THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS

HOME OF ARTICLES 

“Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness.” (Ephesians 6:14 

   The born-again believers are not fighting in spiritual warfare to win or gain victory over the devil but to appropriate, enforce, enjoy, demonstrate, or manifest the victory that Jesus Christ has already won for them and given to them through His death on the cross (1 Cor. 15:57, Col. 2:15, Hebrew. 2:14).

   Today, we shall consider the second piece of the whole or full armor of God the Breastplate of Righteousness.

Ephesians 6:14 – NKJV

14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness.

The breastplate was usually a tough, sleeveless leather or heavy material with animal horns or hoofs sewn to cover the soldier’s entire torso or body, protecting his heart and other vital organs in the battle.

    The believer’s breastplate of righteousness is not his self-righteousness, but the righteousness of God imputed or credited to the believer through faith in the person and finished work of Jesus Christ. The Bible calls it “the righteousness of faith” (Romans. 4:11, 13, 9:30).

The breastplate of righteousness (the righteousness of God) is not based on your good works, performance, or keeping of the law; it is simply a gracious gift of love from God to those who put their faith in His Son, Jesus Christ.

That is why Paul refers to the breastplate of righteousness as “the breastplate of faith and love.” (1 Thessalonians. 5:8 NKJV).

The breastplate of righteousness is the second element listed in the armor of God. What is this piece of spiritual armor, and how are we to put it on?

What is a breastplate?

The apostle Paul listed several pieces of armor worn by the Roman soldiers of his day and made an analogy about the spiritual armor needed by Christians. The second piece of armor, the breastplate, is likened to righteousness: “Having put on the breastplate of righteousness” (Ephesians 6:14).

Soldiers of that time had another piece of protective armor to ward off enemy blows—the shield. But during the heat of battle, those blows could come from unexpected directions, or there could be too many to ward off with just a shield. The breastplate provided protection against the unexpected and against overwhelming numbers.

   The breastplate worn by Roman soldiers was generally made of iron, though some wealthier soldiers may have worn a bronze breastplate.  Apostle Paul aptly explains this kind of righteousness in his epistles.

Romans 3:21-22 – NKJV

 21 But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets,

 22 even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference.

Romans 9:30-32 – NKJV

 30 What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness of faith;

 31 but Israel, pursuing the law of righteousness, has not attained to the law of righteousness.

 32 Why? Because they did not seek it by faith, but as it were, by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumbling stone.

Romans 10:1-4 – NKJV

 1 Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved.

 2 For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.

 3 For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God.

 4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.

Just as the soldier’s breastplate protects his heart and other vital organs from the enemy’s attack, so does the righteousness of God imputed or credited to the believers through faith alone in the finished work of Jesus protects the believer’s heart from Satan’s attacks.

Your self-righteousness, based on the works of the law, cannot protect your heart from the fiery arrows of guilt, condemnation, doubt, unbelief, or fear from the devil.

It is only the righteousness of God based on the perfect work of Jesus Christ that is solid and strong to shield your heart from the devil’s assaults.

   It consisted of overlapping pieces of metal with connecting front and back sections. There were rounded pieces protecting the shoulders and the breastplate usually rested on the soldier’s hips so the entire weight wasn’t carried on the shoulders.

The overlapping pieces allowed for more flexibility of movement. This piece of armor protected the vital organs of the soldier during battle.

    Adam Clarke’s Commentary says the following: “As the breast-plate defends the heart and lungs, and all those vital functionaries that are contained in what is called the region of the thorax; so this righteousness defends everything on which the man’s spiritual existence depends.”

How does the breastplate of righteousness protect us?

The apostle Paul makes another comparison between the Christian life and warfare in one of his letters to the Corinthians: “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:3-5).

   The enemies of the Christian described in these verses are numerous, and could come at us unexpectedly. Paul lists “arguments,” “every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God” and the need for “bringing every thought into captivity.” These are things we can encounter in everyday life. The breastplate of righteousness is one of our primary defenses against these unexpected and dangerous intrusions.

How important is the breastplate of righteousness? 

God promises great rewards to those who follow the path of righteousness: “Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death. The righteousness of the blameless will direct his way aright, but the wicked will fall by his own wickedness. The righteousness of the upright will deliver them, but the unfaithful will be caught by their lust” (Proverbs 11:4-6).

What is the definition of righteousness?

So, if God tells us to put on the breastplate of righteousness as an important part of our armor, how are we supposed to do it? And what does it really mean to be righteous?

One of the ways the Bible defines righteousness is in terms of God’s commandments: “My tongue shall speak of Your word, for all Your commandments are righteousness” (Psalm 119:172).

   Even though we strive to be perfect, you don’t have to be perfect to be righteous. Romans 3:23 tells us that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

   That’s important it tells us that we still need to put on righteousness even though we are not yet perfect. If complete perfection were a requirement, we’d all fall short of the standard.

  Notice the account of Abraham as it is recorded in Romans 4: “He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. And therefore ‘it was accounted to him for righteousness’” (Romans 4:20-22).

   Abraham began with an unwavering belief (faith) that God would do what He said. But he didn’t stop at a simple belief. Abraham based his actions in life on that faith in God!

   Hebrews 11 gives a further account of the relationship between Abraham’s faith and his actions: “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would afterward receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise” (Hebrews 11:8-9).

God’s commands are righteousness. Abraham backed up his faith with obedience to the commands he received from God, and if we do the same, it will be accounted for righteousness to us, just as it was to Abraham.

How can imperfect people be righteous?

It isn’t surprising that Abraham was listed in the Bible as an example of righteousness. His faith and willingness to obey God in whatever he was commanded are well documented. Let’s look at another man who was called righteous in the Bible whose righteousness isn’t obvious at first glance. Let’s consider Abraham’s nephew Lot, who is listed as another righteous man.

Lot’s story is recorded in Genesis 19. He lived with his family in a city named Sodom one of the cities later destroyed by God for the great wickedness that took place there.

   In the first part of the chapter, two angels (appearing in the form of men) came to visit Lot. He fed them and gave them a night’s lodging in his house (Genesis 19:1-3). When men of the city came to the house and demanded that he send his visitors out to them to be sexually abused, Lot actually offered to send his daughters out instead!

   The angels struck the men of the city blind to protect Lot and told him he needed to take his family and flee the city immediately. Lot initially lingered, but when the angels took him by the hand and told him to flee without looking back, he did so (Genesis 19:4-16).

   How is it that Lot came to be called a righteous man? Notice 2 Peter 2:6-7: “And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly; and delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed with the filthy conduct of the wicked.”

    Though Lot had his shortcomings and human failings (as we all do!), God considered him to be a righteous man. Verse 8 sheds a little more light on why he was righteous: “For that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds.”

   Rather than adopting the sinful ways of those around him, Lot continued to obey God and was deeply disturbed by the lawlessness and sin going on around him. And when God commanded him to flee the city, leaving behind his life as he knew it, Lot did so without looking back.

His obedience to God’s commands and his desire to follow God’s way of life made Lot a righteous man. And that “breastplate of righteousness” saved Lot from destruction!

The righteousness of God vs. the righteousness of man

What we as humans might consider to be righteous (and pleasing to God) doesn’t always line up with what God calls righteous.

Before he wrote about the armor of God, before he became a follower of Jesus Christ, Paul was a Pharisee.

   The Pharisees were Jews who placed a heavy emphasis on obeying more than just God’s commandments they obeyed an extra set of man-made commandments on top of God’s commandments. They believed their obedience to these extra commandments would keep them far from sin (and therefore make them righteous).

Years after his conversion, Paul wrote that his goal was to “gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith” (Philippians 3:8-9).

Paul was referring to God’s law, not the man-made pharisaical laws. And though God’s laws define conduct that is righteous, even if we could keep those laws perfectly (and no one can), we still need the cleansing of past sins that only comes through faith in Christ’s redeeming death.

After Paul explained how Abraham’s faith was “accounted to him for righteousness,” he explained, “Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him, but also for us. It shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification” (Romans 4:23-25).

In other words, our goal is to put on God’s righteousness, and that righteousness becomes our own when we commit ourselves to step out in faith and obey God’s commandments.

How do we put on the breastplate of righteousness?

God’s commandments are righteousness (Psalm 119:172), and we can put on this breastplate by obeying God in our lives. How can we begin such a large task?

   There is an ancient proverb that says the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. In a similar way, the journey to put on the breastplate of righteousness begins with a single choice. Life involves a series of choices; and we can work at this one day at a time, choosing, with God’s help, to make our next choice a righteous one.

Simply by acknowledging, recognizing, and receiving the righteousness of God as a gift of love through faith in Christ Jesus (Romans. 3:21-22 NKJV)!

• By believing and confessing that you are indeed the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus (2 Cor. 5:21)!
• By trusting and glory in Christ Jesus as your righteousness (1 Cor. 1:30)!
• By holding fast to, standing firm, and walking in the righteousness of God (Phil. 3:9)!

Beloved, it is very dangerous to be engaged in spiritual warfare while trusting in, holding unto, glory in, or standing on your righteousness or good works.

It is like putting on or wearing a rag to the battlefield as your breastplate, for “all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags…” (Isa. 64:6 NKJV).

Therefore, resolve today never to trust and glory in your self-righteousness or to hold unto and depend on your good works or performance for victory in spiritual warfare.

But let your resolution be the same as that of Apostle Paul, who resolved to “be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith.” (Philip. 3:9 NKJV).

       Notice again Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 10:5: “Casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.”

Every action begins with a thought, and our thoughts need to be brought in line with God’s words and commands. Correct (righteous) choices in life flow from a mind dwelling on God’s Word. The time to start this process is now.

Discover more pieces of God’s whole armor for the believers and how to put them on in the second part of this piece.

Prayer:

Dear Holy Spirit, teach and help me put on the breastplate of righteousness and use it daily to appropriate, enforce, enjoy, and demonstrate the victory that Christ has already won for me, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Our mandates: Preserve The Faith of The Apostolic Generation.

Eniyekpemi Fidelis Oyinpreyebi.

AWH, Blogs.

Share this: