BUCKLE UP FOR ACTION

“Stand therefore [hold your ground], having tightened the belt of truth around your loins” (Ephesians 6:14, Amplified Bible).

It was said of the Roman soldier that if you saw him walking down the street you could tell whether he was on or off duty. An on-duty soldier’s belt was tightened and all his fighting equipment was in place. An off-duty soldier would have loosened his belt, leaving it sagging. I think there’s a message for us in this. Both Jesus and Paul repeatedly told us to be alert, awake, watchful—because at no time in the Christian life should we should have a sagging, sloppy belt!

In introducing his teaching on the armor in Ephesians 6:10, Paul challenges us to be strong in the strength of the Lord and then to “put on’” the armor. The armor of God will allow us to stand against the attacks and deceptions of the devil.

Paul makes it very clear that we are at war! Every follower of Jesus is at war with the devil. Our war is not with the group far across town whose doctrine is different from ours; it’s not with the nasty-spirited pastor who condemns everybody and everything that varies from what he believes. No, Paul makes it plain that our war is with the spiritual forces of evil. Because of this dangerous warfare, in Ephesians 6:13 he repeats his command that we put on the whole armor of God so that as the world around us get increasingly evil, we will stand firm.

In the next four verses Paul describes the various pieces of the armor and gives brief explanations of some of the pieces and what they do. We gain additional understanding of the value and purpose of the armor by knowing that Paul is writing from a world dominated by Rome and its armies. Paul was no stranger to the Roman soldier’s equipment. In fact, he wrote the letter to the Ephesian church while he was imprisoned and was constantly under the supervision of a Roman soldier.

Look at the first part of verse 14 again: “Stand therefore [hold your ground], having tightened the belt of truth around your loins.”

First, let’s try to understand what Paul was referring to when he spoke of the belt of truth, or the girdle of truth as some translations speaks of it.

For a Roman soldier the belt was not actually a piece of his armor; however, it was extremely important that it be in place because it was essential to his being ready for action. The belt was not a good-looking accessory that added pizazz to his wardrobe but it was an important foundational piece that held everything in place and prepared the soldier to go into battle.

The belt allowed the soldier to tuck his flowing garments up so that he could move quickly and freely without tripping over his clothes. The soldier’s sword was fastened on the belt and it also assisted in holding the breastplate in place.

I think it is fair to say that as the belt was the foundation of the Roman soldier’s armor, so the “belt of truth” is the foundation of the “armor of God” for every follower of Jesus Christ.

So what is the “truth” that Paul says should be “tightly belted around our whole life”?

I’m not going to try to give a theological explanation of what scholars view as truth. Instead, let me give you two scriptures to consider and then we’ll briefly talk about “the belt of truth” and how it applies to us.

“For the law was given through Moses: grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” (John 1:17).

“Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No man comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6).

I know it’s important that we have a good understanding of doctrine, and what’s right and wrong in how we conduct our lives. We need to have a good, God-centered view of many things so that we stay out of error. But the foundational issue is that we must be tightly attached to the truth that Jesus Christ is the Son of God; that He gave Himself as a sacrifice for our sin; and that He arose from the grave in triumph over death and hell. If we have not embraced the truth of Jesus Christ, then we are not wearing the belt of truth. Jesus Christ is the essence of all truth for those who are His followers.

Unfortunately, a lot of Christians have a sagging belt of truth because they don’t take time to tighten it by fellowshipping with Him on a frequent (daily, I hope) basis. The fundamental way that our belt of truth is kept tight is by frequent personal communication with Him through prayer and through the Word. A sagging belt of truth means we are off duty in maintaining our relationship with Him and living the Christian life.

Now that we understand what the belt of truth is, we understand why it is foundational to our effective use of all the armor of God. So, buckle up!