Under Siege Part-2

 Now that we've been able to understand our enemies in our spiritual battles and how vicious they can be, we're ready to immerse ourselves into the armor of God and its different elements. We will be able to understand what God has provided in order to defense ourselves against the devil and his minions.

Paul is picturing a Roman soldier and his armor and giving each one of its elements a spiritual context.

First, let's see how adamant Paul is about us utilizing the armor of God. In reality, he's commanding us to do so. In Ephesians 6:11, he says: "Put on the whole Armor of God". The original Greek says: "clothe yourself with the armor, sink yourself into it". In verse 13, Paul says: " take up the Armor of God". In the Greek, it literally means to use it. One thing is to clothe yourself with it and a totally different thing is to use it. Paul is commanding us not to just wear it but to use it for our own personal benefit. What is that benefit?"to be able to stand against the scheme of the devil" (v.11) and "to be able to to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm" (v.13). We cannot expect protection if we're not willing to use what God has provided for us to combat in our spiritual warfare. It requires action on our part, hence the words "put on" and "take up". I remember the story of a Bible conference speaker who, in the middle of his speech, threw the Bible on the floor, stepped on it, kicked it. His point? " That Book means nothing to you if you don't use it". You can carry your Bible under your arm when you go to church but if you don't use it, read it, study it, it is of no value to you. It is the same with the armor of God. You may possess all of its elements but if you don't use them as God expects you too, more likely your spiritual warfare will be doomed. By the way, the Bible, the Word of God, the sword of the Spirit, happens to be one of the armor's elements. The only defensive one.

So, let's see what this armor is all about. First, we have the belt of truth ( Ephesians 6:14). This is not like the ordinary belt that we use in modern times. This was a thick, large leather belt with leather strips that hung from it to protect the lower body. (Nelson Study Bible). Also, the Matthew Henry commentary mentions "the belt girds on (secures) all the pieces of the armor". In addition, under that armor, the soldier would use a large tunic to work as a heating mechanism. A loose tunic would place the soldier in a very vulnerable position because it wouldn't give him the ability he needed to move around and fight. Therefore, the belt would come very handy because, besides securing all the other pieces of the armor, it would fasten very tightly the tucked in extra cloth of the tunic and therefore, the soldier  could be speedy in his actions. Also, the belt would hold what they called  the "scabbard", which is what used to hold the sword. Someone has said that a badly fitted or crooked belt would have  put the soldier in a very dangerous situation, since he would have been unable to draw his sword and fight. No wonder this was a such important part of the armor and the first one they put on.

Now, why would Paul attached the word truth to this belt. Many believe truth refers to the Lord Jesus Christ Himself based on an earlier chapter, Ephesians 4:20-21:"But that is not the way you learned Christ!— assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus". In other words, put on Christ! What could be better that having Christ as the solid base of your armor. The One that holds you tight and secured for battle. Others believe it refers to the truth contained in Scripture, the revealed Word of God. At the end, this is how we live our lives. We live it with the principles that we learn in the Scripture because this is our Book of instructions. Our moral compass. Finally, others believe the belt of truth represent our zealous commitment for Christ. Usually, girding or fastening has to do with preparation. It has to do with gathering garments to run a race or fight a battle. John Macarthur puts very clearly in this regard: "I believe  that being girded with truth primarily has to do with the self–discipline of total commitment. It is the committed Christian, just as it is the committed soldier and the committed athlete, who is prepared. Winning in war and in sports is often said to be the direct result of desire that leads to careful preparation and maximum effort. It is the army or the team who wants most to win who is most likely to do so—even against great odds…To be content with mediocrity, lethargy, indifference, and half–heartedness is to fail to be armored with the belt of God’s truth and to leave oneself exposed to Satan’s schemes."

I believe all of this positions are applicable and biblically sound. The first position says Christ is the Truth. Paul says in Roman 13:14: " ...Put on the Lord Jesus Christ..." ( Put on the belt of truth). Jesus says: " I am the way,  the truth and the life". Truth is the foundation of the armor. Without Christ, there's no armor. Without the armor, there's no protection against the schemes of the devil.

Second, the Word of God is truth. In John 17:17, Jesus says: " Sanctify them by your truth, your Word is truth". The Word of God is the whole counsel of God. Immerse yourself in the Word of God. Paul says in 2 Timothy 3:16: "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness." What better thing can there be than being girded by God's truth and enjoy it's benefits?

Lastly, "having girded your loins with truth" (other translations)" means to be prepared to be a committed soldier of Christ, following His lead and His commandments. What an honor! What a Savior!

Pontius Pilate asked Jesus: What is truth? (John 18:37) and I ask you: " What is your truth?". Is it what it is convenient for you? Is it what others think or say? Is it dependent on one's belief system? Is it relative or absolute? 

Your truth should be that of Jesus. Jesus is the Word. "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was God, and the Word was with God" (John 1:1). And that Word is the Truth personified (John 14:6). So fasten the belt of truth and be ready for battle. Be committed to fight for that truth. Be committed to proclaim that truth. Remember, no belt no armor. "...Contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints." (Jude 1:3). Contend for the faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as a mighty soldier committed and self disciplined for the cause of Him. Let's fight against everything that is against God. It will be worth it!