“The breastplate of righteousness?”…Ephesians 6:14-17…14 Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God's righteousness. 15 For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared.[a] 16 In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil.[] 17 Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.……Ephesians 6:11exhorts believers to "11 Put on all of God's armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil." With God's armor we ought to stand firm against the attacks of our enemy, Satan …2 Corinthians 10:4…4 [a]We use God's mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments.…Ephesians 6:12…12 For we[a] are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.…Verses 14 through 17 say that is what we need for protection against the enemy.…

The breastplate of righteousness: This armour covers our hearts and other vital organs. …In a sense, the breastplate covers the most vulnerable areas of a warrior. God urges us to protect our hearts…Proverbs 4:23…23 Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.The righteousness that guards a believer’s heart we find in: …2Corinthians 5:21…21 For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, (Or to become sin itself) so that we could be made right with God through Christ.…Jesus made us righteous in God's eyes, that means in His eye we are now – good, virtuous, blameless, innocent, spotless, clean, without blemish, pure and we should know that, we are righteousness because of JesusChrist .…A breastplate shielded a warrior's vital organs from blows that would otherwise be fatal. This righteousness is not works of righteousness done by men. Rather, this is the righteousness of Christ, given to us by God and received by faith,it guards our hearts against the accusations and charges of Satan and secures our innermost being from his attacks.……The metaphors used in this piece of scripture are that of an armed Roman or Israelite soldier, prepared for battle.

A typical armed soldier wore a breastplate made of bronze or chain mail. It covered the vital organs, namely, the heart, and was fitted with loops or buckles that attached it to a thick belt. If the belt was loosened, the breastplate slipped right off.……When Paul compares the armor of God with military gear, each piece represents a part of God's strength that He extends to us when we become His children. The breastplate of righteousness refers to the righteousness purchased for us by Jesus at the cross2 Corinthians 5:21

21 For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin,[a] so that we could be made right with God through Christ.

At salvation, a "breastplate" is issued to each repentant sinner.

It is specially designed by God to protect our heart and soul from evil and deception. …Our own righteous acts are no match for Satan's attacks

Isaiah 64:6

6 We are all infected and impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds; they are nothing but filthy rags. Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall, and our sins sweep us away like the wind.

The breastplate of righteousness has Christ's name stamped on it, as though He said, "Your righteousness isn't sufficient to protect you. Wear mine."……We are instructed to "put on" this armor, which implies that we do not automatically wear it all the time. Putting on the armor of God requires a decision on our part.

To put on the breastplate of righteousness, we must first have the belt of truth firmly in place.

Without truth, our righteousness will be based upon our own attempts to impress God.

This leads to legalism or self-condemnation

Romans 8:1

So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.

We realize and acknowledge that, apart from Him, we can do nothing

John 15:5

5 "Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.

We see ourselves as "in Christ" and that, regardless of our failures, His righteousness has been credited to our account.…

What does it mean “That I am in Christ?”……According to 2 Corinthians 5:17(Amplified Bible)…17 Therefore if any person is [in grafted] in Christ (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old [previous moral and spiritual condition] has passed away. Behold, the fresh and new has come!

There are two Greek words which are translated "new" in the Bible. The first, neos, refers to something that has just been made, but there are already many others in existence just like it. The word translated "new" in this verse is the word kainos, which means "something just made which is unlike anything else in existence."

In Christ, we are made an entirely new creation, just as God created the heavens and the earth originally

He made them out of nothing, and He does the same with us.

He does not merely clean up our old selves; He makes an entirely new self.

When we are in Christ, we are "partakers of the divine nature"

2 Peter 1:4

4 And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world's corruption caused by human desires.

God Himself, in the person of His Holy Spirit, takes up residence in our hearts.

We are in Christ and He is in us.…In Christ, we are regenerated, renewed, and born again, and this new creation is spiritually minded, whereas the old nature is carnally minded.

The new nature fellowships with God, obeys His will, and is devoted to His service.

These are actions the old nature is incapable of doing or does not even have the desire to do .

The old nature is dead to the things of the spirit and cannot revive itself.

It is "dead in trespasses and sins"

Ephesians 2:1

Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins.

The old nature is can only be made alive by a supernatural awakening, which happens when we come to Christ and are indwelt by Him.

Christ gives us a completely new and holy nature and an incorruptible life.

Our old life, previously dead to God because of sin, is buried, and we are raised "to walk in newness of life" with Him

Romans 6:4…4 For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.…If we belong to Christ, we are united to Him and no longer slaves to sin Romans 6:5-6

5 Since we have been united with him in his death, we will also be raised to life as he was. 6 We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin.

We are made alive with Him

Ephesians 2:5

5 that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God's grace that you have been saved!)

We are conformed to His image

Romans 8:29

29 For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn[a] among many brothers and sisters.

We are free from condemnation and walking not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit …Romans 8:1

So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.…We are part of the body of Christ with other believers …Romans 12:5

5 so it is with Christ's body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.…The believer now possesses a new heart …Ezekiel 11:19

19 And I will give them singleness of heart and put a new spirit within them. I will take away their stony, stubborn heart and give them a tender, responsive heart,[a]…We have been blessed "with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus"

Ephesians 1:3…3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ.…Why do we find ourselves not always living the life that shows we are united with Him, even though we have given our lives to Christ and are sure of our salvation.?

This is because our new natures are residing in our old fleshly bodies, and these two are at war with one another.

The old nature is dead, but the new nature still has to battle the old "tent" in which it dwells.

Evil and sin are still present, but the believer now sees them in a new perspective and they no longer control him as they once did. In Christ, we can now choose to resist sin, whereas the old nature could not.

Now we have the choice to either feed the new nature through the Word, prayer, and obedience, or to feed the flesh by neglecting those things.……When we are in Christ Paul says:

Romans 8:37

37 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.…We can rejoice in our Savior, who makes all things possible Philippians 4:13

13 For I can do everything through Christ,[a] who gives me strength.

In Christ we are loved, forgiven, and secure.

In Christ we are adopted, justified, redeemed, reconciled, and chosen.

In Christ we are victorious, filled with joy and peace, and granted true meaning in life.

What a wonderful Savior is Christ!……We "put on the armor" by seeking God and His righteousness above everything else

Matthew 6:33

33 But seek ye first his kingdom, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

We make Him and His ways our dwelling place

Psalm 91:1

1 Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

We delight in His commands and desire for His ways to become our ways

Psalm 37:4

4 Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart's desires.

Psalm 119:24,111

24 Your laws please me; they give me wise advice111 Your laws are my treasure; they are my heart's delight.

Isaiah 61:10

10 I am overwhelmed with joy in the Lord my God!…For he has dressed me with the clothing of salvation and draped me in a robe of righteousness. I am like a bridegroom dressed for his wedding or a bride with her jewels.

When God reveals an area of change to us, we obey and allow Him to work in us. At the point where we say "no" to God, we open a little crack in the armor where Satan's arrows can get through (Ephesians 6:16).……As we wear Christ's breastplate of righteousness, we begin to develop a purity of heart that translates into actions.

Wearing this breastplate creates a lifestyle of putting into practice what we believe in our hearts. …As our lives become conformed to the image of Christ …Romans 8:29

29 For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.…Our choices become more righteous, and these godly choices also protect us from further temptation and deception …Proverbs 8:20

20 I walk in righteousness, in paths of justice.

Psalm 23:3…3 He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name

When armor is abused or worn incorrectly, it can malfunction. Likewise, there are several factors that can interfere with the effectiveness of our spiritual breastplate.

1.Carelessness…1 Peter 5:8…8 Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.…2. Unbelief …Hebrews 3:12…12 Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters.[a] Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God.…3. Abusing grace …Romans 6:1├ö├ç├┤2…Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace? 2 Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it?…4. Disobedience …1 John 3:4

4 Everyone who sins is breaking God's law, for all sin is contrary to the law of God.

Hebrews 4:6…6 So God's rest is there for people to enter, but those who first heard this good news failed to enter because they disobeyed God.…

This can hinder our ability to stand firm and defeat the enemy in our lives.

When we tolerate sin, when we refuse to forgive

2 Corinthians 2:10ÔÇô11

10 When you forgive this man, I forgive him, too. And when I forgive whatever needs to be forgiven, I do so with Christ's authority for your benefit, 11 so that Satan will not outsmart us. For we are familiar with his evil schemes.

When we rely on personal righteousness

Titus 3:5

5 he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit.[a]

When we allow earthly concerns to crowd out time for an intimate relationship with God, we, in effect, take off the breastplate of righteousness, minimizing its power to protect us.……We need our breastplate of righteousness in place in order to gain the victory specified in

2 Corinthians 10:15

15 Nor do we boast and claim credit for the work someone else has done. Instead, we hope that your faith will grow so that the boundaries of our work among you will be extended."We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.

Psalm 1:1

1 Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers.

but instead "keep our eyes on Jesus,

Hebrews 12:2

2 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.[a]Because of the joy[] awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God's throne.

And we keep our breastplate securely fastened.……