Belt of Truth – Me From the Inside Out

based on the Love God Greatly study, The Armor of God / w2d1

Scripture: Ephesians 6:10-18 / SOAP 14

Stand firm therefore, by fastening the belt of truth around your waist, by putting on the breastplate of righteousness
Ephesians 6:14

In the first week of our study we looked briefly at the second piece of armor but focused primarily on the first, which is the “belt of truth.” This week we will spend time exploring the breastplate and learning how to implement it. Just as the belt of truth is vital to our battles – so it is with the breastplate of righteousness, which “refers to the righteousness purchased for us by Jesus at the cross.¹“

¹https://www.gotquestions.org/breastplate-of-righteousness.html

The Second Piece

The second piece of armor that Paul mentions is the “breastplate of righteousness” or, as the NLT translates it, “the body armor of God”. I love that description! We must understand this is not a righteousness of our own (Romans 3:10-12) that protects us but rather the righteousness of Christ that has been imputed to us (Romans 4:22-25) – and covers us in such a way that it defends us against the evil one and the evil he entices us with. Just as the breastplate a soldier wore was meant to protect his heart and other vital organs – so it is with the righteousness we received from Christ through faith, a faith, which according to gotquestions.org – “guards our hearts against the accusations and charges of Satan and secures our innermost being from his attacks.” What a beautiful definition of the job of “the breastplate of righteousness”, the reality of which should move our hearts to gratitude and worship, and surely a faithfulness in putting it on daily.

At salvation, a “breastplate” is issued to each repentant sinner. It is specially designed by God to protect our heart and soul from evil and deception. Our own righteous acts are no match for Satan’s attacks (Isaiah 64:6). The breastplate of righteousness has Christ’s name stamped on it, as though He said, “Your righteousness isn’t sufficient to protect you. Wear mine.”

Putting It On

We are instructed to “put on” this armor, which implies that we do not automatically wear it all the time. Putting on the armor of God requires a decision on our part. To put on the breastplate of righteousness, we must first have the belt of truth firmly in place. Without truth, our righteousness will be based upon our own attempts to impress God. This leads to legalism or self-condemnation (Romans 8:1). We choose instead to acknowledge that, apart from Him, we can do nothing (John 15:5). We see ourselves as “in Christ” and that, regardless of our failures, His righteousness has been credited to our account.

We “put it on” by seeking God and His righteousness above everything else (Matthew 6:33). We make Him and His ways our dwelling place (Psalm 91:1). We delight in His commands and desire for His ways to become our ways (Psalm 37:4; 119:24, 111; Isaiah 61:10). When God reveals an area of change to us, we obey and allow Him to work in us. At the point where we say “no” to God, we open a little crack in the armor where Satan’s arrows can get through (Ephesians 6:16).

As we wear Christ’s breastplate of righteousness, we begin to develop a purity of heart that translates into actions. Wearing this breastplate creates a lifestyle of putting into practice what we believe in our hearts. As our lives become conformed to the image of Christ (Romans 8:29), our choices become more righteous, and these godly choices also protect us from further temptation and deception (Proverbs 8:20; Psalm 23:3).

PUTTING IT ON [borrowed from Gotquestions.org]

The “righteousness” Paul is referring to can not be bought or earned – it belongs to Christ alone and comes to us only through faith in Christ – a faith, which as gotquestions.org explains, guards our hearts against the accusations and charges of Satan and secures our innermost being from his attacks. The following details from got questions.org will be helpful to our understanding and implementing the “breastplate of righteousness” that has been so graciously given to us.

We “put it on” by seeking God and His righteousness above everything else (Matthew 6:33). We make Him and His ways our dwelling place (Psalm 91:1). We delight in His commands and desire for His ways to become our ways (Psalm 37:4; 119:24, 111; Isaiah 61:10). When God reveals an area of change to us, we obey and allow Him to work in us. At the point where we say “no” to God, we open a little crack in the armor where Satan’s arrows can get through (Ephesians 6:16).
At salvation, a “breastplate” is issued to each repentant sinner. It is specially designed by God to protect our heart and soul from evil and deception. Our own righteous acts are no match for Satan’s attacks (Isaiah 64:6). The breastplate of righteousness has Christ’s name stamped on it, as though He said, “Your righteousness isn’t sufficient to protect you. Wear mine.”
We are instructed to “put on” this armor, which implies that we do not automatically wear it all the time. Putting on the armor of God requires a decision on our part. To put on the breastplate of righteousness, we must first have the belt of truth firmly in place. Without truth, our righteousness will be based upon our own attempts to impress God. This leads to legalism or self-condemnation (Romans 8:1). We choose instead to acknowledge that, apart from Him, we can do nothing (John 15:5). We see ourselves as “in Christ” and that, regardless of our failures, His righteousness has been credited to our account.
- Guard Against Wearing it Incorrectly
  - When armor is abused or worn incorrectly, it can malfunction. Likewise, there are several factors that can interfere with the effectiveness of our spiritual breastplate. Carelessness (1 Peter 5:8), unbelief (Hebrews 3:12), abusing grace (Romans 6:1–2), or disobedience (1 John 3:4; Hebrews 4:6) can hinder our ability to stand firm and defeat the enemy in our lives. When we tolerate sin, refuse to forgive (2 Corinthians 2:10–11), rely on personal righteousness (Titus 3:5), or allow earthly concerns to crowd out time for an intimate relationship with God, we, in effect, take off the breastplate of righteousness, minimizing its power to protect us.
  - We need our breastplate of righteousness in place in order to gain the victory specified in 2 Corinthians 10:5: “We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.” When we quickly reject heretical ideas, idolatry, and the “counsel of the ungodly” (Psalm 1:1) and instead “keep our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2), we keep our breastplate securely fastened.

Reflection on Today’s Journey

Why is it important for the breastplate of righteousness to be worn with the belt of truth?

Going Further

Be sure and check out today’s LGG Blog

More on the Breastplate: “A Roman’s breastplate would typically be made from bronze or chain mail and would cover the vital body parts (heart, lungs, stomach). Righteousness, or doing what is right, is essential to protecting the life of the believer through spiritual battle. Also, the breastplate is a primary means of identification: this is one of the clearer ways for soldiers to recognize each other in battle. Likewise, a Christian’s behavior is meant to identify them to the world, and other believers, as a follower of Christ.” The breastplate would be attached to the belt and if the belt wasn’t applied correctly the breastplate would fall right off leaving the soldier in grave jeopardy. further evidence that the armor was intended to be worn in full not in pieces. [borrowed from bibleref.com]

based on the Love God Greatly study, The Armor of God / w1d3

Scripture/SOAP: Ephesians 6:13-14

For this reason, take up the full armor of God so that you may be able to stand your ground on the evil day, and having done everything, to stand. ¹⁴Stand firm therefore, by fastening the belt of truth around your waist, by putting on the breastplate of righteousness,
Ephesians 6:13-14 NET

First Things First

Before we jump into the first two pieces of armor let’s not miss the reason and instruction that come with the armor.

The Reason is found in verses 10-12, namely to stand against the “schemes of the devil”, our real and present enemy, He is evil (the ruler of darkness, part of the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens…) he is dangerous and deadly to those caught unaware and unarmed. However, when we follow the instructions Paul gives, specifically “putting on the full armor of God, we will be able to withstand the devil’s plots and schemes and all manners of evil meant to steal, kill, and destroy the children of God.

Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. ¹⁴Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness.
Ephesians 6:13-14 NLT

Not a Three-Piece-Suit

I especially appreciate the NLT version of this verse, as it makes clear that our armor is not to be treated like a three-piece-suit where you can wear the pants and jacket and forego the vest or the pants and vest and forego the jacket. No, Paul stresses that it is to be, as the NLT translates, every piece, that is if you want to still be standing when the battle is over – and not just standing – but standing firm – unwavering! We are to be covered from head-to-toe, specifically and intentionally covered and ready for warfare.

It takes the whole “suit of armor” to successfully stand against the enemy – me, from the inside-out

The Belt and BreastPlate / truth and Righteousness

The Belt of Truth is listed first, which I love because ‘truth’ is not only one of the names applied to Jesus in John 14:6, but it is also the name applied to the Word of God in John 17:17. It seems to be that God’s Truth is the very foundation of our salvation since faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word [truth] of God as Paul discloses in Romans 10:17.
- Here’s something interesting though. This piece of the armor isn’t simply about the truth, but rather how the the truth helps and protects us – which is seen most clearly when we understand why Paul used the metaphor of the “belt”. I read it somewhere, years ago but found it again today on the Billy Graham website . The writer explainsthat – “In ancient times, a warrior’s belt was essential for survival. It not only held his weapons; it cinched his tunic at the waist, allowing him to move about freely.” The writer also included this analogy, “Just as a belt gave the warrior freedom of movement and a way to defend himself, the belt of truth provides spiritual freedom and protection for those who belong to Jesus Christ.”
- Putting it on: Simply start with Scripture. Read it, listen to it, study it on your own or with a group, sit under the teaching of it, keep it open on your app or written on cards and post-it-notes where you will see it often. The idea is to be saturated with it and just as a belt holds up pieces of clothing it is meant to have an affect on the rest of the armor.
The second piece of armor that Paul mentions is the “breastplate of righteousness” which we study in-depth in our second week.

Going Further:

Don’t forget to check out today’s LGG Blog Post

Tag: Belt of Truth

Body Armor