The Belt of Truth

Ephesians 6:14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth...

As we consider the subject of spiritual warfare, let us focus upon the first item mentioned in the list of the “whole armor of God,” (Ephesians 6:10-18) – the belt of Truth. In contemplating this, it is also important to remember that our armor is the whole (complete) armor of God. In other words, He is our armor. He clothes us, defends us, and surrounds us as we abide in Him. Every item of armor mentioned is a characteristic of Christ’s own work and nature. We are never more armed for spiritual battle than when we truly abide in Him.

When Paul spoke of the Christian’s armor, the soldier most visible to his readers was the ancient Roman legionary soldier. Such a soldier would have worn a basic garment that was usually loose-fitting and came at least to his knees. We might call it a kind of tunic. When he was called to be active, to fight, or use his weapons, he had to somehow take care of that loose garment, and so we read in the King James Version of the Bible that his loins were to be “girt.” This simply means that a large belt or band was tied around his waist, so that the flaps and folds of his loose tunic would not hinder him in the fight. This was essential and was the basis for everything else.

It is no wonder that Paul mentions this belt first in the list of the armor, and he says that for us, it is the Belt of Truth. This is not Truth in the abstract, or the mere musings of man’s intellect. It is not moral clichés, or insincere platitudes; rather, it is the Truth of Christ in daily living. We are surrounded by the sham and the show, where men and women preach or profess things simply because they sound good or incite particular emotions. We are not plagued by a drought of hypocrisy; instead, we see a flood of pretension and religious gimmickry. And even those who are sincere can fall into the trap or lull of speaking religious words without heart. These kinds of graceless and lifeless words are like a loose-fitting garment that keeps getting in our way, hindering us from actually representing Christ in an hour when men and women need Truth desperately.

Truth is essential. Our Christianity is hollow without it. We forfeit our God-given, Holy Spirit-inspired influence when we do not daily walk in the Truth and receive His words as spirit and life to us.

Just as the Roman legionary soldier disciplined his garments by wearing his belt, so let our daily lives be disciplined by the Truth of God in Christ. The belt gave the ancient soldier freedom to fight, and our freedom to stand and fight in our spiritual battles is based upon Truth. Our adversary is a liar; indeed, he is the father of lies. The greatest defense, in actuality, the only defense against him is the Truth. It does not matter how the battle seems, we will have freedom to continue the fight because we know the Truth. Jesus said, “And ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32). As we continue knowing the Truth, we are kept free. We are not just set free, but made free, and this persists as we continue to seek to know and stand in Truth. We tighten the belt of God’s Truth around the hindering questions of this life, the hindering doubts, the fears, that become obstacles to us; we allow God’s Word, His Truth to discipline our lives daily, and by the blood of the Lamb, and the Word of our testimony we overcome our adversary. God’s Word, His Truth becomes the substance of our testimony. In other words, as we walk with Him, God is causing His Word, His Truth to live in and through our lives. It is no longer mere profession, but experience.

Oh! brothers and sisters, let us wrap ourselves in Truth! Our adversary is always going to lie, and too often the various societies in which we live thrive upon lies and deception. But God has given us His Truth, and that Truth must be incarnate. May the Truth of God live in and through us, and may He use us as instruments of the only Truth that makes men and women free.

Pastor Jessie J. Hobbs

Victory Tabernacle Hartford, AL