For those who want to delve into the background, here is a reasonable entryway.
There is a lot of chatter (plus TSA humilation) about how the Bible scholar, theologian and pastor N. T. Wright defines “righteousness” and “justification” in his Pauline studies and theological formulations.
This is fine, but I find it somewhat interesting how everyone seems to think (including Wright even, perhaps) that such definitions are incredibly important to understanding our salvation.
Of course, since Paul uses these words it is important to understand them, but the idea that they are essential to any generic concept of a sinner’s salvation must be false.
We know this because Paul’s most generic, “timeless” tract describing the work of Christ and the salvation of sinners, never even mentions justification and doesn’t even use the term “righteousness” in a forensic way.
Oh, and if you think that the “breastplate of righteousness” is the one exception, I doubt it.