In the sixth chapter of Ephesians, Paul writes about our battles as Christians. He makes sure we understand our enemy isn’t other people, but Satan and his evil spirits that are unseen. Then, in verse fourteen, he tells us what we must do to prepare for our battle against them. He was writing from prison and was probably looking at a Roman soldier as he described his armor.
I was surprised he began with the “belt of truth”. You would think the most important protection from the enemy would be the helmet to protect our mind or the breastplate to protect our heart or even the shield. Why was it so important to wrap the belt of truth around our waste first? The answer is found in John 8:44, as Jesus describes our real enemy; “He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies.”
What truth does the belt represent? Jesus is the personification of truth. (John 14:6) The scripture is always true. “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true…” (2 Timothy 3:16) The Holy Spirit that God places in our heart when we receive Jesus as our Savior is described by Jesus; “He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth.” (John 14:17) So, if Christians believe and follow Jesus; read and apply God’s word to our daily lives; and then obey the prompting of the Holy Spirit within us; we have secured the belt of truth around our waste.
How does the belt of truth help us in our Christian life? It keeps us from being deceived. It has been said the three biggest lies of our time are these. First, to love someone you must accept their sinful lifestyle. Second, if you don’t approve of someone’s lifestyle, you hate them. Third, a loving God wouldn’t send anyone to hell. All three involve a twisted sense of fairness, but the belt of truth straightens it out for us.
Let’s begin with the third one because the statement is true, but its inference that God sends people to hell is not true. God is love and He doesn’t want anyone to go to hell, so He sent Jesus to die on the cross in our place so that everyone who believes in Him and follows Him can avoid hell. Salvation is a free gift that you can’t earn, so it is available to all. The only way someone will go to hell is because they refuse God’s gift and choose to follow Lucifer and his band of angels (Satan and his demons) into the hell prepared for them. How could a loving God make it any easier for us to escape the fires of hell?
The other two lies can both be straightened out by the truth of what it means to love someone as God loves you. Jesus shows us that you can love people without condoning or accepting their sins, any sins. As he drew his disciples closer to him, Jesus drew them away from their sins. He associated with sinners, not to approve or participate in their sin, but to draw them away from sin and to Him. Jesus loves them (and us) so much that He gave His life to set us free from our sins. Hate has no place in our Christian lives. Warning someone that they are on a dangerous road is an act of love. Accepting their sinful lifestyle and watching them go to hell as a result is not love.
The belt of truth will help us recognize and correct even the tiniest white lies of our enemy and even those we tell to ourselves. “And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:32)