Protecting What is Vital
Of course, the Apostle Paul’s description of the weapons and armor necessary for spiritual battle includes something that protects the body’s torso—the “breastplate of righteousness” (Ephesians 6:14). As has been the theme of this series on the “armor of God,” sometimes it’s strategically wise to be simply reminded that we’re in a battle. And we need to be ready!
A word about “righteousness”—words sometimes can take on a life of their own and evolve away from their original intent. In the 21st century of western culture, which increasingly values “tolerance” and being “non-judgmental”—in many ways applaudable virtues—words like “righteousness” can naturally evoke visions of moral rigidity, condescension, and even “self-righteousness.”
Re-visit Jesus’ story of the lost lamb who wandered away from the herd of ninety-nine (Luke 15: 1-7). Jesus told the gathered crowd—including the religious elite who were complaining that he was associating with religious scumbags—that there is “more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need of repentance.” Lately, I can’t help but read into his application of the parable my smart-alecky addition—you mean the
“ninety-nine self-righteous people who think they have no need of repentance.”
Of course, what provoked Jesus to tell this parable certainly included his assessment that the Pharisees and teachers of the Law were also people that needed to repent of their sins—though they would erroneously describe themselves as “righteous,’ that is, morally elite. For a quick peek at what Jesus thought of the arrogance and haughty presumption of the religious elite, take a gander at the “Seven Woes” he directed at them in Matthew 23: 1-31.
Two thousand years later, “putting on the breastplate of righteousness” isn’t a self-presumptive, holy boast about our moral or spiritual elite-ness. It isn’t a badge of protective armor that broadcasts our self-congratulatory church attendance and Bible study regimens. The “breastplate of righteousness” doesn’t allow its wearer for even a second to look down on others. The New Testament usage of the word “righteous” asserts that no one is without sin, no one is “righteous,” in terms of moral perfection (Romans 3:10).
The “breastplate of righteousness” that we are to wear as protective armor in spiritual battle is a term taken by the Apostle Paul from the prophet Isaiah, written 700 years before Paul’s letter to the Roman Christians. Isaiah describes our God as having “put on righteousness as his breastplate” in his conquest of injustice (Isaiah 59: 17).
Using Isaiah’s vivid description, Paul’s admonition to “put on the breastplate of righteousness” seems to imply two things: First, it explicitly reminds the spiritual warrior that their boast of battle preparedness and victory is grounded in and made possible by the righteousness of Jesus Christ. He is their ultimate defense. Second, the “breastplate of righteousness” that we are to wear in spiritual battle is a vibrant reminder that moral character demonstrated by Christ, and to which we attain in our journey with Christ incrementally over time, deeply matters. King Solomon proclaimed that the person “who walks in integrity, walks securely” (Proverbs 10: 9). Of course, Solomon was not using the term “righteousness” to indicate moral perfection, but character strength and community virtue.
Jesus Christ’s righteousness and provision make us victors in the battle. Our commitment to demonstrating Christ-like character also matters in the battle. As a breastplate, “righteousness” protects the body’s organs, many of which the Apostle Paul would have known nothing about. However, he would have known that the breastplate of righteousness is fashioned and fastened to protect our heart.
Paul D. Patton, Ph.D., is a professor of communication and theater at Spring Arbor University in Michigan. He has graduate degrees in Guidance and Counseling, Religious Education, and Script and Screenwriting, and a doctorate in Communication with an emphasis in theater arts. He has been married to his wife Beth for over forty years and has three daughters (all actresses)—Jessica, Emily, and Grace, three sons-in-law, David, Joe, and Eric, and four grandsons, Caleb Rock, Logan Justice, Micah Blaze, and Miles Dean.