Breastplate of Righteousness

Ephesians 6:10-18 states,

¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹ Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. ¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. ¹³ Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ¹⁴ Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵ and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷ Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.¹⁸ And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.”

First of all it is useful to understand what a breastplate meant in the ancient world.  A breastplate protected the chest and back, which of course, is the place where our vital organs are.  I was made of leather and overlaid with numerous bronze plates.  It was designed to protect against arrows and other such objects. If a soldier did not wear one an arrow can easily pierce his heart or lungs. The Apostle Paul uses vivid imagery which was readily apparent to the readers of his day. In doing so he alludes to Isaiah 59:17 which states, “He put on righteousness like a breastplate.” 

Our heart is so important that there are over 900 verses in scripture that discuss it.  King Solomon writes in Proverbs 4:23, “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out f it are the issues of life.”  Our Lord Jesus Christ states in Luke 6:45, “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”  Just as the breastplate protects a soldier from the arrows of their enemy, righteous living guards a believer’s heart against the assaults of Satan.

When we become Christians the devil works overtime to make us stumble.  He has lost a priceless possession that is now firmly in the hands of God.  He will attack you with everything to make you question your faith.  He will bring up the past and try to tell you that you do not deserve the grace that you have been shown through faith in Christ.  As a soldier of Christ, we must be dressed for battle at all times.  There is no offseason.  James 4:7 says, “Resist the Devil and he will flee from you.”  How do we resist him?  We do so by remembering that we have been saved by faith in Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9), and that righteousness is given by faith Christ to all those who believe (Romans 3:22).

We are at war.  Spiritual warfare is real.  We will be victorious if we keep Christ in front.  Put on your breastplate, the righteousness of Christ, by accepting him by faith as Savior.  Maybe you strayed from faith and need to rededicate your life.  It time to put that vital piece of armor back on and make the devil flee from your life.