Review
• There is a spiritual battle happening around us
• Therefore we must be prepared for battle
• We must be strong in the Lord; by the power of the Holy Spirit
• We do this by putting on the whole armor of God
• The armor of God allows us to stand against the “wiles” of the devil
• Wiles = Schemes, trickery, deceit
• We cannot wait until the battle commences before we arm ourselves
• Our battle is not against people, but against demonic forces at work
• We must put on the whole armor of God to resist the enemy’s trap
• Belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, boots of the gospel of peace, helmet of salvation, shield of faith, sword of the Spirit; the Word of God.
Belt of Truth
Today we are looking at the belt of truth. Specifically, we will discuss how we can arm ourselves with truth. Let’s take a look at verse 14…
Ephesians 6:14 - “Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth…”
Belt on a Roman Soldier
Paul uses imagery here when referring to the armor of God. This is in comparison to the armor of a Roman soldier. The belt (Cingulum Militare) on a Roman soldier was very important. It held all of their armor together. It fastened the armor securely and equipped the soldier to move freely with his armor in tact. The belt also allowed easy access to his sword. A Roman belt also identified the soldier as Roman military. (Note: Similarly, truth should identify a believer in Christ as a Christian. We as believers should be able to be identified by the truth, that is Christ Jesus.)
Belt of Truth on a Believer
There are two important things to glean from the belt of a Roman soldier:
1. In the same way a soldier’s belt is what held his entire armor together, truth is what holds all of the armor of God together as well. In other words, without truth the rest of the armor becomes ineffective.
2. Truth is connected to the Word of God. (more on that later…)
Therefore, truth is absolutely necessary in order to stand strong against schemes of the enemy.
What is truth?
- Many people say that truth is what is true for you. They encourage you to celebrate your truth. They say it is subjective.
- Some say that truth changes. Truth changes depending on what is accepted by culture and society.
- However, I would argue that all of these definitions fall short of what truth really is.
Things to note about truth:
• Truth is reality. It is not “your reality” but reality itself. In other words, “your truth” does not equate to “the truth.”
• Truth is that which God has established. Only God establishes truth. I can discover truth but I cannot create truth. If my truth does not line up with His truth, then what I believe is not reality.
• Truth is absolute. That which is absolute cannot be changed. Truth cannot be changed. While there is subjective truth (personal preference/ taste), it is not the same thing as absolute truth. Regardless of what you think about it or how you feel about it, truth does not change. At the end of the day, regardless of how you feel about it, what you think about it, or what you want it to be, the truth it will always be true.
• Truth informs us of what we should believe. The devil cannot change the truth, but he can change what you believe to be reality.
• The opposite of truth is falsehood, a lie, deceit.
• Truth is absolutely necessary to stand against the devil who is the father of lies. The devil’s scheme is to lure us away from the truth by trying to change what we believe to be reality. But if we “know” the truth, then we will be free from the devil’s attack.
John 8:32 - “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
To “know” the truth is to “abide” in it.
Ginōskō = Abide = to live or to take residence in
In other words, to abide or to know the truth means to live in and live out the truth. When you “know” the truth, you are living in that truth and you are living it out. It is your reality. Your obedience shows that you believe it. If you believe in something then you (be-live) it. You will “be-living” it out!
When we know the truth, Jesus says that we will be “set free.” What are we set free from? We are set free from deception. Deception is what leads us away from God. It is anything else other than God. When we know the truth, when we live in the truth, we will be set free from deception of the enemy. So we must “know” the truth.
So what is the truth? What are we arming ourselves with? Jesus said that He is the truth (John 14:6), and that the Word of God is the truth (John 17:17). So which one is it? Jesus or the Word of God? Well according to the gospel of John, they are one and the same. (John 1:1, 1:14)
A soldiers belt was connected to their weapon. It allowed them quick access to it when needed. In our spiritual armor, we too have a weapon called the sword of the spirit, which is the Word of God. In the same way a soldier’s belt was connected to His sword, truth is connected to the Word of God. Truth is found in the Word of God.
Arm yourselves with the Truth
In order to know the truth, we must know God’s Word. Truth is connected to God’s Word. So in order to arm ourselves with truth, we must:
3. Engage the Word of God - We must go to the Word of God. We must open up the Bible, read it, and get it in our hearts. We must obey it. We live it out.
4. Confess the Word of God - We confess the truth when we are tempted to believe a lie. We must confess the truth continually to remind ourselves what reality is. The is how we renew our mind.
5. Stand on the Word of God - We can stand on truth. It is absolute; solid. Truth is a firm foundation. When must stand firm on the truth, God’s Word. To stand is what you take a stance on. It is what you believe. The world is full of deception and lies. Those are not reality. We must engage, confess, and stand on the Word of God every day.
We equip ourselves with truth by abiding (establishing ourselves) in the Word of God. We do this by engaging, confessing, and standing on His Word.
Takeaways:
6. Truth is absolute
- Truth cannot change regardless what you think about it
- Truth is reality
- The devil wants to change what you believe to be reality
- We have to “know” the truth.
7. Truth sets you free from deception
- Knowing the truth sets you free from deception
8. Live out the truth through the Word of God
- Live in and live out the truth
- Engage the Word of God
- Confess the Word of God
- Stand on the Word of God
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