The Breastplate of Righteousness

In Ephesians 6:14-18, Paul describes the 7 pieces of God's Armour of God, which He provides to us through His Word for our spiritual warfare. The Breastplate of Righteousness (Isa 59:16) is necessary for guarding the heart. To enter into spiritual warfare, it is vital our heart is under the protection of God’s Righteousness (it is the Armour of God). It does not consist of our own righteousness, but the righteousness of Christ. In spiritual warfare, pride is fatal. Instead, we must submit to God and His righteousness, which He gives us by grace (Job 41:34, Luke 10:17-20, Jam 4:6-7), through the Great Exchange (2Cor 5:21). To put on His Breastplate of Righteousness so that it covers and protects our heart, we must submit to His righteousness (Rom 10:3, Phil 3:9). It is attached to the Belt, for it is God's Word which imparts the faith we need to trust in His gift of righteousness. It had 2 parts, a breast and back plate, which correspond to (1) the imputed righteousness of Christ, through which we were justified by faith (Rom 3:28,4:1-8, 5:1, 8:1, Gal 2:16), and (2) the imparted righteousness of Christ (His life and nature) through the Holy Spirit (Rom 5:5, 14:17, Gal 5:22-23, 1Cor 1:30). (1) Through FAITH in Christ and His finished work we are justified, declared forgiven and righteous in Christ. This protects the heart from satan’s main weapon – condemnation (Rev 12:10-11, Isa 54:17). (2) The LOVE of Christ filling our souls with His love (Rom 8:4) protects our hearts from evil thoughts. We see these 2 parts of the Breastplate in 1Thess 5:8: “putting on the breastplate of (1) FAITH and (2) LOVE.” We see these 2 kinds of righteousness in: Romans 1:17: “For in the Gospel the righteousness of God is revealed from (1) justifying faith to (2) living faith; as it is written: “The just (by faith) shall live by faith.”