Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.
Ephesians 6:13-18a
Having established that the armor of God is not a metaphor or inspirational idea, but is in fact a reality we must step into each day, we now turn our attention to putting on each piece of the armor of God, listed in Ephesians 6, beginning with the “belt of truth.”
The Belt of Truth
Belts are not made just for fashion. Though they definitely make an outfit look complete, and can add a little bit of bling with a shiny buckle, for many people like myself, our bodies are not exactly proportioned to most clothing. A belt is an absolute necessity. We need help. We rely on belts, daily, to keep our pants from slipping down and our shirts from bunching up or coming untucked.
The same is true for the belt of truth. Without it, our armor is incomplete. Without truth to hold it together, other parts of the armor will not be able to completely do their work, either. It is designed to hold everything together.
Surrounded with Truth
The symbolism of the belt is that it must surround us. While other pieces of the armor, as we will see in future posts, are tailored for individual body parts, such as the helmet, breastplate, or shoes, the idea of the belt is that truth is what encompasses you all the way around.
To put on the belt of truth, then, is to take on a personal commitment to live in the light of God’s truth, to stay safely within a hedge of protection that blocks and filters the lies and false realities of the enemy.
What is Truth?
The Greek word used for truth in this passage is “aletheia.” Strongs concordance defines this truth in two ways. The first is objective truth as in “what is true in any matter under consideration…” That is truth “in reality.”
The cultural impact of this definition cannot be overstated, as this word carries a connotation that our world is becoming extremely hostile toward the idea that there is such a thing as universal truth that is not subject to human will or emotions, or to time and place. It is reality because God says it is reality, and it will never change.
The second way Strongs concordance defines “aletheia” is in terms of a subjective truth, as in “that candor of mind which is free from affection, pretense, simulation, falsehood, and deceit.” “Subjective” here, then, cannot be taken to imply that this absolute truth is subject to our belief in it. Rather, it must be taken to mean that our will and emotions must become subject to this “truth in reality,” and thereby forsake all untruths that do not measure up.
I do not mean to get too technical with this understanding of the word, but we must be clear on what the Bible says, or else we will be vulnerable to the influence of culture and our spiritual enemy in how we understand “truth.”
Living in Reality
With this definition in mind, to put on the belt of truth is to understand that God has established an absolute truth to which all humanity will be held accountable. This is a tangible, experiential truth, which when held up against all other false realities, will prove itself true every time. Putting on this belt means that we will make the choice to live in this truth, no matter what our emotions, desires, or cultures tells us is “better” or “right.”
Choosing to stand on a belief in absolute truth is a major claim to make. In fact, this claim to truth is as the heart of all opposition to Christianity (and all other religions that claim to be absolute).
This claim to truth is the biggest target of attack by every enemy we have, in the world and in the spirit realm. Just look at how believers are portrayed in the media and in the entertainment industry. We are faced every day with the message that “what is true for you is true for you, and what is true for me is true for me,” and therefore “tolerance” must take precedence over any idea of “truth.”
However, believing that God’s truth is the only truth, is the foundation of our salvation and hope!
Truth Emancipates Us
Jesus made a bold statement in John 8:32, in which He not only claims that there is an absolute truth, but that when we come to live in that truth, it will set us free.
…you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
Once again, the Greek word used here is “aletheia.” It says that you will know THE truth – truth in reality – and THE truth will set you free from slavery to sin, death, and the devil (see John 8:31-59).
What this means is that as believers we have an obligation not only to find out what God’s truth is, but we must also make the commitment to be conformed to that truth, and cast off every other false reality the devil or the world wants to build around us. Our freedom from the kingdom of darkness depends on it. But where do we find this “truth?”
Truth in the Word
Of course, the standard way believers come to understand truth is through the writings of scripture. However, in discussing the armor of God, I would argue that Bible study is not the intention of the writer. Paul already includes the Word of God in the armor, not as the truth that surrounds us like a belt, but rather as the sword we carry to attack our enemies (Ephesians 6:17).
If not scripture, then, what is this truth we are supposed to be surrounded with, which holds all the rest of our spiritual armor together? The answer isn’t in the book but in God Himself!
Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
John 14:6
Truth is a Person
When we put on the belt of truth, the implication is that we are literally putting on Christ, who is the Truth. We are not just opening our minds to what is true, but we are asking Him to cover us and conform every part of our lives to His image. This is commanded of us elsewhere in scripture:
“But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.”
Romans 13:14
Yes, this “putting on” happens at the moment of salvation (see Galatians 3:27), but it is also a continual command to the believer. When Paul tells the Romans to “put on” it literally means “clothe yourself with,” and is an imperative command in an active, ongoing sense. It is not something you did in the past or something you are commanded to do in the future. It is an ongoing all-the-time command.
Put on the Belt of Truth
To put on the belt of truth, then, means that we are first born again in Jesus Christ, and have put our full faith in Him as Savior, and give Him our full allegiance as Lord.
It is then something we continue to do every day – every moment – as we look to Him as our source of truth in all things. This requires relationship with Him. It requires learning to hear His voice. It requires conditioning our mindset to filter everything through His reality (again, see 2 Corinthians 10:5).
For the believer, Jesus alone is Truth. We do not look to political parties. We do not look to our favorite news stations. We do not look to pundits or podcasts or teachers or celebrities. We do not even rely on our pastors and spiritual leaders. Although any and all of these voices may speak truth to us, we cannot stake our lives on it. We must first submit it all to His testing.
Jesus said “I Am the Truth” and we are called to surround ourselves completely with Him! If we will do that, then every other piece of our armor will be held fast, and we will be able to “stand firm” against the enemy.
What about You?
The starting place to put on the belt of truth is to be saved by the One who is The Truth, Jesus Christ. If you have never been saved and want to find out what that means, I would love nothing more than to talk to you. Please, reach out to me to find a time to chat!
If you have been saved, though, the question is are you living in relationship with The Truth, or is your life being guided by the daily news cycle or your Facebook feed? Some of us have neglected the ongoing practice of “putting on” the belt of truth each day, and it has left us vulnerable. Maybe it’s time to repent and return to The Truth so that we can then wear all the armor correctly, and find our victory in this battle.
Continue reading in the next post, as we look at the Breastplate of Righteousness. With it, we will seek to take our life in the Truth to another level, protecting our hearts from sinful passions and temptations of the enemy.
This is an updated edition of a post originally published on Anthony Scott Ingram
Featured Image by Марьян Блан | @marjanblan on Unsplash
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