The Armor of God: The Belt of Truth
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God (Ephesians 6:10-17).
The Roman soldier’s belt served multiple purposes of equal importance. One purpose was to hold down the breastplate – which is super important if you don’t want it flapping around obscuring your vision or exposing vital parts of your torso like your heart or lungs. The belt also kept any clothing or other padding in place. Another purpose was to sheath weapons (sword, dagger, or, in some cases, both). A final purpose is found in the decorations - these were used to declare victories, wealth, status, etc., and were shown with leather straps that hung down from the main part of the belt and adorned with various objects such as pins and buckles. These pins, buckles, and similar decorations would have been made from highly valued metal (such as gold) and other materials (such as ivory).
In the armor of God, the belt is called the Belt of Truth, and its purposes match the purposes of the Roman soldier’s belt.
To hold down the breastplate and keep other clothing and padding in place.
In the armor of God, the breastplate is the Breastplate of Righteousness, so the Belt of Truth is intended to keep our righteousness in place. Let me repeat that: Our righteousness (def: acting in accordance with divine or moral law; free from guilt or sin; morally right or justifiable) is surrounded and supported by TRUTH.
It is popular in today’s society to speak individual truth. People use the phrase “my truth” to qualify their narrative as beyond contestation since it is subjective. However, for those of us who wear the Armor of God, there is only THE TRUTH. We know the truth is Jesus Christ. John 14:6 says, “Jesus answered, “I am the way and THE TRUTH and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” It is our belief in the truth that Jesus is the Son of God, He was crucified for our sins, and rose from the grave to sit at the right hand of the Father that holds our righteousness in place.
Further, the other padding and clothing the belt keeps in place is how we live out the truth of Christ. “But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God” (John 3:21). By living our lives in accordance with THE TRUTH, the light of Christ shines through us as a beacon for those who are lost. We are living ambassadors of what Christ has done for us and the power of the Holy Spirit in us. With the Belt of Truth buckled firmly around our waist, we live the Word of God and, “Sanctify them by THE TRUTH; your word is truth” (John 17:17).
2. To sheath weapons (sword, dagger, or, in some cases, both).
The weapon our belt sheaths is the Sword of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the manifestation of God in us - the Counselor promised to us by Jesus to speak THE TRUTH through us once Jesus had ascended. As children of God, we’ve been given the right to harness His power and authority to bring the lost into His kingdom and glorify Him. But there is extreme responsibility in activating this power and authority, and that is, again, why we must have the Belt of Truth buckled firmly around our waist. “Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God” (2 Corinthians 4:2). The belt keeps us from changing the Word of God to fit OUR selfish desires and “truths” as those in the world do. It also distinguishes us from the wolves in sheep’s clothing Satan sends out to devour those Jesus sends us to save.
3. Decorations used to declare victories, wealth, status, etc., and shown with leather straps that hung down from the main part of the belt and were decorated with various objects such as pins and buckles. These pins, buckles, and similar decorations would have been made from high valued metal (such as gold) and other materials (such as ivory).
How brilliantly is your belt decorated? Every time you stand up for what the Bible says over what man says - your belt is decorated. Every time you resist the devil by choosing what God says you should do over what the devil tries to convince you that you WANT to do - another decoration. Whenever you read your Bible, memorize a verse, study a passage, and share what you’ve learned - more decorations. Rather than weigh the belt, and you, down, these decorations fortify the belt and you, and that fortification helps you to stand tall and walk straight against the devil and his schemes.
In putting on the full armor of God, we are choosing to be on God’s side of the battle between good and evil. We are freely enlisting as soldiers in God’s army, ready to do whatever it is He calls us to do. To stand at post and hold the line. We are given armor to protect us, and a weapon should we need it. The Belt of Truth holds the breastplate close to us, and the sword by our side. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist for, “We did not give in to them for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you” (Galatians 2:5).
AMEN
