Armor of God Seminar 2024
Part 3
Estimated reading time: 19 minutes
Power in the Blood
Breastplate of Justification
A breastplate covered the soldier’s heart and chest area. It was usually made of woven metal or coarse heavy cloth so that it would provide protection for the upper body, especially the heart and lungs. It was a crucial piece of the armor because it would mean life or death if the chest and back were exposed to attack. I have heard it taught that the armor is only on the front, but this cannot be true. If the back was exposed as well, the heart could be pierced from that direction. We need this covering to protect our hearts.
Heart in the Bible represents the will, mind and emotions of a person. This is the area that the Devil or the Accuser comes to attack via thoughts and whispers. These accusations “pull apart” the person and then they can be devoured. The literal meaning of Accuser in Aramaic is “eater of pieces.” Once the person is pulled apart like bread, he is easily “eaten.” The purpose of the breastplate is to deflect the accusations so they become ineffective and useless, as blows glance off the armor.
In Aramaic, the word for righteousness is justification. There is an important distinction between the two words. Romans 4 shows the two meanings and is talking about God counting righteousness to Abraham.
Romans 4:23-5:2 KJV
And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.
Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him;
But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead;
Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.
Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
When we believe the God raised Jesus from the dead, we receive a new nature that is “right.” It is counted to us because Jesus paid the price in his death by being delivered for our offenses. This new nature is right before God and it is as though we died with him (Romans 6:7-8). Our sins are declared dead. Then when Jesus rose from the dead, he gained our justification.
Justification is a legal requirement for us to have access to God. We have been legally acquitted from blame, “just as if I’d never sinned.” God has a standard of his justice that is unreachable by man. This justice could not be attained by the Law because no one could attain it by themselves. Jesus did it perfectly and the resurrection from the dead is the proof that God’s requirements have been met and now can be legally transferred to those who believe on him. This justification is the foundation for all the sonship rights given to us in Christ. Without being legally acquitted, we could not have reconciliation, redemption, sanctification, forgiveness or remission of sin, or any of the other privileges bought for us by Jesus Christ.
The Old Testament sheds light on the meaning of the breastplate. When God ordained Aaron as priest to the people of Israel in the wilderness, He designed a breastplate to be worn on the ephod of Aaron’s garment. This breastplate was made of metal and contained twelve precious stones in four rows. Each stone represented one of the tribes of Israel. When the high priest went into the holy of holies once a year to make atonement for the sins of the people, he carried all of Israel on the breastplate over his heart. This was called the “breastplate of judgment” (Exodus 28:15); when the high priest made the sacrifice of atonement, the people were judged righteous before God.
Jesus Christ is the high priest who went into the holy of holies once for all and made atonement for the sins of all people. He accomplished this by his death, which paid the penalty for all sin for all time. Jesus Christ conquered sin, which separated man from God; only then could God tear the veil that separated the holy of holies from the people and allow free access to His presence. Ephesians 2:18 says, “for through Him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.” That access is the foundation of everything we have been given in God’s marvelous gift, and allows us to have the protective covering of all the sonship rights.
Romans 8 says, “If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay anything to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth.” God has declared us justified, which gives us complete access to him. Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ. When we cry, “Abba, our father,” God hears our cry. We no longer need to accept any kind of condemnation or accusation.
The breastplate of justification covers the heart and protects. This is the same breastplate that is described in the Old Testament in a prophecy of Jesus Christ.
Isaiah 59:17 ESV
He put on righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on his head; he put on garments of vengeance for clothing, and wrapped himself in zeal as a cloak.
Another verse we read earlier about the loins puts the two together, girdle and breastplate, and shows that the two pieces work together to cover all the vital areas of the body.
Isaiah 11:5KJV
And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.
The reins or kidneys are the lower area of the body which the girdle protects. Righteousness protects the heart. In Christ, God has given us acquittal from blame and continued forgiveness and cleansing of our sins.
How does this work?
Accusation can come from the inside (our own thoughts) or from the outside (someone else’s words). These both can be devastating. The ones which come from our own thoughts are words that the Evil One has sown in our hearts and we have believed. We think they are our own genuine considerations and must be true since we are thinking them. In both cases, we must apply the power of forgiveness to others and ourselves.
An example in my own life was a situation where a pastor that I truly respected accused me of wrongdoing that I had not done. I tried to reconcile the situation, but the person would not cease to make specific comments that were negative. It was a great temptation to accept the barbs, even though in my mind I knew they were not true. The situation never got resolved and we had to make the choice to disassociate ourselves from that ministry. Rejection goes along with accusation and it took many months and some gentle support from other believers to overcome those accusations.
At that time God reminded me of a vision that he had given me about the breastplate some years before. The picture of the Roman breastplate is just metal, but the Christ in you breastplate is made of very strong material which does not exist. It is transparent, impenetrable and molds to cover every square inch of the upper body. The reason it is transparent is that people can still see your heart and love but the breastplate will guard your heart from accusations penetrating and devastating your life. It molds to cover all the areas of the heart and mind, so there is nothing that it cannot protect. That’s the kind of breastplate we have in Christ!
Exposing the Accuser of the Brethren — Frangipane
The answer to someone accusing us from the outside is to give it to the Lord to handle. Even Michael, the archangel, did this. That way there does not need to be a defense of whether you are right or wrong.
Jude 1:9 APNT
Now Michael, the archangel, who, when he was debating with the Accuser, spoke about the body of Moses, did not dare to bring on him the judgment of blasphemy,but said, “The LORD will rebuke you.”
If we allow God to reconcile the situations which can be reconciled, then we won’t allow the Accuser to tear us apart.
Example: Chia spirits partner rejection and accusation
Divorce is an area where many accusations get thrown back and forth. I have known several couples where the spouses who felt abandoned or deserted had a great deal of bitterness and anger about the situation. Because they held onto their bitterness and anger, the Accuser influenced them to pile blame on the person they felt had wronged them. Both people in this situation are challenged to forgive. Once a person has confessed a sin, the sin is cleansed and they are justified in God’s sight. Both people must put on the breastplate of justification. Amidst the emotional upheaval in this type of life situation, we are challenged to lead every thought captive to Christ and to cover our hearts and emotions with God’s forgiveness in Christ.
The key is to remember that the justification comes from Christ and not ourselves. No matter whether a person is right or wrong in their own eyes, we did not earn the forgiveness we receive and thus should not withhold it from someone else. We have been made accepted in Christ through forgiveness of ALL our sins, by grace, so that is what we need to boast in.
Ephesians 1:6-7 KJV
To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.
In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
A great summary of how to put on the breastplate is in the record when Jesus was tempted in the wilderness. The first accusation of the Devil is couched in a questioning of his relationship with God.
Luke 4:1-4 APNT
And Jesus, being full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan. And the Spirit led him to the wilderness
2 [for] forty days to be tempted by the Accuser. And he did not eat anything in those days, and when he had completed them, at the end he was hungry.
3 And the Accuser said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.”
4 Jesus answered and said to him, “It is written: MAN SHOULD NOT LIVE BY BREAD ALONE, BUT BY EVERY ANSWER OF GOD.”
Accusations tend to come when we are weakened either physically or spiritually. The Accuser (Devil) questioned Jesus basically by asking, “Are you the son of God?” He whispers, “If so, then use your own strength to provide for your physical needs.” The answer of truth in the face of that accusation is that Jesus did not even engage with the thought about IF he was the son of God. But instead, he refutes the temptation to provide for his own need with a quotation from Deuteronomy. The context of this verse is the time during the 40 years in the wilderness when Israel lived on manna. It was totally provided by God.
Deuteronomy 8:3 ESV
And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.
The Aramaic word for every “word” in Luke 4 in this verse is literally, answer. This verse was the answer that God gave Jesus to remember and quote back to the Accuser. It was as though he put on the breastplate of justification and stated unequivocally that God would provide his needs in every category BECAUSE he was the son of God!
In summary, when accusations come our way, either from ourselves or others, go to the Lord to seek what is the appropriate answer of truth in the situation. He will help us to forgive what needs to be forgiven and to rest in the justification and access Christ has provided for us.
More Than Conquerors
Helmet of Redemption
The one I want to zero in on is the helmet of redemption and how-to live-in redemption and overcome all stress. What kind of stress are you under?
We are to set on our head the helmet of redemption. I believe that redemption is a more accurate word than salvation, because redemption includes salvation, but it is also much deeper. This word helmet in Aramaic could be translated turban. When I was in Israel, I saw many of the people wearing scarves which identified them to others and they were wound around the head very tightly. That was the same thing with the Roman helmets. They had various plumes and decorations which identified whether they were a centurion, a tribune, or which rank they were. Redemption is what identifies us as a believer.
2 Corinthians 1:10 KJV
Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us;
In English we say “we have been delivered” and mean that it is something accomplished and in the past. But in the Eastern way of thinking, deliverance is past, present and future. God HAS delivered us (we received his Spirit) and DOES DELIVER (now, present tense) and he will yet deliver us. Our redemption is completed when we will receive our new bodies and forever be with the Lord. The helmet of redemption comes into play in the DOES DELIVER part. Go back and look at the end of Colossians 1:13: “he has transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son.”
It is not enough to know that we are rescued in the past. We need rescuing and redeeming every day! But redeemed for what? We have been transferred to Christ’s kingdom. Redemption always is TO something.
We are redeemed from death TO life
We are redeemed from slavery TO freedom.
We are redeemed from darkness TO light.
We are redeemed from being strangers and foreigners TO sons with an inheritance.
Hallelujah! We need to be living in redemption right now. I Thessalonians 5:8 calls the helmet the “hope of salvation.” Hope is also a word that is not just future. There is an ultimate redemption, but we are to be living in freedom, life, light and acting like sons every single day. This is where the armor comes in because we can’t do this by ourselves, just like all the other pieces.
The helmet protects our minds and is the armor against Belial. Belial is the principality which causes stress, depression and unworthiness. His principal method is to squeeze or press. Some scholars derive the name from “to swallow,” hence the swallower. The verb from which Belial is derived is bali which means to wear out (such as a garment). People who are caught up in his web are called “sons of Belial” or “worthless fellow” and are used to wear out righteous people.
Depression is a good example of this swallowing and wearing out. There may be a reason where something happened to cause disappointment, for example a person lost his job after 30 years. But if this disappointment is allowed to fester in the mind and grow larger and larger, then depression sets in. More depression eventually causes a person to be catatonic and not able to move. Stress is a rampant problem in our culture and most people resort to some kind of panacea to try to alleviate the squeezing, such as alcohol or TV or any number of things. The truth is that none of those things help – only the helmet of redemption!
Five Step Program
1. Bought with a price — buy up for oneself, we were on a slave auction, in bondage to sin
1 Pet. 1:18-19 APNT
knowing that you were not redeemed with silver that is corruptible, nor with gold, by your empty works that you received from your fathers,
19 but with the precious blood of the lamb, who has no spot or blemish, who is Christ.
There was a price that was paid for our redemption and that was the precious blood of Christ. It was poured out on the mercy seat as atonement for us, once and for all. There is no need to have any more sacrifices for sin; it is completely paid for. In this way, it is the same thing as justification. We could not and cannot earn our redemption.
2. Price needed to be paid by a kinsman (redeemer) [story of Ruth]
She had lost inheritance, was in bankruptcy and foreclosure
a. One who is related
Hebrews 2:14-15
For because the sons share in flesh and blood, he also in the same manner shared of the same, that by his death he would put a stop to him who held the authority of death, who is Satan,
15 and would release those who by fear of death were subjected to bondage all their lives.
b. Had to be willing – Jesus laid down his life
c. Had to qualify to pay the price (lamb with spot and blemish)
Boaz paid the price for the land to redeem Naomi’s inheritance, but also took Ruth to be his wife to live a life of redemption (she became David’s great-grandmother)
3. Need to be snatched out and rescued
We have been rescued, delivered, redeemed from the authority of darkness. I picture this as though we were on a train which was speeding down the track to where it goes straight off a cliff. We are “snatched’ out of the train and rescued from the sure death and destruction that would have awaited us.We have been delivered from a great death!
Colossians 1:12-13 APNT
you should give thanks to God the Father, who has made us worthy for a portion of the inheritance of the holy [ones] in light
and has delivered us from the authority of darkness and has transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son,
Titus 2:14 APNT
who gave himself for us, so that he could deliver us from all wickedness and would purify for himself a new people who are zealous in good works.
Example: grief and sorrow – prolonged sorrow wears you down
4. We are brought to have a relationship with God as sons
Because of forgiveness of sins
New name, “adopted” “Father, our Father” – awe and reverence
Slave is made a son, never to go back to bondage, we now have a new home and family.
Romans 8:15-17 APNT
For you have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption by which we call, “Father, our Father.”
16 And the Spirit gives testimony to our spirit that we are the sons of God.
17 And if [we are] sons, [then] also heirs, heirs of God and fellow-heirs of Jesus Christ, that if we suffer with him, we will also be glorified with him.
5. We are released and set free
From: all iniquity, curse of the law, bondage of the law, power of sin, all evil, all trouble, all distresses, death, hand of the enemy
Why? To live a life of freedom!
Ongoing redemption
In these things, we need “snatching” off the train and the deliverance is there when we give it all up to God. Not only do we need to go through these 5 steps ourselves, but we need to help set others free from worthlessness, oppression, bondage and help others get to that life of freedom. How do we do that?
Amplified of Isaiah 58:4-9 (Jesus says in Luke 4:18 that he was anointed to do this and we have Christ in us so we can do it too)
What it is not:
- Pat someone on the back and say it’s OK, this will pass
- Carry a burden for them (each one has a shield and helmet)
Galatians 6:2, 5 APNT
And bear the burden of one another, so that you may complete the law of Christ—help to carry the weight
for everyone should carry his own load.
Everyone bears their own load, but when they become too heavy or burdensome, then they need help, first from God and then each other
- “Renew your mind” – like with the Law, they couldn’t completely do it by themselves. They needed the redemption and so do we – we are “transformed”
The key to the truth of how to help people get out of stress and depression is that the helmet is the hope of redemption. A lot of times, we need what I call “mini-hopes.” Hope is an expectation that something will happen. If we lost our job, then the expectation is that there will be another solution in the future. That is a mini-hope. It is the confidence that we will be delivered from the train on a daily basis and that we will be brought into a place of freedom and life. Sometimes it might not be immediate, but the confidence is there that it WILL happen. David did this in his struggles with various enemies
Psalm 16:8-9 KJV
I have set the LORD always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.
Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope.
David set the LORD always before him, not the problem, not the wicked ones causing the problem, not the way he was feeling at the time. This is the same idea of the turban. It was wrapped tightly around his mind. Everywhere he looked, he only saw the Lord. THEREFORE he was not moved or shaken or stressed! Joy is also a great key to walking and living in redemption. Rejoicing that the solution is coming will prevent being worn down and swallowed up with depression over problems.
Remember we talked about how the helmet identifies us? When people see us rejoicing in the middle of trying experiences, they can identify us as a REDEEMED believer!
Psalm 118:5 ESV
Out of my distress I called on the LORD; the LORD answered me and set me free.
The King James says, “he set me in a large place.” The practical application of this piece of armor comes especially in times of death of dear ones and family. There is no comfort greater than knowing that death does not have the ultimate victory. A day will come when we will be able to say, “O death, where is they sting? O grave, where is thy victory?” (1 Corinthians 15:55). When our physical bodies start to lose the strength of youth and show signs of decay and age, we can know that we will be raised in incorruption. This gives us the courage to continue to labor in the service of the Lord. The hope of our redemption is an anchor so we are not discouraged. Hebrews 6:19 relates to our hope. The Aramaic says that the hope “is for us as an anchor that holds our soul so that it is not shaken…” The word “shaken” is used of an earthquake. Life can certainly shake things like an earthquake, but the helmet of redemption brings a protection for our minds and “holds our soul.” Let’s continue to live in redemption day by day until the Lord returns and help each other do the 5 step program!
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