Jesus Puts on the Armor of God: Is 59:17

“He put on righteousness like a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on His head; and He put on garments of vengeance for clothing and wrapped Himself with zeal as a mantle.” (Isaiah 59:17)

The armor of God is not something that Christians alone wear. Jesus Himself wore such armor when he came to set mankind free. Where we are told to put on the armor of God, we are to don the very armor that Jesus Himself wears. Paul describes the armor of God, “Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the Gospel of peace; in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” (Ephesians 6:13-17)

I have heard teaching on the armor of God that encourages us to put the armor on each morning before we start our day. I have heard others say that during their devotional time with the Lord they pray over the armor and “put it on” one piece at a time. However, the armor of God is not some mystical piece of hardware that we put on in the morning and take off at night. We put on the armor of God when we allow the things of the Kingdom to become part of our life. As we live the Kingdom life, the fruit that it bears in our life becomes armor to protect us from the wiles of the enemy. Notice that this scripture says that Jesus, “put on righteousness like a breastplate.” He did not put on a spiritual breastplate, rather His righteousness was like a breastplate over His heart and protected His heart from the darts of the enemy.

Do you need a breastplate? Then learn to live righteously. Do you need a belt to hold up your robe so that you can be unencumbered in life’s race? Then let truth be the guide and rule in all you do. Do you need a helmet to protect you from the lies and temptations of the enemy? Then allow His spirit to renew you in the spirit of your mind, let the hope of His salvation be the foundation of all your understanding. The armor of God takes more than prayer to put on, it requires us to live the Kingdom life. It requires that we allow the Holy Spirit to sanctify us body, soul, and spirit. Putting on God’s armor requires that we become like Him. Therefore, let us lay aside our old self and our old ways and take up the life and ways of the Kingdom of God. In doing so, we will find that we have armor that is able to withstand any attack of our enemy.

David Robison