Armour of God: Breastplate of Righteousness
After looking at the helmet of salvation, the next piece in our head-to-toe journey through the Whole Armour of God is the breastplate of righteousness. In the last post, we considered how the helmet protected the head, the center of thought. The breastplate protects the chest, where the heart resides along with many of the vital organs. In battle, a blow to the chest can be just as life-ending as a strike to the head. For a Roman soldier, the breastplate was absolutely necessary for survival.
Roman breastplates in Paul’s day came in several forms. The most familiar is the type with interlocking metal bands that allowed for movement while providing strong protection. Other soldiers wore chainmail or scale armor. All three had the same purpose: absorb impact, deflect attacks, and protect everything inside the chest. A soldier could only keep fighting if his heart and lungs were shielded.
Paul takes that physical reality and ties it to spiritual righteousness in Ephesians 6:14:
“Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness.”
Why Righteousness is Pictured as a Breastplate
The Bible speaks of the heart more than almost any other part of a person. In the King James Version, the word “heart” appears over 830 times. Across those verses, the heart represents the core of who a person truly is. It is the center of thoughts, motives, desires, and spiritual direction. Scripture teaches that God looks at the heart before outward appearance, that the heart guides the course of life, and that it can be drawn toward sin or shaped by God’s righteousness. This is why Paul connects righteousness to a breastplate. The heart is where spiritual battles strike, and it must be protected.
The Bible consistently teaches that the heart is important:
God sees the heart (1 Samuel 16:7).
“But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him. For the LORD seeth not as man seeth. For man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.”
Other people may focus on how you look or what you appear to be, but God looks at the condition of your heart.
The heart directs a person’s life (Proverbs 4:23).
“Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.”
Here King Solomon is telling his son that guarding the heart is essential because the direction of a person’s life flows out of it.
The heart can be deceitful or renewed (Jeremiah 17:9–10).
“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked. Who can know it? I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.”
Trusting in man, including trust in one’s own heart, leads to ruin because the natural heart is unreliable and easily led astray. God sees what is hidden, cannot be deceived, and judges rightly according to the heart.
The heart must be guarded.
Spiritual attacks often begin there, and a heart led astray takes the whole person with it. Allowing God to renew the heart and dwell in it, while guarding it against the world’s influence, leads to spiritual life and stability.
Righteousness protects the heart in two important ways:
Imputed righteousness.
When a person is saved, God places the righteousness of Christ on them (2 Corinthians 5:21). Our standing before God is secure, not because of our own perfection, but because of Christ’s.
Practical righteousness.
As we walk with God, righteousness shapes our choices and conduct (Ephesians 4:24). This strengthens our defense against temptation and accusation.
A breastplate doesn’t make a soldier stronger. It makes him safer. Righteousness does the same for the believer.
Paul did not invent this imagery. He was drawing from Old Testament truth. One of the clearest references is Isaiah 59:17, describing the Lord Himself:
“For he put on righteousness as a breastplate…”
Here righteousness is pictured as part of God’s own armor. His character. His purity. His justice. When believers put on the breastplate of righteousness, they are aligning themselves with God’s character and God’s protection.
A practical way to picture this today
Most people today don’t wear armor, but we understand the importance of protecting what is vital:
• A police officer wears a bulletproof vest to shield the chest.
• A football player wears padded gear to prevent injury.
• A motocross rider wears a chest plate to protect vital organs.
In every case, the goal is to protect what keeps the person alive and functioning.
Spiritually, righteousness does for the believer what a chest protector does for these professionals. It shields the heart from harm and helps a person stay standing.
What This Means for the Believer
Putting on the breastplate of righteousness means:
• Resting in the righteousness Christ has already given you
• Living in a way that reflects His character
• Guarding your motives, thoughts, and desires
• Turning away from sin that cracks or weakens the armor
• Remembering that your standing before God is not fragile
The more a believer walks in righteousness, the more protected the heart becomes.
For Those Who Aren’t Christians Yet
Righteousness is not something we can produce on our own. Scripture says that our own righteousness falls short (Isaiah 64:6). The righteousness God gives through salvation is perfect, complete, and protecting. Without Christ’s righteousness, a person stands spiritually unprotected and vulnerable to guilt, condemnation, and the pull of sin.
This piece of armor shows what Christianity is really offering: not a list of rules, but a new heart, a new standing, and God’s own protection over your inner life. Before a person can wear the breastplate, they must first have the salvation represented by the helmet.
