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

1.  Introduction

Every Christian is strong in the might of God only by adorning the armour that God provides, so that he can be victorious in every spiritual battle (v10). Without the armour, he will be defeated in the spiritual battle, for the foe far exceeds him in wit and power (v11b-12). The Christian is therefore commanded to stand against the foe by putting on the whole armour of God, which represents various Christian graces. Every piece is important, and a Christian must not pick and choose but put on every Christian grace represented by every piece of armour. And he must leave the amour on all the days of his life.

We shall begin by studying the first piece of armour – the belt or girdle of truth.

2.  The Use

Paul used the armour of a Roman soldier as an allegory of the various Christian graces that a child of God has to adorn to stand against the devil. A Roman soldier wore a belt about the loins or hip area, to hang his sword and to keep every part of the armour in place, so that he would not be hindered in his mobility when he battled. The Bible refers to the girdle or belt in Exodus 12:11: "And thus shall ye eat it; [with] your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it [is] the LORD'S Passover.” It was to refer to one whose loose clothes were to be fastened to allow him to move about without hindrance. And in 1 Peter 1:13: "Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ” – this refers to one whose mind is ready for the Lord’s return because it is not encumbered by sins.

3.  The Meaning

For the Christian to gird up his loins means he is to be ready, and the way to be ready is with truth. Truth here refers not to the objective truth (i.e. Scriptures) which is the sword of the Spirit (v17). The truth here is the subjective truth that means truthfulness, sincerity, honesty and integrity. Is he sincere and willing to go forth into battle against the cunning and powerful enemy or is he a spiritual hypocrite living amongst the community of Christians?  Will he give himself fully to the service of God, not with eye service before men, but with full surrender, counting not the cost before God in Christ?

Many Christians lose battles because they are apathetic and uncommitted. The commitment that our Lord requires is a complete sacrifice (Rom 12:1-2). To be a living sacrifice is to yield one’s body to be used of God, without hypocrisy and in full surrender, in consecration, fully set apart to do His will. God would not have us love him half-heartedly, reserving the best for ourselves and giving Him that which we reject or cost us little. A man who loves self and ease cannot serve God because he will please himself and seek his own pleasure.

4.  The Application

This must not be the case of a soldier of the Lord. No soldier who goes to battle who is double-minded can be effective for the cause. What must we do? We must:

• Present ourselves as living sacrifices, fully surrendered to do God’s will. By doing so, we will live victoriously over the world, Satan and his temptations. The spiritual warfare is not a matter of tactics but simple faith and obedience to stand firmly on those things that God told us to do and not to waver or wane. We need not go seeking for devils, reasoning with or defying them, binding or casting them out; we need to just “stand” against them with the armour on. “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (Ja 4:7). There is no secret strategy or formula to win the battle.

• Put aside sin and put on the spiritual virtues and graces represented by each piece of armour – righteousness, gospel, faith, hope, the Word of God and prayer. And do so with sincerity and truthfulness.

• Pursue spiritual excellence. Abound more and more. “And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and [in] all judgment; That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ;” (Phi 1:9-10). Do not be content that you have each of those graces mentioned. Fortify the whole by strengthening each one, and be sober and vigilant to watch against anything that will ruin or weaken them.

• Put aside hypocrisy. Putting on the belt of truth means being sincere and genuine, committed and truthful. Our commitment must be genuine. When we sin, we should not mask up sins but confess and forsake them. Proverbs 28:13 “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh [them] shall have mercy.”

5.  Conclusion

To be ready for the battle, start with the first piece – the belt of truth. When this is not adorned, everything else will be in vain. If we live lives of sincere commitment to God, we will leave no room for Satan to gain an advantage in the battlefield, and we will also glorify God by doing so.