The Breastplate of Righteousness

Ephesians 6:14 - “Put on the breastplate of righteousness.”

Last week, we looked at the belt of truth. The truth of God, found in His word, guides us as we live in this world. The belt of truth is the first piece of armor and the one that allows the others to fulfill their purpose. This week, we take a brief look into the next piece of armor, the breastplate of righteousness.

The breastplate on the uniform of the Roman soldier protected all the vital organs against attacks from the enemy. Although the soldiers also carried a shield to defend themselves against the weapons of the enemy, it was the breastplate that stood as the last line of defense of the soldier’s heart, especially in close combat. As Christians, our last line of defense is our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We can read our Bibles daily, and even know what it says, but if we fail to truly understand that our righteousness is found in Jesus Christ alone, we are missing the point.

When we begin to devote more of our time to the Lord, we begin to put into the practice the truth found in His word. We begin to put off our old selves and we become transformed by the word. But if we don’t give up everything and cast it on Jesus, we miss the point. If we deny the cross by thinking we can handle things ourselves, we will be left vulnerable, like a soldier without armor. Knowing the truth is essential, but doing the truth is vital for our lives.

At the cross, Jesus paid for the penalty of all sin. The penalty for every sin we have ever committed is paid for. There is no reason to live in fear, because we know that the King of kings and Lord of lords died for us so that we may live. John MacArthur had this to say about the work of Jesus on the cross: “On the cross, God looked at Christ and saw you. Now, He looks at you and sees Christ.” That is exactly right. On the cross, Christ paid for our sins. Now, if we accept this free gift of forgiveness, His righteousness is imputed to us. God says this about Abraham, the founder of our faith, when He says that his faith was credited to him as righteousness. Our faith in Jesus Christ, because of the grace of God, makes us right with God. Praise Him for that.

Do you see why the breastplate of righteousness matters? It is everything for us. It is our assurance of salvation and eternal life. It is also they very thing that saves us from death. As a Roman soldier’s breastplate would save him from a fatal blow, Christ as our Lord and Savior saves us from an eternal death that was our only destination if not for what He did for us in coming to Earth humbly, living a sinless life, dying in our place, and resurrecting three days later. What Jesus did for us keeps us from having to wear around the same old clothes we wore before we knew Him. We are no longer condemned when we live in Christ. Throw off the names the enemy used to call you and embrace the newness of life in Christ.

Our righteousness, found only in us because we are followers of Christ, is our defense. We don’t find our protection nor our peace in the works of our own hands. We can do a lot of good things, but if we do not rest in the gift of salvation offered by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, we do not have the peace that only He offers. Praise Him for loving us enough to make that possible not only to save us from death, but to give us life eternally as heirs with Christ.