Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place… (Ephesians 6:14) In Isaiah 59, an important background to Ephesians 6 emerges.  The whole chapter is worth a read (and is, I think, an excellent description of the "powers and principalities" of evil Paul has in mind in this section).  Here's an excerpt—this is Isaiah describing the state of affairs among God's people: "…justice is driven back, and righteousness stands at a distance; truth has stumbled in the streets, honesty cannot enter. Truth is nowhere to be found, and whoever shuns evil becomes a prey. The Lord looked and was displeased that there was no justice. He saw that there was no one, he was appalled that there was no one to intervene; so his own arm achieved salvation for him, and his own righteousness sustained him. He put on righteousness as his breastplate, and the helmet of salvation on his head…" (Is. 59:14-17). When Paul talks about the armor of God, he is quite literally speaking of God's own armor.  Think back to our series of 1 Samuel and David's journey of growing up to be king.  In both the chapter 17 Goliath episode and the running-from-Saul episode of chapter 21, David is confronted with a question: will he fight the Lord's battles in Saul's armor, or in God's (i.e. nothing but trust in God's own deliverance)?  In the first case, David chooses God's armor with childlike faith.  But in the second instance, David is quite open to whatever armor will get the job done—any means necessary.  He is in the wilderness of the "the devil's schemes" where "truth is nowhere to be found and whoever shuns evil becomes a prey."  But in this wilderness it proves to be true that the one who asks, receives.  When David asks for armor in the house of God—God's armor is what he receives there.  It is a gift. You will notice that in both the context of Isaiah and the life of David, the sort of truth we're talking about is the sort of honesty and integrity of character that Pastor Michael spoke of yesterday.  The same is true of righteousness.  In Isaiah, righteousness is said to "stand at a distance," because "whoever shuns evil becomes a prey," a target.  The Lord is appalled at this—that no righteous person can be found to intervene against injustice and dishonesty.  All the righteous have shrunk back from the fight.  They have not stood their ground. Notice again that doctrinal truth and personal, ethical righteousness is not the issue here.  If these were the issues at stake, then "any means necessary" to hold up the doctrine or our own reputation would be perfectly justified, even if it means running roughshod over others causing pain, mistrust, and material hardship.  But in fact, the "means" do matter, because honesty and the failure to stand for what is right when neighbours are being unjustly treated is the problem.    Thankfully, God himself comes to do what his people will not.  He comes as the righteous one who stands for the right and who achieves salvation.  And so come the familiar words of Isaiah 60:1, "Arise, shine, for your light has come."  We are the ones now standing in the light of Christ, the very Lord of Isaiah who strapped on the breastplate of righteousness.  He has won the salvation.  Both forgiveness for the perpetual dishonesty and failures to stand up for what's right of his people, but also the setting right of injustices so that honesty and righteousness might flourish among people.   When we "put on Christ" in our baptism, his armor becomes our own.  He has won for us this ground on which we stand.  He arms us with his own armor.  He commands us not to advance, nor to retreat, nor to give up the fight and throw his armor on the floor.  All we must do is stand firm where we are, in his armor.   In practice, this means quite a simple thing, I think.  It means a willingness to be the odd one out when someone is being picked on, when a "coarse joke" is being told, or when some injustice, cruel action, or power grab is being perpetrated whether in a committee, in a group of friends or colleagues, or on the street.  Very often, doing nothing more than standing firm and saying: "I can't go along with this," is this righteousness of God's armor that stands firm in justice and truth. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. (Ephesians 3:17-21).  

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