Whole Armor of God: Loins and Breastplate

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Close your eyes and make sure your body feels relaxed and supported. Let go of any tension in your face, jaw, neck, and shoulders. 

Take a few deep breaths. Inhale peace, calm, humility, and openness. Exhale tension, negativity, pride, and stress from your body and mind.

In this state of calm receptiveness, say a quick prayer that you will be open to any revelation the Lord has for you as you ponder.

As your breathing returns to normal, turn your thoughts and attention to the metaphor of putting on the whole armor of God. Allow your heart or mind to notice anything that feels personal, timely, or meaningful. Don’t worry about focusing on every quote or question I share. 

Gird Up Loins

The first step in putting on the whole armor of God is to “Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth,” (Ephesians 6:14; D&C 27:16). 

Ancient tunics were long and cumbersome, so people wore belts, or “girdles,” so they could tuck the tunic up for greater freedom of movement during periods of work or battle. Thus, “gird up your loins” came to mean preparing for hard work or battle.

Paul instructs us to “gird up our loins” and to “have [our] loins girt about with truth.” What truths revealed in the gospel help you feel more prepared to withstand the attacks of the adversary?  

Girding up the loins also has the effect of covering and protecting the reproductive organs, which suggests a call to chastity as well as preparation for hard work. Harold B. Lee warned that “one of the avenues by which [the adversary] finds most easy to overthrow humankind is unchastity. So,” he says, “the Apostle Paul admonished that we have a girdle around our loins.” (Harold B. Lee, “Powers of the Gospel,” October 1949 General Conference.) 

Professor Anthony Sweat teaches chastity “is about learning to develop a character that can be trusted, exercises restraint, respects boundaries, won’t selfishly abuse power, and has the ability to ­create and maintain a covenant family.” (Anthony Sweat, “We Need an Endowment,” BYU Speech, April 5, 2022.)

Pick one of the attributes Professor Sweat associates with chastity and ponder specific ways you have successfully exhibited that attribute. The attributes are earning trust, respecting agency and boundaries, exercising restraint, and righteously using power. 

Breastplate

The next piece of armor is “the breastplate of righteousness;” (Ephesians 6:14). In other words, righteousness is what will protect our heart from the fiery darts of the devil.

If righteousness is what protects your heart and vital organs in this armor of God metaphor, it is important to clearly understand what righteousness is. In a talk entitled “Things Pertaining to Righteousness,” Elder Francisco J. Viñas identifies “studying the scriptures,” “praying regularly,” and “living the gospel of Jesus Christ” as works of righteousness. But because the works of righteousness cannot be boiled down into a simple checklist, Elder Viñas highlights the importance of revelation. He quotes a section in Doctrine and Covenants where the Lord spoke to Hyrum Smith through the Prophet Joseph Smith. The Lord promised:

“I will impart unto you of my Spirit, which shall enlighten your mind, which shall fill your soul with joy;

“And then shall ye know … all things whatsoever you desire of me, which are pertaining unto things of righteousness, in faith believing me that you shall receive” D&C 11:13–14

(Elder Francisco J. Viñas “Things Pertaining to Righteousness” General Conference, April 2010 (emphasis added))

What habits do you have that could be considered “works of righteousness”? What habits would you like to develop? How can you invite more righteousness into your life? 

1 Thessalonians 5:5, 8-9 uses the imagery of a breastplate as well, but it’s slightly different. It reads: “Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. . . . But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; . . . For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,” (emphasis added).

What, if anything, is the difference between a breastplate of righteousness and a breastplate of faith and love? Could “faith and love” be the definition of righteousness? Is “wrath,” or anger, the antithesis of righteousness? If not, what is?

What symbolism do the heart and lungs and other vital organs in the chest have? How does righteousness protect those symbols? In what ways is your heart vulnerable to attack? What righteous works could help strengthen those vulnerabilities? 

3 Nephi 13:21 says “where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” After quoting this scripture, Elder Michael John U. Teh taught that instead of earthly treasures of “pride, wealth, material things, power, and the honors of men,” we should focus on spiritual treasures, including acquiring Christlike attributes, building family relationships, serving others, and building our testimony. “Where Your Treasure Is,” General Conference, April 2014. 

Take a moment to ponder what you treasure. Are there any earthly things that rank higher on your list than building Christlike attributes, family relationships, serving others, and building your testimony? What do your habits reveal about “where your heart is”? Are you prompted to make any changes?

When you are ready, take a deep breath and slowly turn your awareness back to your body. As you open your eyes and return to your surroundings, jot down any thoughts, promptings, or questions that came to mind while you were pondering. Stay tuned for the rest of this series on the Whole Armor of God. If you’d like to study in between segments, read Ephesians chapter 6 and Doctrine and Covenants 27. Also, if you enjoy this podcast, please leave a review and let me know I should keep making it. Thank you!