Skip to main content

The Breastplate


…with the breastplate of righteousness in place… (Ephesians 6:14b)
     
           He put on righteousness as his breastplate, and the helmet of salvation on his head; he put on the garments of vengeance and wrapped himself in zeal as in a cloak. (Isaiah 59:17)

          But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. (I Thessalonians 5:8)
  
            Just as the belt protects the bowels, so the breastplate protects the heart. In ancient literature, while the bowels represented emotions, the heart represented the will. That’s why “loving someone with all your heart” isn’t a sentimental thing, it’s a decision. It’s a choice. You don’t fall into a heart-love. There’s no eye-lash batting. In fact, your feelings may disagree completely.  
            What it is that protects the will? According to Paul and Isaiah, it’s righteousness. Righteousness means morality, doing what is right. Having a firm, high, and solid code of morality. It’s not enough to know what is right. It is by developing the habit of doing what is right in the small things that the breastplate is strong enough to withstand the attack on our wills. It’s not about being relatable. It’s not about “live and let live.” If everything is a shade of gray, the breastplate is made of silk when what comes between us and failure needs to be steel.
          Some will say that they have a moral code. We all do. The question is not whether or not we have one, but whether it is the best one possible. The thing about the best moral codes is that we not only understand what is right and wrong but that their authority is outside of the person. If your only means of knowing whether something is right or wrong is your choice then next time around, you can choose the other way. That may feel good, but it will kill your righteousness.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Saved?

  I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” (John 10:28-30) “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, “I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ ” (Matthew 7:21-23) Not at all! Let God be true, and every human being a liar. As it is written: “So that you may be proved right when you speak and prevail when you judge.” (Romans 3:4)   What conclusion do you draw when someone who was raised in a Christian family and church, perhaps even playing a significant role in a chur...
Post a Comment
Read more

A Virgin?

           Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:14)           This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 1:18)           But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.”            “How will this be,” Mary asked the...
Post a Comment
Read more

Meditations of the Heart

  May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. (Psalm19:14)           As I started writing this post, I noted that the meditations of my heart are all over the mental landscape, from a hub where eight superhighways come together to a lunar or nuclear landscape. Do you see my error? The moment I read the word meditation , I think about thoughts. But what’s described here is the meditations of our hearts ; our wills.           While the meditations of our minds may be all over the place, the meditations of our wills tend to be a little more stable by the time we are adults. We no longer tend to want to pursue the ten separate careers we did in any given day as children. Part of this is humble acceptance of reality. We come to understand that we can’t do it all. I think another part of it is disappointmen...
Post a Comment
Read more