Spiritual Warfare Part 3 | Belt of truth

Vs 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Acts 19 tells us of the very real oppression because of demons and idolatry in Ephesus. You could see people possessed with demons and endowed with supernatural strength, strong enough to beat up the sons of Sceva. When this was stopped the silver smiths were angry. Paul preached and had such success in the gospel that people were denouncing the idolatry. In NZ terms the bonfire mentioned in Acts 19:19 was worth Eight million dollars at least, and shows the tremendous impact the gospel had in that region. When Paul says, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood . . . ,” people would have understood the reality of this. We also face such a battle with the gods of feminism, freedom of choice, and comfort. The west has been overwhelmed with an explosion of witchcraft, Satanism, new age, leave alone the division due to race, gender and so on in our communities and the schemes of temptation, depression, and deception, which we looked at last week.

Vs 13 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 firm.

The impact of Satan’s schemes and onslaughts are greater than the danger of physical armies. Paul uses the metaphor of a soldier in battle to prepare us, calling the armour — the armour of God. With Paul in prison and it being commonplace to be chained to a Roman soldier, this metaphor would have been easy to come up with. Roman soldiers were well trained and well equipped to hold the ground in any kind of war. So this metaphor is a fitting one. Roman armies were highly coordinated and soldiers fought alongside other soldiers. We are to stand in community. Helping one another.

14a Stand therefore, having fastened on the BELT OF TRUTH.

STAND THEREFORE: The soldier is stationary. So also we are not asked to go about chasing the devil and plundering his kingdom. We hold the ground already won by the Lord. We see the word STAND in Vs 11, vs 13, and vs 14. The main work of soldiers is not the attacking on the frontline, which they do at times, but it is to stand in defense. At all times they must be ready to defend. The soldier in the metaphor is not sleeping. He is standing ready even before the battle begins. Roman soldiers had two distinct sets of armour. One for the battle and another for home assignments. Here they are wearing the one for battle. We are to wear the armour of God, and it is not enough to merely know where the armour is, for what use is it to pick up our armour after we have been hit by an arrow in your chest. If we relax at the end of a busy day, become lazy in certain areas of our Christian life, this is when the devil attacks. He is the schemer without honour, for he meets us at home, when we are alone, and when we are working late in the office.

BELT OF TRUTH: We are to stand with the belt of truth. What exactly does Paul mean by ‘truth’ in this passage. The truth is God’s truth the word of God. Some have said that it cannot be the word of God, as Paul tells us that the sword of the Spirit is the word of God. Also the word translated as ‘truth’ can also mean sincerity. So does the belt of truth mean that we are to arm ourselves with sincerity of character? The problem with this interpretation is that we have learned that we are standing in the Lord and in the strength of HIS might. So if truth refers to our own truthfulness, faithfulness and sincerity, it seems odd. We all know how we cannot rely on our own sincerity. It is true that our sin is an open door for the devil, but the very fact that we are weak and insincere is the very reason we need an objective piece of armour to protect us. Even if we should say that it is the sincerity that God gives, even then it is a waning thing, especially when it is what the devil is targeting. It is like telling a soldier: get a thicker skin instead of saying ‘here is some armour.’ So an objective armour is needed, which we can draw on at any time. In Jn 8:31-32, we read that Jesus said: “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” If the belt of truth is the word of God, then what is the difference between this and the sword of the spirit. Firstly, we do not need to read into the armour, and into the order in which they are mentioned, more than necessary. Although points may be made which are biblically true, we must consider if this is what Paul intends for us to know from this passage. The belt of truth refers to the whole spectrum of Christian belief. Whereas the sword of the spirit is the taking of certain Christian truths and wielding it against Satan, just like Jesus spoke particular truths to the devil in the wilderness. The devil knows the scriptures and banks on us not knowing it. So if we can bring up particular scriptures and speak the word of God rightly into particular situations. then he cannot progress with his attack.

HAVING FASTENED ON: How we can put on the belt of truth? To fastened on refers to the encircling and girding up one’s loins. In a day when clothing was very loose, with tunics and coats, those had to be bound so that they do not become a tripping hazard. Girding of the loins was something that people did to be prepared and ready. Luke 12:35 says: “Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning.” In Exodus 12:11, we read: “In this manner you shall eat it: with your belt fastened, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. And you shall eat it in haste. It is the LORD’s Passover.” 1 Peter 1:13 reads: “Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober . . .” This is what we are to do with the truth. We are to be fortified with it, so we do not stumble over things. From Eph 4:11 and 14 we see that pastors and teachers are given to us “so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.” The belt is the knowledge of the word of God to keep us from being blown around. So we are to ‘gird the loins’ of our minds and rely on the vital work of apostolic witness and pastoral teaching. In this way it will create in us a solid Christian worldview. We must fasten the belt of truth daily.

Do we have a robust Christian worldview (foundation of Christian beliefs) to evaluate matters?

For example, 1. If we saw a beautiful flower, would we wonder about how such a beautiful thing happened by evolving over millions of years or would we praise the Creator? 2. When we look at sin and evil in the world, do we lash out against issues with the systems in place or do we understand that no amount of perfecting the systems in this world will prevent the wickedness without Christ. 3. If we look at same sex couples who have genuine love for each other, do we reason that it is OK as it cannot hurt anyone else or are we clear that the lifestyle is wrong, simply because it is against God’s design; it has nothing to do with their personal happiness or genuineness. 4. When you hear people criticising Christianity, do you want to think of a good argument, or do you think: How dare you, a mere creature, judge God’s morality, and by what standard do you judge Him? Without a God who created the world with orderliness and uniformity, you would not even have been able to ask such a question, for it was He who put into place the laws of nature, the laws of scientific enquiry, and the predictability of the future based on the past, and so on. Without a robust Christian worldview, we will be ill equipped and tossed about by doubt. So gird up your loins, Christian, having fastened the belt of Truth, which is the word of God.