Breastplate of Righteousness- Part 2: How It Protects Us

Part 1 of the Breastplate of Righteousness was dedicated to exploring the meaning of the word righteousness. As with a physical piece of armor, we will not put it on properly if we do not understand how it is meant to be worn. This would make it less effective in guarding us. That’s why the post on the breastplate was split into two posts. In this part, we will look at how to use it to guard our faith so that we will stand firm for the Lord no matter what comes our way.

      There are two aspects of the breastplate: God’s righteousness and our own. Let’s first look at the way God’s righteousness can guard us. Psalm 119:142-144 (NIV) says, “Your righteousness is everlasting and your law is true. Trouble and distress have come upon me, but your commands give me delight. Your statutes are always righteous; give me understanding that I may live.” Even when we are faced with trials, it does not change the fact that God is righteous. He is unchanging. It may feel that He is unfair during these times because we don’t understand why He would allow us to go through such pain. We have to remember that God sees all of eternity, while our perspective is limited. I admit that is easy to say outside of a trial, but that’s the point of being intentional about guarding our faith. We must do the work beforehand in order to come out with our faith in tact or even stronger.

      When we remember that God is righteous, it helps us have an even if faith because it keeps us from being entitled or offended. We know that God is not unfair and so our hope and devotion remain in Him. His character, not our circumstances, define Him. So, when we go through dark or cruel trials, we do not put those labels on God. They stay where they belong-on the situation. This allows us to draw near to Him for comfort and support when we are hurting. 

      The second aspect of the breastplate is our own righteousness. Living righteously is a continual choice. It fosters devotion to God and to living according to His standard. We do this because of our love for Him. We don’t want to do anything that would cause Him to disown us. Having such devotion to God trickles into our faith. When we choose to live according to His standard (and according to the Spirit) rather than do what is easy, we build up our endurance. Instead of rejecting God when we face trials, we cling more tightly to Him even when it does not make sense to do so. This is why the Psalmist in 119:42-44 was able to take delight in God’s commands despite the troubles and distress he was experiencing. He wasn’t resentful toward God and so still lived to honor Him. In fact, following God’s commands during the trial reaffirmed His faith.

      It isn’t easy to maintain this mindset, but a huge part of putting on our righteousness as a breastplate (which guards our heart) is remembering how we got our righteousness in the first place. The relationship we have with God isn’t one sided, with us being the only ones giving, however at times we perceive it that way. In truth, though, it is uneven. He endured more for us than we ever will for Him (and willingly!). Our righteousness was bought by the torture and death of Jesus. When we keep that in mind, there is a heavier weight that’s placed on us to remain faithful. He bore more than we can imagine for us and so we cannot easily toss our faith aside when we are hurting. You can never offer up more to God than He has already given and sacrificed for you.

      When we wear righteousness as a breastplate, we guard our faith so that it can withstand whatever trials we may endure. We guard our hearts with the fact that Jesus paid the ultimate price for our salvation. The only reason we have righteousness is because of Him. We owe everything to God. He isn’t unjust or cruel. When we see our trials from that perspective, it changes things. We behave differently. We become more devoted to honoring Him and following His commands despite what we are going through. In doing so, we gain the ability to see our faith grow even during our most difficult experiences. We must put on our spiritual breastplate with as much care as we would a real one because it truly is vital to our faith.