“Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness,”
– Ephesians 6:14 NKJV
As established yesterday, the Bible often metaphorically refers to us as soldiers in this world. An example of this is seen in 2 Timothy 2:3 when Paul referring to believers says “no man who is a warring soldier preoccupies himself with the affairs of this world”.
Paul in our anchor text instructs us to put on the breastplate of righteousness.
Paul here uses the imagery of an average Roman soldier in his day. The average Roman soldier wore a breastplate that was meant to protect the most important parts of his body.
The breastplate protects the heart, lungs and other organs necessary for life. If a soldier does not wear his breastplate, he makes himself vulnerable to attacks that could prove fatal.
In the same way as Christians, we have a breastplate we ought to keep on at all times, it is the breastplate of righteousness. The reason for this is that our breastplate of righteousness also protects the essential elements of our Christian life and devotion.
The Bible lets us know that we are not of this world, and the world hates us for this reason (John 17:14). Jesus also said to his disciples “If you belonged to the world, the world would love you as its own. However, because you do not belong to the world, but I chose you out of the world, for this reason, the world hates you” John 15:19 NET.
In case you are wondering what exactly this breastplate of righteousness is, recall the Bible lets know that we’ve been made righteous by faith, and this was by grace and not by our works (Ephesians 2:8). This righteousness is God’s gift to everyone who believes in Jesus Christ.
However, it doesn’t all stop at receiving the righteousness of God, we ought to “wear” our righteousness at all times and walk in the consciousness of it.
Remember that the systems of this world are not in support of our belief in the gospel. Hence the Bible instructs us not to be conformed to this world but to be transformed by the renewal of our mind (Rom 12:2).
So while we are already righteous, we ought to walk righteously in all our dealings. In essence, we are to behave like people who have believed the gospel. We are to study and meditate on the word. This way we shield ourselves from the mode of thinking and ideologies of this world.
At the same time, we ought to also take on an offensive posture by influencing our world with the message of the gospel, just as 2 Corinthians 10:5 says that we are to bring every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.
Today, be entreated, child of God, to walk in righteousness.
Bible Reading Plan:
John 6:25-40, 1 Peter 3:8-12, Song of Songs 4:8-16, Jeremiah 51