September 6, 2023
Faith hath two hands; with one it pulls off its own righteousness and throws it away, as David did Saul’s armour; with the other it puts on Christ’s righteousness over the soul’s shame, as that in which it dares alone see God or be seen of him.
William Gurnall, The Christian in Complete Armour
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In Romans 5:1, Paul tells us we are justified by faith:
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. (Romans 5:1)
Another reason that Paul places the shield of faith above all other graces in Ephesians 6:16 is because it justifies us before God. If we were to be justified by any other grace, it would be self-righteousness. For example, justification by humility or justification by patience; these all sound wrong to our ears because we recognize the self-righteousness in them. Faith, however, justifies without our own works. By faith, we take off our old self and put on Christ and can then stand justified before God.