The Breastplate of Righteousness
“Righteousness literally means justice—the quality of being upright, fulfilling the expectations set in a relationship. In our case as believers, this relationship is with God Himself. Righteousness, then, is upright living that aligns with God’s expectations.” ~ Priscilla Shirer
“And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; and that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.”
Ephesians 4:23-24 (KJV)
Continuing with Paul’s analogy of the Roman soldier’s armor, after the soldier is fitted with his belt, he would then put on his metal shield (or breastplate) that is worn from his neck/shoulders down to cover his midsection to help protect the vital organs. Since the breastplate was usually made from bronze, the weight of it would put too much strain on the neck and shoulders. So, to help distribute and balance the weight from the breastplate, it would hook onto the soldier’s belt.
For us as Christians, when we gird ourselves with the belt of truth, the Word of God is our foundation and our standard of living. Then, when we put on our breastplate of righteousness, we are aligning our beliefs and our life to our foundation and standard of living. We are aligning our daily living with righteousness or righteous living with the truth of God and the expectations of God found in the Word of God.
The breastplate of the soldier’s uniform offers protection for vital organs. One strike of the enemy to the most vital organ, the heart, and the soldier is fatally wounded. As Christians, it is vitally important for us to protect our heart. The heart is the centerpiece of our soul and that is why the enemy is after our heart. The enemy know that if he can get our heart then, he can fatally would our walk with the Lord. By making the daily decision to put on the breastplate of righteousness, we are placing a blockade between the enemy and the area he most commonly targets and our most vital organ—the heart.
When we come forward for salvation to receive Jesus, we ask him to come into our heart and to cleanse our life from sin. The Holy Spirit now takes up residence in our heart and the sanctification process begins to shape and mold us into the image of Christ Jesus. The job of the Holy Spirit is to chip away at any and every thing that doesn’t look like Jesus. This is why the enemy is after our heart because he knows our heart is where Jesus lives.
For further study, here are some scripture references as a guide for righteous living: humility/meekness (Matthew 5:5); wisdom (Proverbs 2:1-6); honoring the Sabbath (Isaiah 58:13-14); honoring parents (Ephesians 6:2-3); obedience (Deuteronomy 28:1-6); delight yourself in the law of the Lord (Psalms 1:2-3); and, sowing spiritual seed (Galatians 6:8).
