The Armor of God - Breastplate of righteousness

Ephesians 6:14 NIV

Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,

Psalm 132:9 NIV

May your priests be clothed with your righteousness; may your faithful people sing for joy.’ ”

Isaiah 59:17 NIV

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.

1 Thessalonians 5:8 NIV

But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet.

The Wesleyan Bible Commentary, Volume 5: Romans–Philemon 3. The Panoply of the Lord for the Evil Day Conflict (6:13–17)

The soldier’s breastplate was designed to protect his vital organs, but especially the heart. So the Christian’s breastplate of righteousness represents his moral rectitude or his righteous character and conduct. Elsewhere Paul defines this breastplate as “faith and love” (1 Thess. 5:8a). Both truth and righteousness are indispensable equipment to the Christian warrior’s victory. Against these the devil can never prevail. Truth and righteousness are primarily defensive items of the spiritual warfare.

The Annotated Bible, Volume 7: Romans to Ephesians 6. The Warfare and the Panoply of God (Chapter 6:10–20)

The breastplate of righteousness. This covers the heart. It means having a good conscience. Not merely knowing that we are the righteousness of God in Christ, that we are righteous because we believe on Him, but it means a consistent walk with our position in Christ and the relationship into which the Grace of God has brought us. It is again the walk, worthy of our vocation, obedience to the exhortations of the preceding chapters. Covered by this the devil cannot touch us. Such practical righteousness “love out of a pure heart and of a good conscience and of faith unfeigned” keeps us in the realization and enjoyment of our relationship to God, in the fellowship with the Father and the Son. How often we fail in having on the breastplate of righteousness. Then we must seek restoration by confessing our sins (1 John 1).

Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament Chapter 6

and having on the breastplate of righteousness—The righteousness of a spotless purity, in which Christ will present us faultless before God, through the merit of his own blood. With this breastplate our Lord is described, Isaiah 59:17. In the breast is the seat of conscience, which is guarded by righteousness. No armour for the back is mentioned. We are always to face our enemies.

The Letters to the Galatians and Ephesians The Armour of God (Ephesians 6:10–20)

There is the breastplate of righteousness. When we are clothed in righteousness, we are impregnable. Words are no defence against accusations, but a good life is. Once, a man accused Plato of certain crimes. ‘Well then,’ said Plato, ‘we must live in such a way as to prove that his accusations are a lie.’ The only way to meet the accusations against Christianity is to show how good a Christian can be.

———-

The breastplate of righteousness. What does a breastplate do?

—> the primary function of a breastplate is to protect our vital organs in our chest cavity in an attack.

—> They would have been chiefly concerned with protecting the heart.

—> The breastplate is a defensive piece of equipment it has no offensive purpose. It is only to protect against the attacks of the enemy.

—> It isn’t like the belt we talked about last week where it can be added to. It is what it is.

—> Its simple, usually plain and unadorned but it is a vital piece of equipment for battle.

What is righteousness?

Lexham Theological Wordbook Righteousness

Righteousness is the conformity or obedience to a standard or obligation that is normally understood to be morally good, such that the expectations and requirements of relationship toward God and neighbor are satisfied.

but it means a consistent walk with our position in Christ and the relationship into which the Grace of God has brought us.

So the Christian’s breastplate of righteousness represents his moral rectitude or his righteous character and conduct.

The breastplate of righteousness is not something we earn or can purchase but it is something that Christ gives us.

The breastplate of righteousness is a sign, a symbol, of who we are in God’s sight. Because it is God who is ultimately righteous, and we can only achieve that through our relationship with Christ.

Isaiah 59:15–17 (NIV)

The Lord looked and was displeased

that there was no justice.

He saw that there was no one,

he was appalled that there was no one to intervene;

so his own arm achieved salvation for him,

and his own righteousness sustained him.

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.

Philippians 3:8–9 NIV

What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.

—> The breastplate of righteousness identifies us as belonging to Christ.

—> It becomes who we are, our identity.

—> William Barclay, a Presbyterian Pastor and scholar said it like this, “When we are clothed in righteousness, we are impregnable. Words are no defence against accusations, but a good life is. Once, a man accused Plato of certain crimes. ‘Well then,’ said Plato, ‘we must live in such a way as to prove that his accusations are a lie.’ The only way to meet the accusations against Christianity is to show how good a Christian can be.”

—> As Christians our goodness doesn’t depend just on us. We have a savior. We have a helper. We have a guide. It is a true team effort if we give ourselves fully over to that team.

—> One of my favorite movies is “Miracle” the story of the 1980 US Men’s Olympic Hockey team that one the gold medal when no one thought they had a chance.

—> The team was made up of the best of the best college players from all across the country but it wasn’t there individual talent that made them great it was who they became together. Early on in their journey they thought that they could individually play hard enough and good enough to win. After a particularly poor performance in a warm up game coach Herb Brooks kept them after to teach them a lesson about what it means to play together.

—> they are skating sprints and after each time down the ice he asks them a simple question who they are and who they play for? and each time they answer with their name and their college team.