(Ephesians 6:10) Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. (11) Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. (12) For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. (13) Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. (14) Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; (15) And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; (16) Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. (17) And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: (18) Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
Before we proceed to verse 15, allow me to say one more thing that I believe is important regarding verse 14 because I do not believe the order here is random. I believe God inspired this order for a specific reason and that it is important for us to understand the metaphorical language and the original intent of the author as much as possible.
Paul spent a good portion of his writings emphasizing the need for moral excellence. He spoke of men, because of conditions at that time, remaining single, but says it is better to marry than to burn. He spoke of the discipline of his own body and the need for bringing one's own body into subjection for the sake of Jesus Christ. He told Timothy to flee youthful lusts and to abstain from the very appearance of evil. He said, "Keep yourself pure."
The fool of the world might say this was a fixation with Paul because he must have had a problem in this area himself. That is the kind of stupidity that has influence the thinking of many modern Christians and led us to believe that anybody who seeks to teach the TRUTH in this area is "from another planet" and is not facing reality somehow. But I remind you that even LOT was vex in his spirit day after day because of the wickedness of the sexual perversion and pre-occupation of the citizens of Sodom. If that should grieve him then what should you and I feel with today's social attitude toward the matter. Young people who seek to remain pure are laughed at by their peers, as well as by society in general. THIS is such an important matter. We MUST teach our BOYS to be gentlemen and to self controlled followers of Jesus, as well as teaching our girls to be young ladies, not aggressive sex crazed objects that think it is the only way to get a man.
Verse 14b - and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
The Roman soldier's breastplate protected his upper vital organs, particularly the lungs and heart. Proverbs 4:23 urges us to protect our hearts: "Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life." Matthew 15:18-19 says: "Those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies." Satan tries to corrupt the hearts of believers so that they will display ugly passions instead of the love of Christ. Righteousness must be the guardian of our hearts.
The Greek word translated "righteousness" in Ephesians 6:14, dikaiosunē, occurs ninety-two times in the New Testament (including thirty times in the book of Romans). Paul's first use of dikaiosunē in Romans is instructive. He told us in Romans 1 that he was not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for "therein is the righteousness of God revealed" (1:17). The theme of Romans is righteousness. Paul spoke of righteousness revealed (1:17), righteousness required (1:18; 3:10-16), righteousness received (4:5), and righteousness reproduced (6:12-23).John Phillips Commentary Series, The - The John Phillips Commentary Series – Exploring Ephesians: An Expository Commentary.
Obviously, the important thing for us to understand here is that once we understand that the belt of TRUTH (Jesus said, "I am the Truth...") protects us from immorality, we then discover that breastplate of Righteous (Paul said, "Christ is our righteousness") which enables us to stand confidently before our God and boldly before man as His representatives. Paul wrote, "Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect for it is God who has justified us (declared us righteous). It was not our doings, but His declaration.
Hence, we are thus far morally pure, and in right standing with God through Christ. Can you see the thinking of the apostle developing here? He lived in a world very much like our own in many ways, where young men were not taught self control, but self indulgence. He finds a "few good men" in Timothy, Titus, Epaphroditus, etc. into which he can pour the revelation God has given him, and what a difference they made. May God give us handfuls of those kinds of men from around the world who have a greater love for God than for their own passions and their own indulgences.
BLESSINGS!
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