This is a continuation of a series I typed up.
Armor of God
Ephesians 6
2. Breastplate of righteousness
3. Sandals of the Gospel of Peace
4.The Helmet of Salvation
5. The Shield of Faith
6. Sword of the Spirit (Word of God)
The Armor
2. Breastplate of Righteousness
(with the breastplate of righteousness in place,)
Slide 6
Righteousness is given to those who respond in faith. To be in a righteous state we must be
in Christ. Christ is the example of righteousness. Without sin is to be in the right with God.
Hebrews 11:7 (NIV) 7 By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear
built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of
the righteousness that is in keeping with faith.
Genesis 15:4-6 (NIV) 4 Then the word of the Lord came to him: “This man will not be your
heir, but a son who is your own flesh and blood will be your heir.” 5 He took him outside
and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.” Then he
said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”6 Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to
him as righteousness.
Romans 4:18-25 (NIV) 18 Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the
father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” 19
Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since
he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. 20 Yet he did not
waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God but was strengthened in his faith and
gave glory to God, 21 being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had
promised. 22 This is why “it was credited to him as righteousness.” 23 The words “it
was credited to him” were written not for him alone, 24 but also for us, to whom God
will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from
the dead. 25 He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our
justification.
Romans 1:16-17 (NIV) 16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of
God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. 17
For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by
faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”
Ephesians 2:8-9(NIV) 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.
In conclusion we are only seen righteous once we believe/respond in faith in the message of the Gospel. An unwavering, fully persuaded belief and as in the example of Noah who became an heir of righteousness that is in keeping with the faith.
Romans 1:17 says righteousness that is by
faith from first to last but also known as from faith to faith. Being in this state of
righteousness is a transitional process that we must remain faithful and must be obedient.
Not in righteous works but by faith alone.
The Roman soldier’s breastplate would obviously protect the heart and other vital organs.
Proverbs 4:23 (NIV) says, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows
from it.”
A blow or arrow to the heart would typically end the life of an individual. A darkened heart is the image of a soul that is on the path to destruction. A path that will end in soul death.
Matthew 5:8 (NIV) 8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God
Guard your heart from the all opposition.
(Side note: Many people do not understand the difference between belief and faith interchangeably or treat the words as the same. But in the original Greek language, the word for faith and belief are not the same word but similar. Scripture speaks on that there is a gift or God given faith but also there is a belief or mankind’s response of faith. This scripture includes both words in the same verse.
Hebrews 11:6 New International Version (NIV) 6 And without faith it is impossible to
please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he
rewards those who earnestly seek him.
Here are two examples:
John 6:28-29 New International Version (NIV)
28 Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?”
29 Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”
The Greek word here for believe is different than the scriptures that refer to faith as a gift.
We have pisteuo
4100 pisteúō (from 4102 /pístis, "faith," derived from 3982 /peíthō, "persuade, be
persuaded") – believe (affirm, have confidence); used of persuading oneself (= human
believing) and with the sacred significance of being persuaded by the Lord (= faithbelieving). Only the context indicates whether 4100 /pisteúō ("believe") is selfserving (without sacred meaning), or the believing that leads to/proceeds from God's in birthing of faith
Ephesians 2:8 New International Version (NIV)
8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—
4102 Faith (4102/pistis) is always a gift from God, and never something that can be
produced by people. In short, 4102/pistis ("faith") for the believer is "God's divine
persuasion" – and therefore distinct from human belief (confidence) yet involving it. The
Lord continuously births faith in the yielded believer so they can know what He prefers, i.e.
the persuasion of His will (1 Jn 5:4).
We will discuss more on the importance of faith in the shield of faith section.
Discussion Questions:
1. In what ways are you comforted in knowing that God views you as righteous?
2. Do you understand the difference between the rationality of belief in comparison to
supernatural faith?
Armor of God
Ephesians 6
- Intro
- Counterintelligence
- Strategical Planning
- Bootcamp/Operational Training
- Assembly Phase Subsections
2. Breastplate of righteousness
3. Sandals of the Gospel of Peace
4.The Helmet of Salvation
5. The Shield of Faith
6. Sword of the Spirit (Word of God)
- Combat Support (Prayer]
- D-Day (the day on which an important operation is to begin or a change to take effect.)
- Recruitment- The Great Commission
The Armor
2. Breastplate of Righteousness
(with the breastplate of righteousness in place,)
Slide 6
Righteousness is given to those who respond in faith. To be in a righteous state we must be
in Christ. Christ is the example of righteousness. Without sin is to be in the right with God.
Hebrews 11:7 (NIV) 7 By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear
built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of
the righteousness that is in keeping with faith.
Genesis 15:4-6 (NIV) 4 Then the word of the Lord came to him: “This man will not be your
heir, but a son who is your own flesh and blood will be your heir.” 5 He took him outside
and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.” Then he
said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”6 Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to
him as righteousness.
Romans 4:18-25 (NIV) 18 Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the
father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” 19
Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since
he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. 20 Yet he did not
waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God but was strengthened in his faith and
gave glory to God, 21 being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had
promised. 22 This is why “it was credited to him as righteousness.” 23 The words “it
was credited to him” were written not for him alone, 24 but also for us, to whom God
will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from
the dead. 25 He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our
justification.
Romans 1:16-17 (NIV) 16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of
God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. 17
For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by
faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”
Ephesians 2:8-9(NIV) 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.
In conclusion we are only seen righteous once we believe/respond in faith in the message of the Gospel. An unwavering, fully persuaded belief and as in the example of Noah who became an heir of righteousness that is in keeping with the faith.
Romans 1:17 says righteousness that is by
faith from first to last but also known as from faith to faith. Being in this state of
righteousness is a transitional process that we must remain faithful and must be obedient.
Not in righteous works but by faith alone.
The Roman soldier’s breastplate would obviously protect the heart and other vital organs.
Proverbs 4:23 (NIV) says, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows
from it.”
A blow or arrow to the heart would typically end the life of an individual. A darkened heart is the image of a soul that is on the path to destruction. A path that will end in soul death.
Matthew 5:8 (NIV) 8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God
Guard your heart from the all opposition.
(Side note: Many people do not understand the difference between belief and faith interchangeably or treat the words as the same. But in the original Greek language, the word for faith and belief are not the same word but similar. Scripture speaks on that there is a gift or God given faith but also there is a belief or mankind’s response of faith. This scripture includes both words in the same verse.
Hebrews 11:6 New International Version (NIV) 6 And without faith it is impossible to
please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he
rewards those who earnestly seek him.
Here are two examples:
John 6:28-29 New International Version (NIV)
28 Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?”
29 Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”
The Greek word here for believe is different than the scriptures that refer to faith as a gift.
We have pisteuo
4100 pisteúō (from 4102 /pístis, "faith," derived from 3982 /peíthō, "persuade, be
persuaded") – believe (affirm, have confidence); used of persuading oneself (= human
believing) and with the sacred significance of being persuaded by the Lord (= faithbelieving). Only the context indicates whether 4100 /pisteúō ("believe") is selfserving (without sacred meaning), or the believing that leads to/proceeds from God's in birthing of faith
Ephesians 2:8 New International Version (NIV)
8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—
4102 Faith (4102/pistis) is always a gift from God, and never something that can be
produced by people. In short, 4102/pistis ("faith") for the believer is "God's divine
persuasion" – and therefore distinct from human belief (confidence) yet involving it. The
Lord continuously births faith in the yielded believer so they can know what He prefers, i.e.
the persuasion of His will (1 Jn 5:4).
We will discuss more on the importance of faith in the shield of faith section.
Discussion Questions:
1. In what ways are you comforted in knowing that God views you as righteous?
2. Do you understand the difference between the rationality of belief in comparison to
supernatural faith?
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