In the last post we saw that the first article of armor which God’s warrior must don is truth.  After putting on the belt of truth Paul then tells us to take up the breastplate of righteousness. In order to understand this we need to see the relationship between truth and righteousness.

The Bible uses other words to convey the idea of truth, most notably the words justice and law. Many posts on this blog point this out, but following are a few verses which show this:

And justice is turned back, and righteousness stands afar off: for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter. (Isaiah 59:14 KJ2000)

Isaiah here links justice with truth and righteousness with the word equity. He continues this linkage in the very next verse, saying,

Yea, truth fails; and he that departs from evil makes himself a prey: and the LORD saw it, and it displeased him that there was no justice. (Isaiah 59:15 KJ2000)

The implication is clear, when truth fails no justice exists. This, of course, explains the present condition in the world. Another verse showing the equivalence of the ideas of truth and justice is

Run to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, and see now, and know, and seek in its broad places, if you can find a man, if there is any that executes justice, that seeks the truth; and I will pardon it. (Jeremiah 5:1 KJ2000)

Jerusalem and Judah fell to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon 2600 years ago because God’s people then failed to seek truth and execute justice. Today in Mystery Babylon, the hidden power of wickedness that rules the world, we see the same thing. No one seeks the truth and justice cannot be found. The core of virtually every center of power in the world, religious, political, legal, business, and entertainment, has been corrupted by the satanic spirit which rules the kingdom of men. Men loved the lie instead of the truth and must now eat its fruit. But the difference between Babylon of 2600 years ago and Mystery Babylon today is that now it is Babylon’s turn to fall.

God has prepared his army, an army of overcomers, who have surely belted their loins in truth. They live only for the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, and unlike those who routinely take this oath in courts of law, these men and women mean it! Because they covered their procreative powers in truth they will be able to administer justice in God’s Kingdom, which is at hand.

Hand in hand with this first article of spiritual warfare stands the second, righteousness. Righteousness and truth, or righteousness and justice are integrally connected in God’s Word. First consider some verses linking truth and righteousness:

And in your majesty ride prosperously because of truth and meekness and righteousness; and your right hand shall teach you awesome things. (Psalms 45:4 KJ2000)

And justice is turned back, and righteousness stands afar off: for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter. (Isaiah 59:14 KJ2000)

And you shall swear, The LORD lives, in truth, in justice, and in righteousness; and the nations shall bless themselves in him, and in him shall they glory. (Jeremiah 4:2  KJ2000)

And now consider verses which link justice and righteousness.

For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do righteousness and justice; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he has spoken of him. (Genesis 18:19 KJ2000)

Blessed be the LORD your God, who delighted in you, to set you on the throne of Israel: because the LORD loved Israel forever, therefore he made you king, to execute justice and righteousness. (1 Kings 10:9 KJ2000)

He loves righteousness and justice: the earth is full of the goodness of the LORD. (Psalms 33:5 KJ2000)

And he shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday. (Psalms 37:6 KJ2000)

72 Give the king your ^(B)justice, O God,
    and your righteousness to the royal son!
² May he ^(C)judge your people with righteousness,
    and your poor with justice!
³ Let the mountains bear ^(D)prosperity for the people,
    and the hills, in righteousness!
⁴ May he defend the cause of the poor of the people,
    give deliverance to the children of the needy,
    and crush the oppressor!  (Psalm 72:1-4, ESV)

And my personal two favorite verses,

^(AH)Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne;
    ^(AI)steadfast love and faithfulness go before you. (Psalm 89:14 ESV)

Clouds and thick darkness are all around him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne. (Psalm 97:2, ESV)

Many more verses link the words and themes of righteousness and justice, but let me finish this idea here with a few more.

Then you will understand righteousness and justice and equity, every good path… (Proverbs 2:9, ESV)

Zion shall be redeemed by justice, and those in her who repent, by righteousness. (Isaiah 1:27 ESV)

Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this. (Isaiah 9:7, ESV)

Thus we see that the concepts of justice and righteousness are linked, virtually twins, in the mind and sight of God. I like to say that they are like the two faces of the same coin, or the two rails of the one railroad track which leads to us to the very foundation of God’s essence (so much as we can understand). Justice relates to man’s dealing with man, showing why it must cover our loins. Righteousness relates to God’s standard for all things and to our relationship to him. He declares us righteous because of Christ’s death and resurrection for us and our faith, by his gift, in that work. As God works his righteousness into us by writing his law on our hearts we in turn walk in justice and mercy in the earth (Note: in the Scripture mercy is a synonym for righteousness and the Law is a synonym for justice) . This is why the second article of armor we must put on is the breastplate of righteousness. First the natural, then the spiritual. We will never find God if we do not love the truth (justice) in the natural here on earth and appropriate it for ourselves. Likewise, we will never grow in God if we do not define that truth (justice) by his standard of righteousness. So, we first don the girdle of truth (justice) and then quickly put on the breastplate of righteousness that we may actually apply that righteousness on earth. True justice is God’s righteousness made manifest in the natural world of men.

Note: this doctrine here is the essence of the “teaching about righteousness” spoken of in Hebrews 5:11-14.