The Armor of God-The Breastplate of Righteousness

July 21, 2023

The Armor of God-The Breastplate of Righteousness

What is the Armor of God?

Whether you want to believe it or not, we are fighting a spiritual battle against spiritual forces of evil daily! Regardless if you are a believer or a non-believer it doesn’t exempt you from the warfare. The Apostle Paul exposes exactly what kind of enemy we are facing when he states, “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places,” Ephesians 6:12. We are fighting an opponent that we cannot see with the naked eye.

Our battle is against a very militant and highly organized demonic kingdom led by Satan himself. He is a very powerful adversary and in our own power we are no match for him. In the spiritual realm there are two kingdoms: the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of darkness. They are consistently at odds with each other but they both have the same goal in mind, to win your soul.

The Lord’s Kingdom promises us eternal life with Him in heaven and life on Earth in abundance, John 10:10. The kingdom of darkness promises us eternal damnation and in complete separation from God. The enemy will make you think that you don’t have to live your daily life fully surrendered to Christ. He wants you to think that it is okay to live for Jesus and live in sin. That is one of his ultimate schemes. His mission is to take as many people to hell with him as he can.

Our problem is that we don’t take the time to learn our adversary. Life is completely spiritual and the first step to understanding the spiritual realm is acknowledging that it exists in the first place. One of the greatest deceptions that the devil uses over and over again on Christians is making us think that he isn’t real. If you don’t know that you are fighting a real and potent enemy, you’ve already lost the battle.

That is why the Apostle Paul makes it clear on the importance of putting on the full armor of God. Ephesians 6:13-17 lists all six pieces of armor when Paul states, “Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”

Even though Paul is describing physical armor he is referring to spiritual pieces of protective covering. We can never forget that spiritual warfare is an everyday reality and we are fighting the schemes of the devil daily. Just like any warrior going into combat, they need special attire so that they can be fully protected. God is providing us with His Armor because He knows that it is the only way that we will be able to stand a chance against our adversary the devil.

Make no mistake about it, he is strong and powerful and within our own strength we are not resilient enough to overcome him. However, with the Lord’s Armor properly fitted without any cracks in it, Satan doesn’t stand a chance against us! The most important thing is to have a clear understanding of what every piece in the whole armor of God is and how to accurately put on and keep on each piece.

In this article I am going to go over the second piece of armor that Paul mentions in the book of Ephesians verse 6:14, the Breastplate of Righteousness.

The Breastplate of Righteousness

Analyzing the physical aspect of this particular piece of armor the Apostle Paul describes it as a breastplate. The Roman soldier in that time used this armor to protect the more vital organs, primarily the heart. Just like a soldier cannot properly engage in warfare without the breastplate covering the most vulnerable areas of their body, likewise we cannot fight a spiritual battle in our own righteousness. We need to rely on the righteousness of Christ and stand on it by faith.

Let’s take a look at the verse of Scripture that describes this spiritual armor in the Word of God. Ephesians 6:14 states “Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness.” Here we can see that these two pieces of warfare attire are placed in the same passage. They go hand in hand. As you walk in absolute truth which is found only in God’s Word, a life of righteousness (living upright ethically and morally) will naturally follow.

What is the definition of righteousness that Paul through the leading of the Holy Spirit is describing to us? The words “of righteousness” is the Greek word “dikaiosynē” which means: integrity, virtue, purity of life, uprightness, correctness of thinking, feeling, and acting. Just like having on the belt of truth requires for you to have your character lining up with God’s Word, having on the breastplate of righteousness requires the same thing.

One key thing to remember is the fact that the enemy makes it his mission to attack you with accusations bringing up your past transgressions. That is why it is imperative that you stand by faith knowing that you are clothed in the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ! So when Satan’s lies are thrown your direction, be reminded that you are equipped with the bullet proof vest called the breastplate of righteousness and stand in that truth.

How does a person know if their breastplate in on properly? You can ask yourself these questions: Am I living my Christian life in complete obedience to Christ? Am I refraining from sin and anything else that doesn’t line up with the Holy Scriptures? Am I casting down thoughts that are contrary to God’s Word so that they don’t infiltrate my heart? Am I standing by faith knowing that it is the righteousness of Jesus Christ and not mine that is making me upright in God’s eyes? Your breastplate needs to be fully secure and completely activated at all times.

Remember this second piece of the armor of God primarily focuses on protecting your heart; a blow to this vulnerable organ can be fatal. You cannot underestimate the fragility of your heart; it is very wicked, deceitful, and easily manipulated. The Lord explains in Jeremiah 17:9 “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?” In other words, your heart can and will deceive you if it is not consistently guarded with God’s truth.

The flaming arrows that the enemy will throw at you can penetrate your armor if there are kinks in it. Never forget that Satan’s attacks are more successful when a person is not living a righteous life fully submitted to the Lord Jesus Christ. The devil cannot defeat a Christian whose heart posture is lined up with His Word.

Luke 6:45 also gives a perfect illustration on the importance of one’s heart posture when Jesus Christ details, “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.”

In other words the Lord is revealing to us that your words are going to give your true character away! If others had a chance to label your attributes, would they have more negative things to say about you or positive ones? The way that you carry yourself and treat others is what is going to determine if you are bringing forth good or evil.

The best way that you can determine your heart posture is to reference Galatians 5:22-23 which details the fruit of Spirit of God. The Apostle Paul discloses, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.” These are the kind of character traits that you should be displaying as an ambassador of Jesus Christ.

The Holy Spirit plays a vital role in ensuring that you are displaying His fruit. If you veer off course He will lead you in the right direction. He will also convict you when He detects behavior contrary to God’s Word. As we renew our hearts and minds through the undiluted Gospel of Christ, we will begin to transform more and more into His Image. This will ensure that our hearts remain pure.

Another verse of Scripture that discloses the importance of having the breastplate of righteousness on and activated is found in the book of Isaiah. Isaiah 59:17 states, “For He put on righteousness as a breastplate, And a helmet of salvation on His head; He put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, And was clad with zeal as a cloak.” Here we can see that there is a mention of putting on the Armor of God. A direct parallel to what Paul mentions in the book of Ephesians.

Every single part of God’s protective covering is significant and this second piece that covers some of the most important organs on your body serves a significant purpose. It protects your heart. The enemy has a way of penetrating this piece of armor because we fail to understand his tactics. The fact remains that it is our responsibility to remain fully aware of the devil’s devices!

Conclusion

As we understand the importance of the putting on and keeping on every part of the armor of God, we will become more protected against the flaming darts of the enemy. His goal has and always will be to steal, kill, and destroy and he will do whatever it takes to accomplish his mission.

Luckily our Heavenly Father has provided us with His armor so that we can remain clothed in the proper attire for the daily battles that we will have to face. There are real spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms that we cannot defeat within our own efforts. We need to stand firm knowing that through the power of the Holy Spirit and the Name of Jesus Christ, Satan doesn’t stand a chance against us!

Also, don’t forget to check out my other blogs:

The Armor of God-The Belt of Truth

Breaking Spiritual Strongholds-Fight Back

Breaking Spiritual Strongholds-Feed Your Spirit

Breaking Spiritual Strongholds-Renouncing

Breaking Spiritual Strongholds-Confess and Repent

Recognizing Spiritual Strongholds

What are Spiritual Strongholds?

The Importance of Reading Your Bible-Shows Us How to Love

The Importance of Reading Your Bible-It Renews Your Mind

The Importance of Reading your Bible-fights the enemy

The Importance of Reading your Bible-has the ability to heal