Ephesians 6:14; the armor of God
Rebecca Lightfoot
The next part of our armor that Ephesians6:14 instructs to put on us is the breastplate of righteousness! While studying this I found a resource that helped me a lot...which I did a lot of cut-n-pasting of here...so I would remember and be reminded the depth of what these WORDS are meant to teach me.The imagery is of an armed Roman or Israelite soldier, prepared for battle. A typical armed soldier wore a breastplate made of bronze or chain mail. It covered the vital organs, namely, the heart, and was fitted with loops or buckles that attached it to a thick belt. If the belt was loosened(our belt of truth), the breastplate slipped right off.When Paul compares the armor of God with military gear, each piece represents a part of God’s strength that He extends to us when we become His children. The breastplate of righteousness refers to the righteousness purchased for us by Jesus at the cross (2 Corinthians 5:21). When we turn from our old ways of thinking/living/reasoning/justifying,etc.and place our trust in Christ for our thinking/living/resining/justifying,etc., a “breastplate” is issued to each of us. It is specially designed by God to protect our heart and soul from evil and deception. Our own righteous acts are no match for Satan’s attacks (Isaiah 64:6). The breastplate of righteousness has Christ’s name stamped on it, as though He said, “Your righteousness isn’t sufficient to protect you. Wear mine.”Putting on the armor of God requires a deliberateness/a decision on our part. But,to put on the breastplate of righteousness, we must first have the belt of truth firmly in place. Without truth(revealed only by our Father God through Jesus Christ), our righteousness will be based upon our own attempts to impress God. This leads to legalism or self-condemnation (Romans 8:1). We choose instead to acknowledge that, apart from Him, we can do nothing (John 15:5). We see ourselves as “in Christ” and that, regardless of our failures, His righteousness has been credited to our account.We “put it on” by seeking God and His righteousness above everything else (Matthew 6:33). We make Him and His ways our dwelling place (Psalm 91:1). We delight in His commands and desire for His ways to become our ways (Psalm 37:4; 119:24, 111; Isaiah 61:10). When God reveals an area of change to us, we obey and allow Him to work in us. At the point where we say “no” to God, we open a little crack in the armor where Satan’s arrows can get through (Ephesians 6:16).As we wear Christ’s breastplate of righteousness, we begin to develop a purity of heart that translates into actions. Wearing this breastplate creates a lifestyle of putting into practice what we believe in our hearts. As our lives become conformed to the image of Christ (Romans 8:29), our choices become more righteous, and these godly choices also protect us from further temptation and deception (Proverbs 8:20; Psalm 23:3).Dear Lord,I have not appreciated the significance of,nor the full meaning for my life that having the breastplate of Your Righteousness must mean for my life.Its no wonder that so many times in my life the arrows of the enemy have made there way through to my heart/mind/life.Lord Jesus,help me to be deliberate and decisive in putting on the belt of truth,and then putting the Breastplate of Your Righteousness in place-THE PROPER PLACE-in my life every day & throughout every day.