The Armor Of God:
The Belt of Truth
"Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints."
~Ephesians 6:10-18~
The first piece of armor that is mentioned by Paul in Ephesians is the "Belt of Truth". What was the importance of this piece of armor to the Romans and how does it help us today?
It is interesting to me that this is the first piece of armor instead of something like the sword or shield. So that makes me wonder-why is this?
Question 1: What was the importance to the Romans?
To the Romans the belt was know as a balteus or cingulum and was very important to the soldiers. The cingulum carried the scabbard in which laid the sword. So without the belt there was no place to carry their weapon.
The military belt or cingulum as the Romans call it, is not only an essential accessory to carry sword and dagger, but it is so much more. It is also used to evenly distribute the weight of the mail shirt on the hips. Without it, the weight on the shoulders would be too heavy and wearing it would be quite painful for the soldier and slow them down. So in wearing the belt, they can pull out some of the chain mail shirt and let it hang slightly over the belt to distribute it in a way that is not painful for the soldier. The belt is also worn very close and tight to the soldier's body. The belt was also worn whether the soldier was on or off duty and anyone could identify who they were. Also, they hung strips of leather in front to protect the lower part of their body. One more very important thing to note was the fact that the cingulum held the rest of the armor together and kept it in place.
So now after studying the purpose of the Roman cingulum (belt) we can now take a look at it from a Biblical viewpoint. We need the Belt of Truth to carry our Sword of the Spirit (which is the Word of God). This means that we need to acknowledge, believe, and carry God's Word as absolute Truth, not bending or changing His word to fit the world's standards or beliefs to fit people's desires of what they want. Therefore, truth allows us to carry the sword of the Spirit and use it more efficiently. And just like the belt being in close proximity to the soldier, we must keep God's truth as close as possible and let it surround and fill us. We should also be wearing truth at all times just as the soldier did whether we think we are in a battle or not. God's Truth holds everything together and if you try to live life without it, you will find your life in shambles and fall for all of Satan's lies and deceptions.
Question 2: What is Truth?
The Hebrew word for truth is Emet. "It is is spelled from right to left with the letters Aleph-Mem-Tav. Aleph is the first letter of the Alephbet and represents the breath of God or our awareness of Him. Truth then begins with the awareness of God. The middle letter, Mem in Hebrew was originally the symbol for water and is also understood to represent the Messiah. From this letter under the Hebrew way of earth is the center of truth. Mem is the middle letter of the Alephbet while the final letter of EMET is Tav which is the last letter of the Alephbet. Tav is seen as the expression of simple faith to the Hebrew. This letter corresponds to the kingdom as given to us in Scripture.
One of the things we can notice right away is that the baseline of this word is stable and represents the stability we find in life with a life that is submitted to God and His wisdom. It begins with an awareness that He is the king of the universe. All things were made in and through Him and therefore He alone represents or determines what Truth is.
We cannot separate truth from God because He is Truth!
In the world today there is a growing darkness and acceptance of the devil's lies, so it is vital as believers that we are secure in the Word and the Truth of God. If we do not hold fast to the truth, how can we expect to stand against the devil in the battles we face daily?
"Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."
~ John 14:6 ~
It is not what I think but what He thinks then that becomes TRUTH!
God is the source of all Truth!
Thus when we are faced with something that we are unsure of whether it is true or not, we should take it to the Lord in prayer and search His Word to see if it lines up with the scriptures. If the word goes against what His word says, then we can determine that is indeed an untruth.
"What we must then do is study what God has said or done so that we can better understand how we should live our lives in His wisdom."
~Havdalah Drasha~
What does truth have to do with a belt?
"Test all things; hold fast to what is good."
~ 1 Thessalonians 5:21~
So for Christians, we are to test all things and hold on only to the things that are truth and disregard the untruth. This is where the Holy Spirit comes into play and helps us to perceive that which is truth and that which is lies and deception.
"When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come."
John 16:13
"Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucifies the Lord of glory. But as it is written, 'What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him' - these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For who knows a person's thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ."
~1 Corinthians 2:6-16~
"Let not mercy and truth forsake you: Bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. And so find favor and high esteem in the sight of God and man."
~ Proverbs 3:3-4 ~
As a belt surrounds our waist so should truth surround us at all times. As the Proverbs scripture notes, truth must be bound around us and written on our hearts.
Is it dangerous to not wear the Belt of Truth?
"And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God."
~ Romans 12:2 ~
In the world we live in, truth is considered relative and has no absolutes. But the Bible speaks much differently of truth. The good and the bad are defined by God and there are eternal and permanent absolutes and are not influenced by other people's opinions.
"Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."
~ 2 Timothy 2:15 ~
"...If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."
~ John 8:31-32 ~
:If we say we have fellowship with Him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth."
~ 1 John 1:6 ~
"Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world--the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life--is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever. Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now may antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us. But you have and anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things. I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and that no lie is of the truth. Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son. Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father either; he who acknowledges the Son has the Father also. Therefore let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father. And this is the promise that He has promised us--eternal life. These things I have written to you concerning those who try to deceive you. But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him."
~ 1 John 2:15-27 ~
In the world today there is so much deceit it would be extremely dangerous if you were not wearing the truth. If you were to turn on the television you would not have to watch long before you would see so much deception that is portrayed and even glorified by the world. Everywhere you turn there seems to be more and more people falling for all of the lies and deception that Satan has spread. Satan is attacking people's identity and making them believe that they are something that they are not. This is another reason to hold truth close, so that when Satan attempts to creep in and tries to convince you that you are something else, you can respond with the truth of who we are in Christ and who God has created us to be.
Our trust in God and His Word must be solid, without break, or else we will quickly find ourselves without a weapon. No matter how effective the rest of our armor is, we are useless without a sword. We need to rightly be dividing the truth--knowing what we believe, and why.
So... how secure is your belt?
