He put on righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on his head; he put on garments of vengeance for clothing, and wrapped himself in zeal as a cloak. Isaiah 59: 17. ESV.

When was the last time you thought about the breastplate of righteousness? It is the second part of the armor of God Paul exhorts us to put on. A Roman soldier’s breastplate consisted of metal plates or chains. These covered their bodies from neck to waist. It encircled their entire body. I am sure they were grateful for such armor. It protected their vital organs, like their heart and lungs. The breastplate was an essential part of their armor.

But what is the breastplate of righteousness? It also covers our vital spiritual organs, but it is not something we can manufacture, in fact it is something Jesus gives us when we receive Him. We can’t earn it, we can only receive it by faith. It is God declaring we are in right standing with Him. It means we can ward off guilt, sin and shame. This is possible because of the blood that Jesus shed on the cross for us. When Satan tries to send condemnation, guilt or shame our way, we simply tell him we are forgiven and stand covered by God’s grace and mercy.

To appreciate and appropriate this gift, we must first really grasp the state of our own righteousness. Only then can we fully comprehend and appreciate the wonderful gift of the breastplate of righteousness. Our righteousness is not good. Isaiah 64:6 gives us a very honest opinion of our righteousness. We are all infected and impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags. Ouch. Unless we have Christ’s righteousness, we are a mess. Sometimes, we forget just how bad our sinfulness was. Pride and arrogance can lie to us. “Oh, you are not really that bad”. Subtle comparisons sneak in, and we feel pretty good about ourselves. Then we get reminded how weak we really are. Romans 3: 22 comes into play. We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, in his grace freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. Romans 3: 22-24. NLT. I am so grateful for His grace and mercy. As I grow older, I realized how much I need Him and exactly how short I fall from His standards. The breastplate of righteousness covers those areas the accuser would love to send shame and guilt. Apparently, the soldiers breastplate was attached to the belt they wore around their waist. If the belt fell off or loosened, the breastplate would fall off. As in the physical, they both need each other, so in the spiritual. If we do not know or walk in the truth, we are vulnerable to attacks.

We must learn to appropriate Christ’s righteousness by faith, no matter how we feel. The other day I was struggling. Struggling with feelings of insecurity and inadequacy. My emotions (my heart?) were running wild. I kept praying, crying out to the Lord for help. I “felt” like prayer wasn’t working. As I waited on the Lord, pouring my heart out to Him, I humbled myself before Him. My heart shifted from me to Him. When I admitted, I couldn’t do it, but He could, peace came. I thanked Him for being the Savior I needed! More peace and then more joy came!

I found the Amplified version very interesting. So stand firm and hold your ground, having tightened the wide band of truth (personal integrity, moral courage) around your waist and having put on the breastplate of righteousness (an upright heart). Ephesians 6:14 AMP. As we understand our need for this saving grace to become righteous, it also begins to affect our actions. When we put on the breastplate of righteousness, we should align our actions to His Word and His ways. We begin to guard our heart and put off our old man and His sinful ways. It is our choice. His righteousness begins to cause us to live more righteously. Because we wear His righteousness, we no longer need to fear being accepted, liked, or approved by others. If the God of the universe accepts us, we are approved!

My friends, it is time to discipline ourselves to appropriate the breastplate of righteousness every day. It gives us confidence to stand firm against the wiles of our enemy.

Father, please help us appropriate this amazing breastplate of righteousness. The price you paid for it was nothing we deserve. I thank you for the privilege we have in wearing it. Please continue to show us how to use this armor, In Jesus’ Name, amen.