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Ephesians 6:14-18 (NIV)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. 18And 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.
In Part One: The Belt of Truth, we first identified the importance of why we need to put on the armor of God. We then dissected and defined “girded your loins” both literally and figuratively.
Today’s post we will move on to verse 14b with the breastplate of righteousness in place.
The Breastplate of Righteousness
First, what is a breastplate?
The breastplate was a plate that was worn as defensive armor for the breast or chest area. Specifically to protect the heart.
Proverbs 4:23 (NIV) Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.
We see also in Matthew 6:21 (NIV) For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
As discussed in part one, Satan’s desire is to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10). He tries to tempt and deceive us into focusing and following the wrong things. Because if we focus on other things, then our heart also becomes focused on those things and not on God.
But a breastplate was also a vestment worn in ancient times by a Jewish high priest and set with 12 gems bearing the names of the tribes of Israel.
Exodus 28:29 (NKJV) 29 “So Aaron shall bear the names of the sons of Israel on the breastplate of judgment over his heart, when he goes into the holy place, as a memorial before the Lord continually.
It was meant to be a physical reminder of God bringing His people out of slavery and bondage.
Which brings us to the term righteousness.
What is righteousness?
It is the quality of being morally right or justifiable.
Our righteousness comes from, or rather, is given by God through his Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus’s death and resurrection give us righteousness through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
God the Father is righteous (just); Jesus Christ his Son is the Righteous (Just) One; the Father through the Son and in the Spirit gives the gift of righteousness (justice) to repentant sinners for salvation; such believing sinners are declared righteous (just) by the Father through the Son, are made righteous (just) by the Holy Spirit working in them, and will be wholly righteous (just) in the age to come. They are and will be righteous because they are in a covenant relation with the living God, who is the God of all grace and mercy and who will bring to completion what he has begun in them by declaring them righteous for Christ’s sake. (Biblestudytools.com)
Why did Paul connect the breastplate with righteousness?
First, we see in Isaiah 59:17 God is described as putting on the breastplate of righteousness-
He put on righteousness as his breastplate,
and the helmet of salvation on his head;
he put on the garments of vengeance
and wrapped himself in zeal as in a cloak.
The people Paul was writing to would have known this reference and what led to this description. Read all of Isaiah 59 for greater context.
Let’s also look at Proverbs 11:4 Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death.
While we receive righteousness through Christ’s sacrifice and resurrection, it is also a way of life that we must continually choose to put in place. We are to live a life that is morally just. So we first need to know what the truth is and then live that truth with a just life.
Psalm 119:172 My tongue shall speak of Your word, for all Your commandments are righteousness.
When we allow other things into our heart and our life, we are removing the breastplate and allowing an opening for Satan.
Again, just like the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness is an active defense. It is something we must choose to do on a daily basis to protect ourselves.
I pray that you found this post informative to start the journey of arming yourself against Satan’s schemes.
The Armor of God
- Part One: The Belt of Truth
- Part Two: The Breastplate of Righteousness
- Part Three: The Boots of Peace
- Part Four: The Shield of Faith
- Part Five: The Helmet of Salvation
- Part Six: The Sword of the Spirit
- Part Seven: Pray in the Spirit
God bless!
Melissa
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So important we put on our spiritual weapons every day!
It is very important indeed! Without our spiritual armor we are easy prey to Satan. God bless!
I was just thinking this morning about the spiritual war going on all around us. God’s armor is so important, but so often we neglect it. Thanks for this series, Melissa!
I feel like the spiritual war is becoming more and more evident and prevalent. It does take intention and dedication! I’m glad you are finding the series beneficial. God bless!
Thanks for the post about the Armor of God! It’s like brushing our teeth. We have to do it every day to keep the baddies away. 🙂
Visiting from the LMMLinkup.
Ha! Yes, that’s a great analogy. Putting on our armor needs to be just as consistent and thorough. Thank you for stopping by! God bless!
This was great! What a well rounded look at the piece of armor that protects our heart.
Thank you! I’m glad you found it beneficial. God bless!
I’m currently memorizing the Beatitudes, so this fits in great with “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.” Thanks for sharing!
I love when things I read falls inline with other areas I’m studying! Thank you for stopping by!
I love your discussion about why righteousness/ BREASTPLATE! Inspiring thoughts. Keep up the great work sister. BIG HUGS from me.
I have so enjoyed working on this series! You should see me, bible translations all around me. Multiple handbooks, resources, and commentaries up on the computer. It’s fun! Thank you for stopping by and for your encouragement!
This is so good! The armor of God is a must to battle spiritual warfare. I am so thankful that we have armor and weapons to use against the enemy.
Thank you Keisha! I enjoyed getting to dig deep and better understand how we can defend ourselves from Satan’s tactics! God bless!
Breastplate of righteousness is an active defense to use against the schemes and principalities of our mutual enemy . I have loved reading Ephesians 6
In our world that often feels like we have no control, I love the action plan we are able to take in arming ourselves against evil. Thank you for stopping by and sharing your thoughts. God bless Diana!
I thought it was so interesting that references were made to the book of Isaiah in this passage. It’s so important for us to study and learn to put on and use the armor of God in our daily lives. We need His strength to fight the enemy of our souls. Blessings to you! Thank you for sharing this at the #LMMLinkup with us.
I love the more we study scripture the more we see the connections and interweaving of other scripture in passages. Things that we can miss if we are only reading the bible in snippets or without context. Thank you for stopping by and sharing your thoughts. God bless!
I’m loving this series! You do a great job of explaining everything in such detail, great bible study!
I’m so glad you are enjoying it! I’m really having fun digging into each verse and better understanding Paul’s instructions for us and how he tied in other scripture. Thank you for stopping by and sharing your encouragement! God bless!