14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
Breastplates were often emblazoned with a royal seal, or coat of arms, or some other insignia. It is not clear when this practice of personalizing ones armor came into being, but the oldest known breastplates date back to the 15th century BC. So, imagine what the breastplate of righteousness would carry as its royal seal, or coat of arms. This breastplate is not emblazoned with our own name or family crest, but the Name which is above every name. The Lord Jesus Christ, our righteousness, is engraved on the breastplate. His royal seal shines forth as the King of Kings and LORD of Lords. By our baptism, we carry this seal and sign of the Lord Jesus, that we are engaged to be His (WSC, Q. 94.)
But aside from all this heraldry, what does this piece of armor perform in our war against the spiritual powers of darkness.
Having spoken already of the belt of truth and how it covers our inward and intimate parts, so the breastplate of righteousness covers the seat of our souls - our hearts. Since we are putting on spiritual armor, it should be assumed that our hearts are not the natural hearts we were born with; those desperately wicked, unknowable ones. If we are spiritual, (as in, we have the Holy Spirit) then we have had our heart changed, as we have spoken of before. As the prophet Ezekiel has told us, the LORD replaced our hearts of stone with a heart of flesh; (Ezek 11:14-21) a heart that has been turned from sinning against God unto one that looks, by faith, to Christ for salvation. The heart is not itself righteous, as if it is infused by Christ's righteousness and made righteous. But the righteousness of Christ is imputed to the heart, to us, (that is, the sin of our hearts is exchanged for Christ's righteousness) and by this action, Christ's righteousness becomes a covering for us.
Paul considered his own righteousness as garbage, rubbish, refuse (Phil 3:8). Why would anyone want to cover themselves with such? The answer is, we would. We are constantly puffing out our chests and boasting of our own achievements before the Lord. Such is our attitude when pride and sin remain unchecked. We replace His breastplate with our own, emblazoned with our own seal. But when we cover ourselves with our own righteousness, the enemy has a straight shot to our hearts. There is nothing whatsoever to protect our hearts from a fatal blow. Therefore, if we wish to survive this battle, we must put on Christ's righteous breastplate. It will keep us from our own pride and puffing out of our chests, and protect our hearts from all danger.
The shining breastplate of Christ's righteousness is far more beautiful, strong, and protective; more effective than anything else we could put on, and it protects our hearts completely in the battle that wages around us.
Assignment:
1. Continue memorizing. Refresh your memory of Proverbs 4:20-27.
2. Take a look at the picture of the warrior you either found or drew. How do you imagine the breastplate differently in light of this discussion? Jot down the differences in your journal.
3. Journal about some of the things you do that may tend to puff you up and make you consider yourself righteous. Write down ideas about how to overcome those attitudes.
