Righteousness. Hmm. We’re supposed to put on the breastplate by that name, but Romans 3:10 says, “There is no one righteous, not even one.” (God knows us…sigh.)

If we say we’re righteous, we’re only self-righteous.

So what does it mean to be righteous under these circumstances?

I think it means to believe. In Genesis 15, God told Abram that his wife (way too old to have kids) would bear a child and that their offspring would be as numerous as the stars. And Abram actually believed him! Go figure. “Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.” Gen. 15:6. 

So if we believe that God can do what seems impossible, we get the breastplate. 

But maybe it’s more than that. Maybe it’s as simple as “goodness.” The mean-spiritedness that goes along with self-righteousness is appalling these days. I’ve been guilty of both, but I don’t want to be that person anymore. I think of a friend of mine who’s one of the humblest, kindest, God-believing people I know. He was recently accused of having a big ego because of his strong message that goes against the grain. And you know what he said? He thanked his accuser and went on with “the ego part is not off-base. I can’t seem to shut the damn thing off.” 

That’s righteousness right there. Humble, kind, God-believing righteousness. He could have defended himself or chosen all kinds of “justified” responses, but he didn’t. To bravely go up against the swagger of these days, he strapped on the breastplate.