Ephesians 6:14 (NKJV) 14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
This week we will continue in our study of the armor of God. Last week we looked at the first element of the armor, the belt of truth. It might seem that the belt would be the least important part of a suit of armor, but Paul lists it first. The reason is that without the belt the rest of the armor would be ineffective. That is the role truth plays in our Christian warfare. If truth is not firmly in place, our armor will not be able to protect us against our enemy. The offensive aspects of these powerful weapons will be unable to damage the kingdom of darkness. Truth is vital to our Christian warfare.
We looked at three aspects of truth. First, we must have honesty in our dealings with others, God and ourselves. We must be radical in our honesty. There can be no room for deceit in any area. We must be just as radical about our integrity. This is what we do when we could do wrong with no consequences. What do we do when no one is looking? Our integrity must be absolute in all areas and at all times. Anything less will weaken our armor and make us vulnerable to the attack of the enemy.
We must have character. Character is the reputation we build by our lifestyle. What do people think of when they hear your name? What do they expect from us? If our character is good, they expect good things. They expect us to keep our word and do what we are asked to do to the best of our ability. They know they can count on us to represent the highest standards in any situation. Things like dishonesty in business or marital infidelity are unthinkable in connection with our name.
Finally, we must be faithful. Truth and faithfulness go hand in hand. Faithfulness is consistency. We cannot wear the belt of truth some days and then take some time off. We must wear the belt of truth at all times and in all areas of life. Faithfulness causes our walk of truth to be consistent.
Today we will begin to look at the second piece of armor in Paul’s list. It is also a very important part of the armor of God. Paul says we must put on the breastplate of righteousness. We must realize that Paul is describing a picture he carries inside himself of the Roman armor. Each piece has a specific role and he does not choose the aspect of biblical truth that describes it arbitrarily. When he calls our breastplate righteousness, he has thought long and hard on why righteousness can function in this way. Let us consider the role of the breastplate in Roman armor.
The breastplate worn by the Roman soldier had two basic functions. First, it protected the vital organs of the body against the weapons of the day. The primary weapons the Roman soldier would encounter were swords or knives and spears of different sorts. There were three kinds of breastplates. The Lorica segmentata was made up of segmented metal plates. We would be most familiar with this type. The Lorica hamata was made up of “chain mail” or interlocking metal links. The Lorica squamata made up of scales of metal sewn on a cloth garment. All would be worn over a padded undergarment to protect from chaffing and bruising caused by the impact of the blows against the armor.
All three of these types of armor were effective against the cutting and stabbing weapons the soldier would face in battle. The lorica segmentata was very effective in a second function of the breastplate. The breastplate was the first thing the enemy saw when he looked at the roman soldier. Though all three told the enemy that this was a Roman soldier protected by the best technology of the day, the segmentata would often be polished until it was almost blinding in the sun. This projected an image to the enemy soldier that was very hard to face.
There is an interesting thing about the Roman armor, especially the lorica segmentata. It does not necessarily look like the soldier within it. In studying for this message, I looked up pictures of the Roman breastplate and not one of them had a pot belly or “flabby abs.” Every one had the typical “six pack” of abdominal muscles. They all looked like mister universe not mister “couch potato.”
What was under the armor was none of the enemy’s business. The soldier projected what he wanted the enemy to see. A Roman soldier was a powerful fighting machine for the most part, but they were not all “ripped.” Many would have had potbellies and thick waists. That did not matter as long as they could fight. However, the enemy would not be intimidated by a bunch of men who might look like the weekend softball league instead of the Roman legions. The breastplate projected the power of the Legions not the weakness of the individual.
This was highlighted to me not long ago when I saw a TV program about a museum in Great Britain. This museum had a suit of armor that was the last battle armor made for King Henry the VIII. As a young man, Henry had been athletic and a warrior. However, he gave himself over to excess of every kind. Later in his life, he weighed over 300 pounds. This armor was from that time and it was huge. Nevertheless, it did not reflect the physical condition of the king. It looked like a giant of physical perfection. In order to accommodate the kings great girth everything had to be exaggerated, but the proportions were still athletic.
Our breastplate of righteousness does the same two jobs as the Roman breastplate. It protects our vital organs. It protects our heart, the source of life. It protects our emotional life, keeping us in balance so that we can enjoy emotions and not be ruled by them. It protects our liver and kidneys. Although these organs do not have the same poetic value as the heart, they are just as vital. They purify our bodies and represent our walk of purity and holiness. This mighty breastplate protects all these things and more.
The breastplate of righteousness is also what we show to the enemy. He does not know what is underneath our breastplate. That is none of his business. Our breastplate has the “abs of God” and that is what the enemy sees when he confronts us in battle. We have no responsibility to let him know that there may be some weakness underneath the breastplate. We do not have to tell him we are afraid sometimes or that we had to repent earlier in the day of some failure. All the enemy sees is the breastplate of the righteousness of God.
As we continue this week to understand our breastplate, remember that it is our responsibility to put on the elements of this armor. God has provided the clothes but we must dress ourselves. How do we do that? We must study the armor so we understand it. We must receive it by faith and we must be willing to wear the armor so we can benefit from its ability to protect us. Take some time with me this week to put on the mighty breastplate of righteousness.
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