Understanding the Breastplate of Righteousness: Key Questions from Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones's Sermon

What does the "breastplate of righteousness" refer to in Ephesians 6:14?

According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, the breastplate of righteousness is not our own integrity or goodness, but "that righteousness which is by faith. The righteousness of God through Jesus Christ imputed. Imparted. Justification by faith." It's the protective spiritual armor that covers and protects "the seat of the affections and the immersions and the sensibilities, and likewise the conscience, and likewise the desires and the will." This righteousness is not our own but Christ's righteousness that we put on by faith.

How does the breastplate of righteousness protect against the devil's accusations when we pray?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones teaches that when we try to pray, the devil often accuses us by suggesting "we are no people to pray to God" and "reminds us of our unworthiness, reminds us of our sinfulness." The only protection against these accusations is the breastplate of righteousness - justification by faith. The proper response is to quote Scripture like Romans 5:1-2: "Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we step." This takes the ground from beneath the devil's feet because we acknowledge our unworthiness but rely completely on Christ's righteousness for access to God.

What should Christians do when they fall into sin and face the devil's condemnation?

When Christians fall into sin, the devil tries "to bring us into a sense of utter condemnation and of complete hopelessness and despair," suggesting we've forfeited God's love. Dr. Lloyd-Jones advises that we must put on the breastplate of righteousness by remembering 1 John 1:9: "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." We must understand that our relationship with God doesn't depend on our performance but on Christ's righteousness. As he states, "Never allow a particular sin to raise again the whole question of your standing before God. That's the essence of this matter."

How does justification by faith protect believers from condemnation?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that Romans 8:1 provides the key understanding: "There is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus." This means there "is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus now and never will be and never can be." This is because the Christian "is out of the whole realm of law. He is dead to the law, dead to sin. There cannot be condemnation." Our standing is never based on what we do or don't do, but always on Christ's righteousness, which God has put on us permanently.

How can Christians face death with confidence against the devil's accusations?

Even on their deathbeds, believers may face the devil's accusations about "their past sins, reminding them of all they haven't done." Dr. Lloyd-Jones teaches that the answer is still the breastplate of righteousness, applied by claiming promises like John 5:24: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that heareth my word and believeth on him that sent me hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation, but is already passed from death unto life." He also recommends Romans 8:31-39, which assures believers that nothing can separate them from God's love. As Count Zinzendorf's hymn states: "Bold shall I stand in thy great day. For who ought to my charge shall lay? Fully absolved through thee I am from sin and fear, from guilt and shame."