Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness.
Stand therefore! Since the armor is to help us to withstand in the evil day, and when it is all over, we are to still be standing, stand therefore having the armor on and fastened correctly.
Now the various pieces, which we are to have been picked up and put on, are described for us. The first piece of armor described is the belt of truth. We are to gird ourselves about with the belt of truth. In Roman days, a man’s garments were much more loose-fitting and flowing than what we wear today. Before a man could wage war or compete in an athletic competition, he had to have his clothes tied up tightly so they wouldn’t get in the way of the activity at hand. Therefore a belt around his waist was used to tie up and tuck in all of that material so that it wouldn’t be in the way. Such girding also protected a man’s vulnerable body parts.
The Apostle uses this visual picture to describe our preparation for the spiritual battles we will surely encounter. The belt is described as the belt of truth.
The first and most obvious thing which comes to mind is that the Word of God is the truth upon which we stand and fight. But before that, there is a more important concept that we must have in order for us to be appropriately girded. That concept is the concept of truth itself.
The whole idea of truth is under attack today. Truth is said to be whatever we make it out to be in our own minds. But clearly, that is not what truth means. I may see an accident occur, and I may provide the police with my testimony. I may believe that I have explained the truth of what happened. But no matter how hard I believe it to be the truth, I may have missed something. In the excitement, I may have overlooked important details. A nearby security camera may show the aspects of the incident that I didn’t notice or have forgotten. Something truly happened, but I may not know the truth, even though I think I do. The camera itself picked up only one angle. A second camera may further reveal the truth about the accident. My point is, there is truth, even if we don’t know what it is, or believe it is something that it is not.
We believe the Bible is the truthful narrative about God, His character and His deeds. It also is a truthful narrative of man and our deeds and character. In order to stand our ground and fight the battles we face, we need to be equipped with the truth. That means not only having the truth, such as having a Bible on a shelf in the house. We must know the truth. That that only comes with faithful and careful reading and studying what God has to say about Himself and about us.