The Breastplate of Righteousness

The breastplate of righteousness is part of the armor of God that the believer is called to put on in order to stand firm in spiritual warfare. In the equipment of the ancient soldier, the breastplate protected the heart and the vital organs; in the same way, the righteousness of Christ guards the believer's inner life against the accusations of the enemy and the assaults of sin. This image, drawn from the letter to the Ephesians, teaches where the true protection of the soul lies. Ephesians 6:14 exhorts believers to stand firm: "Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness." This righteousness is not, first of all, our own moral uprightness, but the righteousness of Christ that is credited to us through faith. It is this that makes us acceptable to God and that disarms the accusations brought against us. The image is rooted in the Old Testament. Isaiah 59:17 describes the Lord himself: "He put on righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on his head." What God wears as armor, he also clothes his people with. The believer's protection is therefore not a human invention, but a gift that flows from the very character of God. How does one put on this breastplate? By trusting in the righteousness God grants through faith, and not in one's own merits; by living in integrity and obedience; and by remembering that "by his wounds we are healed" (1 Peter 2:24). 2 Corinthians 5:21 sums up this grace: Christ "was made sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." Thus protected, the believer's heart stands firm against attacks.