The Breastplate of Righteousness

“Above all else, guard your heart for everything you do flows from it.” - Proverbs 4:23

This is a verse I clung to throughout my high-school and college years, especially while I waited for God to bring my sweet husband to me. I sought to remember these words as I prayed over crushes and relationships, trying to protect my heart from any pain.

After a particularly rocky break up, I began to take these words of scripture to the extreme and put my heart on lockdown for fear of being hurt again. One day, I was sitting with this verse and giving myself a pat on the back for the great job I was doing guarding my heart when God hit me like a wave with this truth:

I am the only one who can perfectly guard your heart, knowing who and what to keep out AND let in.

You see, I had stopped letting anything in, which is not what God wants for His children. As I started studying the armor of God, I realized that to put on God’s righteousness, bought for me by Jesus, is to allow Him to guard my heart and trust Him to guard it perfectly.

“Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist , with the breastplate of righteousness in place…” Ephesians 6:14

I think we all know that the breastplate is the piece of armor that protects all of the vital organs, including your heart. Now let me tell you something I didn't know that shook me up:

One of the early Roman renditions of a breastplate was literally named “standing upright” because it’s stiff design allowed it to stand upright on its own.

I think this has bigger implications for us as believers: The righteousness of Jesus, can stand on its own.

He doesn’t need our good works to fulfill his righteousness. He doesn’t need us to contribute. His righteousness stands alone and he graciously gives it to us to cover us. Despite our shortcomings and iniquities, we can stand firm in the righteousness of Jesus, because it already stands without us.

Jesus Christ is our righteousness.

This righteousness does not come from our effort, that we have to work hard to achieve it. This righteousness is a position of the heart.

It's humbling and submitting to Christ’s authority.

Trusting God to be in control of every part of our lives starting with our heart.

Allowing the blood of Christ to cover us so we can be considered holy in God’s sight.

Then, when we are submitted to Him, the fruit of the Spirit will begin to work through us producing faith in us which compels us to live a life of love in action.

“For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: ‘The righteous will live by faith.’” - Romans 1:17

But since we are of the day, let us be sober-minded—putting on the breastplate of faithfulness and love, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. - 1 Thessalonians 5:8

Wanna know one more cool thing scripture says about the breastplate of righteousness?

I'm so glad you asked!

"He put on righteousness as a breastplate and a helmet of salvation on His head. He clothed Himself in robes of vengeance and wrapped Himself in zeal as a cloak." - Isaiah 59:17

The “He” mentioned in this verse is Jesus. This is one of the many prophecies in Isaiah predicting the coming of Christ and the saving work he would accomplish.

If we’re looking for Jesus in the breastplate of righteousness, Isaiah makes it easy for us - He wore it Himself!

How amazing that this Armor of God is not only a metaphor for clothing ourselves in Christ. It’s actually God’s armor that he has given to us! Now THAT is powerful. We are equipped with God-sized armor, so how could the enemy even touch us?!

Hallelujah!

To sum it all up, the breastplate of righteousness is all about letting God guard your heart and submitting to the righteousness of Jesus Christ, not by our own striving to achieve it, but instead being covered by it, so we may be sent out to do the work of spreading the message of the gospel in faith and love.