The Belt of Truth

Having dealt with the nature of our enemy in Eph 6:10-13, Paul describes our resource in dealing with the enemy—the “armor of God”—a common image of a well-prepared Christian.


The first part of his armor is the “belt of truth.”

“Stand therefore, having our loins girded with truth.”

The imagery of armor is found in pieces throughout the Old Testament. Most of it is fairly easy to understand. But this first piece—the belt—is a little confusing, because it is not found in the Old Testament. What kind of belt is he talking? There are at least four possibilities.

1, It could refer to Old Testament warriors. These warriors fought mostly without body armor. They just put on their sword and went to war. Putting on the sword belt was the first thing they did. The expression for going to battle became “gird on your sword “ or, in other words “pick up your weapons>”

The Old Testament expands this metaphor. It eventually was used to designate the putting on of any weapon, either figurative or literal. For examples, we read in the Old testament

2 Sam 22:40 “ For thou hast girded me with strength to battle: them that rose up against me hast thou subdued under me.” This means that God gave him strength in battle—a powerful weapon.

Ps 30:10-11Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness;” Gladness is another powerful weapon against the Devil.

Ps 65:6 Which by his strength setteth fast the mountains; being girded with power” Here is another weapon—the power of God.

So Paul may have simple meant put on the weapon of your warfare--mot strength, not power, not even gladness, but the truth. Hold on to what’s true. Wrap it around your waist and be ready to fight.

The many kingdoms Satan had created, his “powers and principalities” all have one thing in common--they are all based on a pack of lies. These lies must be addressed and answered.

Satan tells you that you are doomed. God tells you that you are saved.

Satan tells you that you are irredeemable. \God tells you that you are redeemed.

Satan tells you that must sin. God tells you that you must not sin.

Satan tells you to hate your neighbor, that your neighbor is a threat to you.

God tells you to love your neighbor, that you neighbor is a child of God, just like you.\

We could go on and on. For every truth there is a lie, For every lie there is a truth.

2. Paul may be talking specifically about Roman armor. In Roman armor, the first piece would be the leather belt. Attached to the belt would be an armor plated apron. This protected the middle section. Perhaps Paul is talking about wearing truth like a Roman soldier’s belt.

Where are we weakest? That varies, depending on the person. Our weakness may be fear, temptation, insecurity, anger, or any of the above. These are the places where again and again Satan defeats us.

When we are attacked, we instinctively cover up those places. We do not wish to expose the places we are most vulnerable.

But as we discussed last week, our weakness is a lie. Satan tells us that we have to cover up and defend, because we are weak. But he is the one who says we are weak and we believe it.

The root of all disobedience is pride. We simply do not wish to look like afool, not even in or own eyes. It is why we cover up for our inadequacies. The Devil tells that if we admit we are weak, we will look like fools. Bu we are weak. We are sinners. Everyone knows it, whether we think they do or not. Hiding the truth does not defend us.

According to the Bible, there is only one way to deal with out weaknesses—expose them. This is called confession. Confess that we are sinners and that we cannot save ourselves. Our stubbornness and pride does not allow us to do this. We think we always have to be right ad perfect for people to respect us. But the opposite is true. People cannot loe a perfect person. They are just to intimidated by them to be comfortable.

Sin is like a sore. It heals fastest when exposed to the air. The more we willing to confess, the easier it will be to move beyond our sins and grow a spine when it comes to sin.

2. Paul may have had in mind a sash, not a belt. This would be the last thing, not the first thing that a person puts on. A belt is often used as a symbol of status and honor. A slave would have a simple rope belt. A patrician might wear a gold chain. In the Roman army, where the Roman soldier had to buy his own armor, the style of the armor and its appearance was a statement of his rank and wealth.

Prize fighters wear a championship belt. Cowboys wear fancy belt buckles tell us what hey love--a six gun, a marijuana leaf, or a confederate flag. They are bumper stickers for the belly. When men wer tuxedoes, they wear cummerbunds or sashes around the waist as symbol of rank and dignity.

Paul may have had such a sash in mind. This would mean that our truthful reputation is a counter to the lies of the devil. Before we can even think about addressing anything else in our lives, we must first make a commitment that when people see us, the impression we leave is the truth. We want our true nature to be he first thing they see.

In Rock Hill there was an old physician named Dr. Gaston. He was a man in his eighties, but he still made house calls on his patience. He was a well-loved figure in the community.

A few years ago I sat on a jury in a malpractice case. An elderly woman was in an accident and went to the emergency room. After she was released, she felt ill and they called for Dr. Gaston. He examined her and found nothing wrong. That night, she had a heart attack and died. The family was suing the hospital. No one thought to sue Dr. Gaston, however, since his reputation in the community was too great to question. Because of his reputation for truth and integrity, he was virtually immune from lawsuits. No one would believe it.

The truth is more than a defensive weapon, however, it is also a powerful offensive weapon. When we openly declare the truth of God, Satan is put off-balance, and cannot attack.

Evangelist Bill Glass once told of a young boy who came to him after a meeting to ask his advice. He said that that very night, his friends were going out drinking and he was going with them. He did not want to, but he was going anyway. “Why Bill Glass asked, “So much pressure!: The boy answered.

Bill Glass challenged him on this. “Whn are you going to start putting on the pressure with them>” If we hide the fact that we are followers of Christ, if we do not speak up and tell the truth, then we will find ourselves at the mercy of those who mean us harm. We will be forced to hide the truth, just to fit in.

Let people know right up front that you are a believer, and that you do not behave like others. It will save you grief later, and hopefully make a few converts, too.

4. The belt holds us together. Finally, Paul could be referring to what a rope does for anyone, whether a soldier or a slave,

Have you ever wondered, when you see pictures of ancient Hebrews how the managed to run in those maxi-dresses they wore? If you have a robe that reaches to the ground it would be easy to trip on it. They managed by tucking the ends of their tunics into their belt. This was called ”girding your loins.” It’s what you did when you went into action. Without a belt, that would be impossible.

We need a belt to keep our pants up and our shirttails in. We need a belt for hanging our cell phone and our pagers. Carpenters wear a tool belt to keep their tool together. Even Batman has a utility belt to keep his gadgets in order. We all need belts to keep us together. It is our first and most important tool.

Christians are held together by their integrity. It is their willingness to be scrupulously honest that keeps us together.

Christianity is a religion of grace. We believe the God, though the saving action of Jesus, can and does forgive anything. But before God will cleans us of all unrighteousness, he requires something from us. We must be honest. God will not forgive what we will not admit. It is only when we become scrupulously honest about ourselves tha the general amnesty rhat God grants in Jesus takes effect.

When we sin, we avoid the truth. We do not want to look in the mirror. We do not want to step on the scale. We do not want to balance our checkbook or look at our grades. Whenever we pretend to be strong, we become weak. But when we confess our sins, and are cleansed from them, we become strong through the grace of God.

The devil works in darkness. He loves those little secrets we keep from God. He loves it when we, like Adam and Eve, try first to cover up our sins, and then try to put the blame for them on someone else, instead of owning up and ‘fessing up. Don’t let the devil win by hiding our secrets Get them out before God.

Are there limits to this? Of course. Some things we would confess would hurt others. Some things would discourage others. Most people want to see your scars not your blood. But that does not mean we have to keep everything a secret from everyone, even ourselves. A wise believer will confess his sins to God regularly often, for the sake of obtaining His grace.

The belt held everything else together. It keeps our pants up. It keeps our cell phone attached to our sides It keeps our shirts in. belt may be the last thing we put on but it is first among our clothing needs. Where would a carpenter be without his tool belt? Where would Batman be without his utility belt? Where would a soldier be without his bandoliers and gun belts? Belts are essential for carrying everything.

Truth is our belt. It holds us together when nothing else does. God’s truth is our weapon, our shield our strength.

How can we affect the world? Tell the truth. Tell the world that we are sinners, just like everyone else, but we are saved by grace. Tell the truth to the world that they are going in the wrong direction. Tell the truth that the only reason we can claim any victory over the devil is by the grace of God.

Do you know the truth? Do you tell it God had a plan for us, but it begins with telling the truth