The Girdle (Belt) of Truth

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Weapons of our warfare are the sum parts of the armor of God

Ephesians 6:10-18

The very first piece of armor we put on is called the Girdle (Belt) of Truth. 

What exactly is a Girdle?

This is how David Jeremiah explains it:

 

What Is the Girdle?

The girdle was a common piece of dress worn by almost all Romans, whether warrior or not.  It was usually a six-inch belt that fastened around the middle, made of either leather or linen.  It was worn outside of the long, flowing robe that was commonly worn in Paul’s day, and it had a specific purpose. You may have read a verse in your Bible that says “Gird up your loins,” and you may wonder what that means.  When a Roman was interested in moving from one place to another rapidly, he would take his long robe, pull it up, and tuck it into his girdle.  That way the robe would not encumber him when he was running or moving quickly. When a soldier from the Roman garrison was sent into battle he would do the same thing, tucking his robe into the girdle around his waist so that he would not trip over it or get it caught on something in battle.

Why Was It Used?

Paul tells the Ephesians that they are to put on the girdle of truth as the first thing to prepare for battle.  The writer of Hebrews strikes a familiar theme when he says, “Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin that so easily ensnares us, and let us run…the race that is set before us” (Hebrews 12:1).

The girdle (the belt) was used by the soldier as a place where he supported his weapons.  The swordsman hung his sword from it.

It is interesting that this primary piece of clothing is called “the girdle of truth.”  Truth is at the very foundation of the Christian life.  Jesus called Satan “the father of all lies,” and the Bible say there is no truth in him.  Our enemy’s primary attack will be as a deceiver trying to entangle us with falsehoods and half-truths so that we become confused.  The devil wants to keep us from walking in integrity; so he will try to misinform and upset us so that we get bogged down in sin.  The way to deal with the deceiver is to implement God’s truth in our lives. Christ, the Truth and the true God, is our armor against the attacks of Satan. (This material is from David Jeremiah’s book, Spiritual Warfare).

Jesus said in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth…He is the ultimate truth and He is the Word of God, so let us arm ourselves with Him.
 

How Do We Use It?

 

How do we arm ourselves with truth? By knowing the truth!  In order to do battle the believer needs to know the truth about God, the truth about Christ, and the truth embodied in His Holy Word, the Bible.  Christ Himself, when encountered by Satan in the wilderness, did battle by using the truth.  When Satan tempted Him, Christ fought back with the doctrine of Scripture by noting, “It is written” and quoting an appropriate passage (Matthew 4:1-11).  And when Satan tried to twist Scripture by quoting a verse out of context, Jesus responded with a truthful understanding of that passage. (David Jeremiah)

Satan quoted the Scripture in verse six this way: “He will command His angels concerning You, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that You will not strike Your foot against a stone.”

Psalm 91: 11-12, reads:  “For He will command His angels concerning You to guard You in all Your ways; they will lift You up in their hands, so that You will not strike Your foot against a stone.

Although Satan quoted Scripture, he omitted a very important part, “to guard You in all Your ways.”

Doctrine is the truth of the Word of God organized and categorized so that we can think clearly about the issues of life.  God expects us to learn the truth.  If His people will put on the girdle (belt) of truth and make the pursuit of God the focus of their Christian walk, Satan will meet some great defeats.

Paul’s desire for the churches to whom he ministered was that they arm themselves with truth.  That’s why he prayed in Ephesians !: 17-19, that God “may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe.”

God’s Word is eternal and useful in the spiritual battle we all face.

You not only need to know the truth, you need to live the truth. The child of God who goes into battle must have integrity of character.  That gives him the courage and confidence to do battle with the enemy.

The sword, the only offensive part of our armor, hangs from our belt. You cannot use the sword, which is the Word of God, effectively unless the Word is evident in your life. You will get ripped up, just as a soldier without a girdle (belt) would trip on his own robe.  We are to live our lives to please God so let us examine our lives to see if we know the truth and are living it out in our lives.

 

Taken from David Jeremiah's study-guide on Spiritual Warfare

Next will be "The Breastplate of Righteousness"

 

~Annie~