THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS

Over the last several weeks we have looked at the armor of God, as the Apostle Paul described it in Ephesians 6:10-20. Today we look briefly at “the breastplate of righteousness.”

“Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness” (Ephesians 6:14, ESV). 

The breastplate was central to the Roman soldier’s armor. Breastplates were often made of bronze and provided protection for the torso, which contains vital organs. Without adequate protection, all the organs, and especially the heart, would be vulnerable in battle but with the breastplate, what could be a killing blow by the enemy would not be fatal.

A question that arises when talking about the breastplate of righteousness is: “Why do I need the breastplate if I have been made righteous at salvation?” This is a good question and deserves our attention.

At salvation God did more than just forgive our sins; He did that, but He also “imputed” or credited to our account the righteousness of Jesus Christ. “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21, NKJV). This is the righteousness that is credited to us when we are saved and it is the righteousness of Christ through which God now views us.

But if we have already been made righteous, why would Paul insist that we put on the breastplate of righteousness? When Paul gave this instruction, I believe he was saying that not only does righteousness mean that we are “in right standing with God” but it also means that it can become a key part of our protective spiritual armor.

When Paul speaks of the breastplate of righteousness, he is expanding our understanding of the importance of righteousness. Many of us understand what happens at salvation—that our sins are forgiven; that we are justified before God and made righteous in His eyes; that we become joint-heirs with Jesus. What many of us have missed (me included for a long time) is that as we grow in righteousness, it becomes a protective barrier, the breastplate of righteousness that we have “put on.”

The righteousness of the breastplate is no different from what is credited to us at salvation. The breastplate of righteousness is the spiritual outcome of those who “hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be satisfied [filled]” (Matthew 5:6).

The enemy knows that he cannot take your salvation away but he is able to cause a lot of trouble for you as you live your life for Christ. The devil does that by conducting an all-out war to try to keep you from living the life that God has planned for you. He wants to disrupt all the plans that God has for you and keep you from reaching the potential that He has destined for you. The enemy often does this by deceiving us into thinking that it’s okay to engage in questionable activities.

The righteousness of Jesus Christ is within us. It’s our responsibility to see that it is encouraged and nourished by the Word of God so that it expands and surrounds us with the armor of protection that we need.

I love the way Tony Evans finishes his chapter on the breastplate of righteousness in his excellent book Victory in Spiritual Warfare.

“Wearing the breastplate of righteousness involves walking securely in your imputed righteousness by virtue of the cross, coming clean with God in your practice of righteousness, and feeding your spirit with the Word of God so that the Spirit will produce the natural outgrowth of right living within you.” (Victory in Spiritual Warfare, p. 76)

With the increasing ferocity of the attacks of the enemy on the Church and on mankind in general, I believe it is important that we have a good understanding of righteousness and its benefits.

Speaking about the end times, Jesus said, “Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning, and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast” (Luke 12:35, ESV).

Both of these two images suggest being prepared. Tying up one's garment around the waist is a picture of constant readiness to move quickly. The image of lamps burning adds to the sense of watchfulness. Even in the dark hours of the night, you must be ready. Watch at all times and “put on the whole armor of God.”