Today, we will look at the belt of truth. With it being the first piece of armor we put on, we will learn today that truth is central to the Christian faith. Without it, we unravel. Without it, we're fools. Without it, we're left walking in darkness. But, with it, we find life, freedom, and hope. If we want to stand firm against the enemy's attacks, we must embrace truth.
Let's dive in.
"Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace."
The first thing I want us to unpack is the command to stand. Paul says, "Stand, therefore..." "Therefore" links what is about to be said with what was just said. So, we must stand firm because an enemy is lurking, seeking to harm us. We must fasten the belt of truth because that enemy will attack us with lies.
Notice that Paul doesn't call us to charge, nor does he call us to flee. We are to stand firm, ready to hold the ground as the enemy moves in our direction. And, as we prepare to stand, we "fasten on the belt of truth…"
As a parent of young children, you seek to teach them how to dress independently. Getting a teenager dressed for school every morning would be irresponsible and, honestly, a bit awkward. So, notice who is responsible for fastening the belt here. The responsibility falls on the shoulders of the believer and no one else. In the words of Martyn Lloyd-Jones, "The girdle is not put on us; we have to put it on, and we have to put it firmly in position." Ignorance is not how we combat the lies of the enemy; it's how we are duped into believing the lies of the enemy. So, if we are going to be able to withstand the attacks of Satan, we must fasten truth tightly around our waist.
Friends, I'm fearful that the modern-day church is full of a bunch of spiritual teenagers who are still waiting for Mom and Dad to get them dressed. The belt of truth is sitting on the dresser, collecting dust, and we're walking through life exposed because we're too lazy to pick it up. So, pick up your belt and tighten it around your waist because the father of lies is throwing darts and swinging swords.
Now, there are three things I want to highlight regarding the purpose of a soldier's belt.
When we think about a belt, we likely think about a thin piece of leather that we slide between multiple loops in our pants to hold our pants up. That's certainly part of the function of a belt. A belt was used during this time to hold up and fasten robes/skirts for greater freedom of movement. The fastening of a belt was a preparation for action. It was symbolic, if you will, of a transition from leisure to activity. Like trying to win a wrestling match against Conor Mcgregor in a size 46 pants and no belt, a believer stands no chance in wrestling against the spiritual powers of the world of darkness without the belt of truth.
But, there was more to a belt than this. A belt was a vital part of a soldier's armor because it was the instrument that held one's dagger and sword in place. Half of the Christian battle is defensive, while the other half is offensive. So, the fastening of a belt enables the soldier to keep their weapons close. But a belt also offered protection. At the front of a Roman soldier's belt were loose thongs of leather intended to protect his thighs and groin region. So, a belt protected some of the soldier's most vulnerable areas. Without the belt, a soldier was left exposed to attack.
Now, let's spend some time unpacking the truth we must put on. What truth should we put on? As I consulted various commentators this week, I found two different interpretations here.
Some understand this to be "the truth," the revelation of God in Christ and Scripture. This means we are to fasten the truth of God around our waist to withstand the enemy's lies. In the words of NT Wright, "Never give up on the sheer truth of the gospel. It's like the belt which holds everything else together and in place." Others understand it to mean truthfulness, the act of being truthful. Walking in falsehood opens you up to various attacks of the enemy; therefore, we ought to put on truthfulness. In the words of John Stott, "To be deceitful, to lapse into hypocrisy, to resort to intrigue and scheming, this is to play the devil's game, and we shall not be able to beat him at his own game. What he abominates is transparent truth. He loves darkness; light causes him to flee. For spiritual and mental health, honesty about oneself is indispensable."
So, which is it? Are we to put on the truth of God? Or are we to put on truthfulness?
Yes.
We must fasten the truth of the gospel around our waist. But, to embrace the truth of the gospel, we must embrace the truth about ourselves. And when we embrace the truth about ourselves, we should begin to speak truthfully to others. Those who have embraced the truth of the gospel will begin to embrace a life of truthfulness.
Contrary to what some might claim, truth is central to the Christian faith. We don't rally around hypotheticals. The Bible is a historically accurate book full of real stories about real people. God really did create all things. Adam and Eve really were deceived, and they really did sin. God really did promise to crush Satan under his foot. God really did call Abraham, and he really did promise to bless the nations through him. God really made David into a great king, and he really promised to send a greater King one day who would rule for all eternity. God really did promise to send one who would be pierced and crushed for our sins.
Jesus really is that promised one. He really came, born of a virgin, just as God promised through real people. He really came proclaiming good news to the poor and liberty to the captives, just like God promised through real people. He really came to recover the sight of the blind, just like God promised through real people. He was really despised and rejected by his own people, just like God promised through real people. He really marched to the cross and died for our sins, just like God promised through real people. He really rose from the grave and returned to the Father, just like God promised through real people. God is really creating a united and diverse people in Jesus throughout the whole earth, just like God promised through real people.
God is a God of truth. He cannot lie. Therefore, we can trust what he says in his Word. But here's what is crucial for us to understand regarding truth. The Bible calls us to study the Scriptures closely so that we can discern what is true and what is false. We don't unquestioningly and blindly accept everything as factual. 1 John 4:1 says, "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world." So, we should be eager to examine the Scriptures daily to discern what is true and false.
Now, if a fundamental element of the Christian faith is embracing truth, then a fundamental element of the work of Satan is to attack truth. Satan is the father of lies, and his primary objective is to muddy the waters around the truth.
In Genesis 1-2, God creates man in his own image. He blesses them, puts them in the garden, and says, "You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die." In Genesis 3, the serpent comes and questions God's command. He said to Eve, "Did God actually say, 'You shall not eat of any tree in the garden?'" This leads to Eve saying, "We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, 'You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.'" The serpent then lures her into eating the forbidden fruit by saying, "You will not surely die." Satan's favorite trick is to attack truth. He loves to muddy the waters of truth. So, to walk in Christian faithfulness, we need to know what the Bible says. We need to know the truth if we're going to withstand the enemy's attacks.
There's an interesting exchange between Jesus and the Jews in John 8. After telling the Jews that he came to offer them freedom from bondage, the Jews mockingly respond, "We're sons of Abraham; we've never been enslaved to anyone."
Jesus says, "Yeah, that may be true. But everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. I'm doing what my Father told me to do, and you're doing what your father told you to do."
This leads to them saying again, "Our father is Abraham."
To which Jesus responds, "No. If you were Abraham's children, you would be doing what Abraham did. But, you're rejecting me and trying to kill me, which is the work of your father, the devil."
So, what Jesus is doing is he's drawing a line in the sand, and he's saying we all have one of two fathers: the devil (the father of lies) or God (the father of truth).
And the beautiful invitation is that if we embrace the truth about Christ, we can become children of God. But, to embrace the truth about Christ, we must also embrace the truth about ourselves, which isn't pretty. The truth about you and me is that we are wicked and rebellious sinners. The truth about you and me is that we often prefer darkness over light. The reality is that we would be mortified if all our thoughts, words, and actions were publicized.
Therefore, Satan tempts us to embrace a lie about ourselves. Just like the Jews Jesus was speaking to, he tempts us into believing that we are inherently good. He tempts us to think we don't need to be saved. But the truth is, we need freedom. We need saving. We need healing. We need transforming. We need grace.
John, in John 1, says that "the word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth." So, John is saying that the radiant and majestic glory of Jesus was full of grace and truth. Jesus was seen as one who was not just a little gracious; he was full of grace, not lacking an ounce of grace. And he was not partially true; he was full of truth, not lacking a drop of honesty. Jesus is not gracious at one moment and truthful the next. He doesn't set aside grace when it's time to be truthful, nor does he set aside truth when it's time to be gracious. When he's gracious, he's truthful. When he's truthful, he is gracious. He's full to the brim of both grace and truth. Not an ounce of either is ever lacking.
So we don't have to hide behind a mask with God. We can look at ourselves in the mirror honestly and come to Him truthfully. And when we come to him truthfully and fully, we will always be met with grace, love, and forgiveness. God will lovingly say, "I hate the sin you have done, and I have forgiven you fully because my Son has drank the full cup of my wrath on your behalf. So, go and sin no more." So, to embrace the truth about Jesus, we must embrace the truth about ourselves. And once we embrace the truth about ourselves, coming to the light, we will experience joy and freedom like no other, leading to us walking in truthfulness for the rest of our days.
Put simply, truth embraced should lead to truth lived. Those who have come to the light should then begin to walk in the light. There's no reason to walk in falsehood anymore. So, pick up the belt of truth and tie it tightly around your waist.
When Satan comes and accuses you, you can point to the cross and say, "My sins are forgiven." When you've sinned, and Satan tempts you to hide in shame, you remind yourself that God is gracious and that freedom and healing come on the other side of confession. When we're tempted to think that a lie will lead to a better perception, a better job, or more fame, we remind ourselves that losing the world through truth is better than gaining the world through a lie.