do we see predominantly pointed out in the life of Tychicus? Eph 6:21 says: “So that you also may know how I am and what I am doing, Tychicus the beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord will tell you everything.” Also, Paul writes in Col 4:7 “Tychicus will tell you all about my activities. He is a beloved brother and faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord.” Tychicus was known for being faithful. In both of these verses, Paul calls him a faithful minister and as beloved brother. Paul clearly held Tychicus in high regards, and he always obtained a good report because he was counted faithful.

In Gal 5:22, Paul describes faithfulness as one of the fruits of the Spirit. Strongs concordance describes the Greek word for faithful as “objectively trustworthy; subjectively trustful: – believe (-ing, -r), faithful (-ly), sure, true.” One who is faithful is a person who can be counted on. This is why Paul was constantly sending Tychicus to other churches and other bondservants to Christ to give and receive tidings. His role as seen in scripture, one who sends Paul’s messages to others did not make Tychicus a mere messenger, or errand boy.

In 1st Century AD, someone sending a message could not pick up the phone or shoot off an email to do so. Should a messenger give a false report to the recipients, this would go unnoticed and uncorrected much easier than it would today, because f the primitive communication methods of that day. Should this happen, Paul would not be able to simply pick up the phone to correct the false information. This happened to the church at Thessalonica. They received a letter from someone claiming to be Paul, telling them that the Day of the Lord was already here. This is why Paul wrote 2 Thessalonians, to clear up the false report. Therefore, because of the dangers of this primitive long distance communication, Paul would only send someone who he knew could be trusted with his tidings, to deliver his messages and reports in an accurate manner.

So did Paul count all of his fellow laborers as being faithful? Let us take a look at a man named Demas. Philemon 1:23-24 says: “Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends greetings to you, and so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my fellow workers.” Col 4:14 says: “Luke the beloved physician greets you, as does Demas. In both of these letters, as Paul is closing these letters, he sends greetings from several fellow laborers, including Demas. So up to this point, Demas was counted as faithful, serving with Paul in the work of the ministry. However, in the last letter that Paul wrote at the end of his life, his 2nd epistle to Timothy, we discover a disturbing truth about Demas. 2 Tim 4:10 says: “For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia.” Demas was no longer counted as faithful. His love of the world caused him to turn aside from being faithful to Christ.

Unlike Demas, there is no account in scripture of Tychicus becoming unfaithful. 1 John 2:15-17 says: “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world–the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions–is not from the Father but is from the world. the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.” Just like Tychicus, we must forsake loving this present world if we are to be counted as faithful. Choose this day which example you will follow. Will people say about you that you have forsaken the brethren for love of the World? Or will they say that you were counted faithful, like Tychicus.

 

Walking Worthy of our calling #80a (Who was Tychicus?) Eph 6:20-21 “So that you also may know how I am and what I am doing, Tychicus the beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord will tell you everything. I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are, and that he may encourage your hearts.”

Who was Tychicus? His name only appears five times in scripture. In these five few times, not a negative thing is said about him, rather only positive things. In this passage Paul mentions several times, and in various ways why he sent Tychicus to Ephesus. Each reason given gives us a little more insight into the character of this man. This we will look at later.

The first time in scripture that this man is mentioned is in Acts 20:4 which says: “Sopater the Berean, son of Pyrrhus, accompanied him; and of the Thessalonians, Aristarchus and Secundus; and Gaius of Derbe, and Timothy; and the Asians, Tychicus and Trophimus.” In this verse, Luke is listing off those who are accompanying Paul on his third missionary journey. From this verse, much can be learned about Tychicus. First of all, it gives us some insight into his origin. This verse describes him as an Asian. This most likely means that he was from Asia Minor, which is modern day Turkey. Also, this verse shows that he was counted faithful, seeing that Paul had him to be a part of the team. Also, seeing that this was Paul’s third missionary journey, he was a seasoned missionary at the time. Thus, chances are that Tychicus was one of Paul’s disciples.

So out of the five verses that speak of Tychicus, what is it that we find him doing primarily? It seems that he was a messenger for Paul, someone who could always be counted on to deliver news to and from Paul. Col 4:7 says “Tychicus will tell you all about my activities. He is a beloved brother and faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord.” Paul also tells Titus in Tit 3:12: “When I send Artemas or Tychicus to you, do your best to come to me at Nicopolis, for I have decided to spend the winter there.” Eph 6:21 and 2Tim 4:12 both also show Paul sending Tychicus as his messenger.

In 2Ti 4:12, Paul tells Timothy that: “Tychicus I have sent to Ephesus.” So why did Paul sent him to Ephesus? There are two reasons given here. Verse 22 shows: “I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are, and that he may encourage your hearts.” His reasons were (1) So that the Ephesians may know how Paul and company are doing, and (2) that Tychicus may encourage their hearts. Paul trusted Tychicus to deliver several of his letters and to give an accurate report of all that was going on with Paul. Also, the fact that Paul also sent him to encourage them shows that Tychicus was a man of godly character. In the next post in the series, we will take a look at the Charactoristics that mark Tychicus, and how we can be more like him.

 

Walking Worthy of our calling #79 (Boldness in the gospel) Eph 6:19-20 “and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.”

In verse 18 Paul instructs the believers at Ephesus to make supplication for all the saints…and now Paul requests prayer for himself. These verses give us a little insight into Paul’s requesting strength in his weakness. The subject of what Paul asks for prayer for is boldness in proclaiming the gospel as he ought to. What an incredible thing! Paul is in prison, in chains, and his prayer request is that he might be bold in preaching the gospel. This is because Paul’s focus was not earthly, but heavenly. This type of heavenly mindedness is something that all believers should be seeking to cultivate.

Twice in these two verses Paul asks them to pray that he would have boldness in preaching the gospel. In verse 19 he says: “that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel” and in verse 20: “that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.” Both of these phrases give some important insight into where our “preaching of the gospel” comes from. In verse 19 Paul says to pray that words may be given to him. The words which we preach should not be our own. They should come from God’s Word, as all true wisdom comes from God. In verse 20, in asking for prayer, Paul asks that he might declare it boldly as he ought to speak. In our witnessing, our preaching ought to be with boldness. This is because the words that we preach, if coming from the Word, have authority.

Paul refers to what we proclaim as “the mystery of the gospel” what does he mean? In biblical terms, a mystery is something that was hidden in times past, but is now being reviled. This mystery of the gospel is closely tied with another mystery that Paul talks about in Ephesians: the mystery of the church. In Eph 2:11-3:13 Paul expounds upon how we as gentiles once alienated from God…but are now brought near by the blood of Christ, and therefore we have equal access to God with those of his chosen nation, Israel. Read Eph 2:11-3:13 to grasp a deeper understanding of this mystery.

Our boldness in the gospel also comes from our position. We are ambassadors of the gospel. An ambassador is someone who stands in the place of a monarch or a country and represents them. Regarding our position as ambassadors, 2Cor 5:18-21 says: “All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” What an amazing position! God chooses to use we whom he has reconciled to be his ambassadors in the ministry of reconciliation! Therefore, because of our position, we have boldness!

 

Walking Worthy of our calling #78 (The strength behind the armor: it comes through prayer) Eph 6:18 “praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,”

Prayer. It is something that we would expect Paul to illustrate as a piece of armor. However, there is no illustration for this aspect of our spiritual walk. Prayer is the power behind the armor. This is something we are to be doing always, both in the heat of battle and when all seems quiet. While we are putting on the armor and while we are all dressed for battle, we are to be praying…at all times!

Paul says here that we are to be praying in the Spirit. What does this mean? In Jude 20 Jude writes the same thing when he says: “But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit,” Romans 8:26-27 gives us a little more insight as to what it means to pray in the Spirit. This passage says: “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.” As we are praying to our heavenly Father, many times we don’t even know how to pray. But the Holy Spirit himself intercedes on our behalf, according to the will of God. What an incredible thought!

Paul also tells us to keep alert with all perseverance to that end. Prayer is not an easy task. In Col 4:12 Paul says that Epaphras labored in prayer for the saints at Colossae. Our flesh is so weak. We desire to be faithful in prayer but we often find our mind wondering, or the time we set aside for prayer gets squeezed to short. If we are honest with ourselves we find that we are far less faithful in our communication with our heavenly father than we ought to be. That’s why we must put forth much effort as Epaphras did, laboring in our prayers. This is why Paul tells us to keep alert with all perseverance when it comes to praying.

In spiritual warfare it is vitally important that we are “making supplication for all the saints,” and “praying with all prayer and supplication” as Paul tells us in this verse. We are NOT meant to fight this battle alone. We are to be constantly lifting each other in prayer. We need other believers to fight with us, side by side both through words (encouragement and rebuke when needed), but also through prayers, constantly praying for each other’s spiritual needs as we see Paul doing again and again. Let us take the time to take the spotlight off of ourselves and labor for each other in prayer, lifting one another up to our heavenly Father, whose power we are standing strong in as we fight the spiritual battle that rages around us.

 

Walking Worthy of our calling #77 (The Sword of the Spirit: Defending and overcoming by it) Eph 6:17 “and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,”

“and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,” This is the only offensive weapon listed here in the list of armor that believers are to put on in preparation for spiritual battle. Just as Christ did in the hour of his temptation from Satan, we too are to be using the sword of the Spirit the same way as we go into battle. Christ didn’t answer Satan with the wisdom of the World, or any other source. Rather he always began his answers with: “it is written…” The Sword of the Spirit is our weapon by which we charge into battle, as well as our most vital piece in hand to hand combat.

Going back to 2Cor 10:4-5 which says: “For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,” Although this passage has been looked at in light Ephesians 6, now Eph 6:17 reveals exactly what the mighty weapons of our warfare are. Every lofty argument that exalts itself against the knowledge of God can and must be destroyed by the Word of God.

The term “The Word of God” is used many times throughout New Testament scripture. The vast majority of the times where it is used, the Greek word for “word” is “Logos” is used. However, this is not the word that Paul uses here. The Greek word for “word that is used in this passage is “Rhema” which is only used a handful of times for the Word of God. It is very interesting that Paul uses a different word here than the more general “logos”. A look at what Strongs Concordance says about Rhema might give us a little insight a as to why this word is used here. Strongs defines Rhema as: “an utterance (individually, collectively or specifically); by implication a matter or topic” The “Rhema” of God here in this passage is referring to a specific aspect of the “Logos” of God. Just as Christ quoted “Rhemas”(specific topics) out of the “Logos”(the whole thing) of God, so should we be able to use the specific “rhema” out of the “Logos” that is appropriate to the specific attack that we are facing.

Another verse that refers to the Word of God as a sword is Heb 4:12 which says: “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” Logos is the word that is used in this verse, thus it is speaking of the entire Word of God. This verse shows us several things about our weapon. First of all, it is alive and active. God’s word is not something that is powerless; rather it is where we get our authority from. Also, it is sharper than any sword known to man. it can and does pierce through joints and marrow, lays open soul and spirit, and is able to discern the very thoughts and intents of the heart. The Word of God cuts us open and exposes our inner motives to a holy God. There is nothing that is hid from Him.
God’s Word not only exposes the hearts of our enemies, but also our own thoughts and intents within our hearts. As we study it more, we are able to see more and more areas where we need to be brought into conformity to Christ. It is also vital that we know God’s Word…so that in the battle we can reach into the Logos, and pull out the appropriate “Rhema” in order to wage war.

 

Walking Worthy of our calling #76 (The Helmet of Salvation: Protecting the mind) Eph 6:17 “and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,”

“and take the helmet of salvation,”. It is interesting that in this passage dealing with the armor of God, that salvation is listed as a helmet, as opposed to a larger piece of armor that protects much more of the body. So what is the purpose of a helmet? It is to protect the head, which houses the brain. The brain is the information center of the body: the center from where all messages are sent to the rest of the body, thus controlling it. If you damage the brain, you damage the body.

When we think of the brain in light of the constitution of man (intellect, emotion, volition) it is the center for the cognitive, the intellect, also known as the mind that is in view. Therefore it is the mind that we are to protect by the helmet of salvation. 1Thess 5:8 says: “But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation.” This verse gets even more specific…the helmet which we are to put on is the hope that comes as a result of our salvation. 1Thess 9-10 go on to say: “For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him.”

With these verses in mind, let us take a look at 1John 3:1-3 “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.” So, based upon these verses, what is the hope of our salvation? that we will one day be dwelling with Christ…and more than that, that we will also be like him, putting off the corrupt sinful nature that plagues us to this day.

This is what God designed to guard our minds: this hope that comes with our salvation. Satan will and does attack in our cognitive, and it is in our cognitive realm that we are able to understand the truths of the gospel. Since Satan does attack in the cognitive, we must be on guard, taking upon us the helmet of the hope of our salvation so that we are able to: “destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,” as 2Cor 10:5 tells us that we are able to do with the mighty weapons wherewith we are equipped.

 

Walking Worthy of our calling #75 (The shield of Faith: our primary defense) Eph 6:16 “In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one;”

The shield of faith. What is this all about? What does Paul mean by shield? What does Paul mean by faith? Any time that we see “faith” mentioned in the Word of God, we must ask, is this saving faith? Or is this our creed…the body of what we believe? Seeing that Paul is writing this to the believer, to know how to gird oneself in battle, this cannot be saving faith which comes as a response to God’s grace upon salvation. Therefore he must be talking about the confession of our faith…the overall body of doctrine that we believe as revealed to us in the scriptures. Faith as mentioned here also has the idea of our faith beyond salvation, trusting in God’s promises laid out in his Word. As we grow in our knowledge of “The Faith” and as we grow in our personal faith, our shield becomes stronger.

So why the image of a shield? The purpose of a shield in the area of battle is to be our first and primary defensive weapon. The shield is supposed to block every arrow, every blow of lance or sword, every strike of a hurled spear before it reaches the secondary defenses of breastplate or helmet. The shield is something that the soldier puts up and hides behind for safety and protection. As we grow in our understanding of the doctrines of the Faith, our shield is strengthened, and is better able to withstand the attacks that are brought against us.

Another very interesting point about the shields used by Romans in battle is brought up by Warren Wiersbe in “The Bible Exposition Commentary” when he points out: “The edges of these shields were so constructed that an entire line of soldiers could interlock shields and march into the enemy like a solid wall. This suggests that we Christians are not in the battle alone. What an incredible picture! God did not intend for us to fight the battle alone. While this is true in regards to the fact that God is fighting with us and for us, this illustration shows that God designed for we as believers to fight together in battle. That’s why there is no piece of armor listed that protects our back…other believers guard our back while we guard theirs.

The reason why we need the shield is to extinguish the flaming darts of Satan. Not only does Satan’s attacks come as deliberate systematic attacks honing in on the target of our specific weaknesses, as the word picture of arrows suggest, the attacks can do a lot more damage than we can imagine due to the flames, if they are not properly extinguished. The Bible Knowledge Commentary explains the Roman Soldier’s shield as: “made of wood, was about 2 1/2’ wide and 4’ long. It was overlaid with linen and leather, to absorb fiery arrows . This is why Paul says we must: “In all circumstances take up the shield of faith” We can never let our guard down. At times a flaming arrow may be easy to see but during the brightness of the day they can at times be quite difficult to see until it is too late. Thus we must always, in all circumstances have our shield of faith up and ready to defend.

Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Eph 6:13). Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books.

Walvoord, J. F., Zuck, R. B., & Dallas Theological Seminary. (1983-). The Bible knowledge commentary : An exposition of the scriptures (Eph 6:16). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

 

Walking Worthy of our calling #74 (Our footwear: The gospel of peace) Eph 6:15 “and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.”

For the piece of armor protecting our feet, Paul describes the readiness of the gospel as footwear. This is a very interesting word picture for two reasons. The first one comes based upon the context of the whole passage. This has to do with its defensive implications. The whole context of the armor of God as described in this passage is defensive. However, while in this context the shoes of readiness given by the gospel of peace have a defensive connotation, there is also a clear offensive/advancement implication as well.

Several times in this passage we are told to “stand”. Eph 6:11 tells us to: “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to STAND against the schemes of the devil.” Again in verse 13 we are told: “Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to WITHSTAND in the evil day, and having done all, to STAND firm.” We are told yet again in verse 14 “STAND therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,” again and again we are told to stand and stand firm. Now in verse 15 Paul tells us how we can stand firm.

Our footwear is what gives us balance to enable us to stand firm in the battle. If we are equipped with the improper footwear, we will never be able to stand firm in the battle. This is why our feet must be equipped with the preparation of the gospel of peace. If we are to stand firm in the battle that we face, it must be the truth of the gospel that we stand on.

As stated before, this word picture also has offensive/advancement implications as well. If we desire to accurately share the gospel of our salvation, we must prepare by having an adequate understanding of the gospel. All too often in our churches we are so eager to get people to share their faith that we try to teach evangelistic methods as opposed to the theology behind the gospel. While God can certainly use Romans road and 4 spiritual laws for his glory, we must not make these to be short cuts that give people an excuse to not study and meditate on the deep doctrines of salvation for themselves. It is so important to prepare for sharing the gospel by understanding the gospel. If a person merely learns some simplistic pre-packaged evangelistic method without having a grasp of the truths of the depravity of man, justification, sanctification, redemption, propitiation, reconciliation, election, and all the other doctrines of salvation and how they work together, not only are they stunting their own growth, but they are not always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in them as Peter commands in 1 Peter 3:15.

Paul reminds us that this gospel is the gospel of peace. This is exactly what reconciliation is all about. Through the gospel of peace, the relationship between God and man (which was ruined by the fall) is restored based upon the work of Christ. Rom 5:1 tells us: “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” This peace which we experience through the gospel, which helps us stand firm in the battle is the same peace that is brought to a lost and dying world as they respond to the gospel. However we must prepare to effectively share it with them.

 

Walking Worthy of our calling #73 (The Breastplate of Righteousness: protecting our vital organs) Eph 6:14 “Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,”

“and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,” the next piece of armor discussed here is the breastplate of righteousness. A breastplate is a piece of armor that covers the front of the soldier, from the belt up to the neck. The purpose of this piece of armor is to protect the vital organs of the soldier. Without this piece of armor, the soldier is exposed, vulnerable to mortal wounds if attacked. Without this piece of armor, a soldier would last only a short time on the battle field.

The breastplate in the illustration of the armor of God is that of righteousness. Typically when we think of covering righteousness we think in terms of Justification. However, to those who Paul is addressing this letter, this has already taken place. The “righteousness” that we are told to put on in this passage is that of sanctification. The source of the righteousness we obtain in justification as well as what we obtain in sanctification is the same…they both come from Christ. Neither one is from ourselves. The difference between the two is the timing. The righteousness that we receive from Christ in relation to our justification is immediate, and at the moment of salvation, the purpose of which is to declare us righteous before a Holy God… although we are a far cry from actually being righteous. However, the righteousness that we receive from Christ in relation to our sanctification is gradual, over time as we grow more and more into His likeness. The purpose of this righteousness is to actually make us righteous.

This is the righteousness of the breastplate which we are to put on. This has to do with putting to death the old man, and putting on the new man. This process is described in Eph 4:22-24 which says: “to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” The new nature, which we are to put on, is created after God, in righteousness, and true holiness.

So how does this breastplate of righteousness protect us in the day of battle? As we are attacked by Satan, the more we walk in the righteousness of Christ, the stronger our defense will be against his darts of temptation. Not only does the breastplate of righteousness protect us against the attacks of temptation from the devil, it also helps to defend our testimony from our human opponents when they attack. Titus 2:7-8 says: “Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us.” As these verses show, if we are walking in righteousness in good works, having integrity and dignity in our teaching, as well as having sound speech, when accusations are brought against us by our opponents, they will be put to silence because their accusations don’t match up to our character.

The breastplate of righteousness, which we are to put on grows stronger as we grow in our sanctification. So is sanctification something that we do? Or is it something that God does? The answer is yes! Both. We cannot bring about our sanctification, it is Christ who sanctifies us (Eph 5:25-27). However, we can either resist his sanctifying work in our lives, or we can put forth effort to work with Christ to become more like him. The choice is up to us. If we desire to become more like Christ, we must learn about him from the source of all Truth, the Word of God. As we renew our minds in his word, our minds are transformed and we become more like the new man created after God in righteousness and true holiness.