Ephesians 6:14
"Stand firm then...with the breastplate of righteousness in place."
Our heart and lungs are pretty vital to our survival, making the breastplate a necessity in our suit of armour. The material that makes up the breastplate is important. It needs to be light so as not to be a heavy weight to carry yet at the same time impenetrable, solid and lasting in the face of an onslaught.
Going out to battle with a rag over your chest is a certain death sentence.
[Isaiah 64:6 "But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags..."]
Yet some people will go out to face their life, with their own righteousness covering them, their own stinking, unclean, filthy attempt at righteousness. But when the bullets start flying, a rag will be pointless.
We need something so much stronger to cover us.
[2 Corinthians 5:21 "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."]
Jesus took our rags, and he took our place. In exchange he gave us his perfect, impenetrable righteousness. His righteousness is an easy burden, and it is an everlasting protection.
But how can we afford this breastplate of the finest material? We can't. It is a beautiful gift from our heavenly Father. He gave us his Son.
[Jeremiah 23:6 "This is the name by which he will be called: The Lord Our Righteousness."]
When Jesus lives inside of us, he becomes our perfect righteousness, our everlasting protection.
