The breastplate of righteousness is designed to keep us free from sin and to make us a slave to righteousness: Rom 6:18-20 (NIV) You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness. I put this in human terms because you are weak in your natural selves.

Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness. When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness.

When we refuse to put on God’s righteousness, we start trying to protect ourselves with our own righteousness: Rom 10:3 (NIV) Since they did not know the righteousness that comes from God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness.

Being taken up with the cares of this world keeps us from getting our breastplate of righteousness on: Rom 14:17 (NIV) For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

Jesus is our source of the breastplate of righteousness: 1 Cor 1:27-30 (NIV) But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things--and the things that are not--to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before Him.

It is because of Him that you are in Christ Jesus, Who has become for us wisdom from God--that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.