Armor of God: Breastplate of Righteousness
The breastplate of righteousness is the second piece of armor we put on after the belt of Truth. It makes sense considering that, when we have wisdom and understanding of the truth of God, we begin to see and understand His righteousness and His just ways that keep us from harm, destruction, and death.
It’s vital to put on the righteousness of God after the truth of God. With a firm and proper understanding, and alignment, of the Truth of God, His righteousness can prove affective against these attacks that kill us on the inside and disrupt our lives on the outside. When we understand and grow in the wisdom of God, we’re able to understand His righteousness. Through His righteousness — not our own — we are then able to be shielded effectively when our lives are threatened and attacked by death.
Word Study Break: what is righteousness?
- Hebrew tsaddiq: just, righteous - neutral adjective | from tsedeq: rightness, righteousness, fairly, just cause, vindication - masculine noun
- Greek dikaiosune: righteousness, justice, justness; righteousness of which God is the source or author, but practically a divine righteousness; verdict of approval/divine approval [of God] [after His examination] - feminine noun | from dikaios: correct, righteous, by implication innocent; just especially in the eyes of God; properly, approved by God; conformity to God’s standard or own being, “upright” - neutral adjective | from dike: right (as self-evident), justice; right or justice as in the process of law, judicial hearing, execution of sentence, punishment, or penalty; properly, right, especially a judicial verdict which declares someone approved or disapproved — a final decision by law
>> God is right — period — and He is right just as much as He is good, faithful, and holy. That means, when He’s decided and declared something about us, who we are, and what’s in store for us, it’s not only true but it’s right because He’s right. It’s not wrong because He’s not wrong — period. The righteousness of God that lives on the inside of us is what saves us from ourselves and death in the spirit which leads to bondage, turmoil, strife, etc. Freedom is one of the benefits of the righteousness of God. <<
The breastplate is worn to protect the soldier in battle and keep them from being injured fatally. This piece of armour covers the heart, lungs, and other vital organs. Without it, one blow to the chest or abdomen can be deadly. As the fight ensues, no matter how much they’re attacked, the soldier wants to be able to depend on their breastplate. When properly held in place by their belt, it proves effective against their opponent and enemy; keeping them alive and able-bodied.
In spiritual warfare it’s the same. The righteousness of God that lives in and through us — when properly held together by the Truth of God — serves as effective armor in battle. Blow after blow after blow, after every strike of the fiery arrows, our lives are shielded by God and His righteousness. His right ways defend our lives from the power of death in the spirit, the mind, and the heart. They protect us from what’s meant to steal, kill, and destroy us on the outside and on the inside.
And the battle won’t always be cosmetic. It’s just as much about what we don’t naturally see as it is about what we do. Sometimes the attacks on our lives are subtle and invisible to the human eye, usually operating loudly in our hearts and minds to keep us trapped within guilt and shame. They might be immediate and direct or they might be a slow burn.
The slow burn is just as dangerous as the one that takes us out immediately. If we can get distracted enough to focus on what we see, we won’t pay attention to what we don’t see. Then, slowly, we experience death and destruction in our hearts and minds, and our hope and faith hit a wall built by a negative inner ego. Sometimes, it’s the inner critic, the negative inward ego that bullies us into submission to indifference, anxiousness, bitterness, maliciousness, un-forgiveness, unbelief, limitation, etc. Sometimes, it’s our self-centered ego, the haughty outward critic that persuades us into envy, contempt, judgement, hatred, dismissiveness, resentment, etc. Both fight tooth and nail against the righteous truth of God. They speak loudly against what He says about Himself, you, others, the present, the past, and the future.
The righteousness of God protects us from these immediately and eventually fatal blows.
In any fight, when the heart is injured, it’s urgent to treat the injury or else it would be fatal. When the lungs are punctured, same thing. When the organs in our abdomen are obstructed, same thing. Whenever our vital organs are harmed or put in harms way, the result can be — and honestly just might always be — mortality. The injury must be treated immediately, effectively, efficiently, and properly in order to avoid the wound reopening, further injury, infection, and death.
Just as it is in the natural, so it is in the spiritual. The pain of our experiences and the resulting thought patterns, when not properly dealt with, can slowly cause deterioration and death in what gives us life. Consider the heart and the lungs; they work in cooperation to sustain life. When we have a heart wound that’s left to fester while we continue fighting, it can prove fatal over time. The longer it goes untreated, the worse the situation. Every breath of life that’s breathed into us won’t be properly processed in an improperly treated heart. Similarly, when we breathe in what’s not constructive, it harms us. The more we take that in, the more damage we cause. That life-taking air then goes through a healthy heart and is attached to the blood that flows throughout our body.
There’s no condemnation for this either. I’ll be the first to admit here that God is working in and through me. I am not a mess, but my heart and mind have gotten messy. I've experienced warfare without a breastplate that’s left me with wounds that need treating. There’s no shame or guilt in admitting that either. We’ve all had our fair share of fights and have sometimes stepped into battle without the righteousness of God only to be severely injured. We’ve all done it naturally, emotionally, spiritually, mentally, physically, energetically because we’re all in the same boat[s] together.
Still, that’s the thing. We might be in the same boats, but they are all resting and rocking in an ocean of love that feeds rivers of grace. Both of which only can come from God, and His righteousness proves that.
When we put on the righteousness of God, the heart wounds are confronted and engaged so that they’ll be healed and properly treated. While treating our hearts and unraveling them, it also continues to deflect more attacks on the heart and vital parts of the spirit. That way we are protected during our healing and shielded during battle. God’s righteousness comes against the enemy to our lives, speaking and moving with authority to declare the truth that it’s by His righteousness we are kept, saved, chosen, delivered, and shielded.
So, the breastplate is the essential second piece. Outwardly, we’re shielded from the world and the ways of the world that attack us day in and day out. Inwardly, we’re shielded from the ways of the world inside of us and its attacks on us day in and day out. Though it’s a constant battle, the truth of God tells us that He has already overcome and conquered our enemies. That truth keeps our hearts, vital parts, and backs covered with His righteousness. And we can remain confident that we are protected on all fronts and that our outward covering will always engage our inward healing so that we may become His righteousness daily.
