“Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth” (Eph. 6:14).
The first piece of armour Paul mentions in Ephesians 6:14 is the belt of truth. Roman soldiers of Paul’s day wore a tunic and the belt they wore over the top kept the tunic from flying loose and getting in the way mid battle.
The phrase “having girded your loins” was commonly used for gathering up the loose material of one’s tunic or robe when preparing for battle or travel. It speaks of readiness, like in Exodus 12:11, where God tells the children of Israel to gird their loins for their exodus from Egypt. Jesus also used it in a figurative sense in Luke 12:35, where He warns us to gird our loins or be dressed in readiness for His second coming.
The Greek word translated “truth” in Ephesians 6:14 refers to the content of that which is true or having an attitude of truthfulness. Paul warns in Ephesians 4 not to be “tossed here and there by waves, and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming” (14–15). Instead, we are to embrace sound doctrine and always speak the truth in love.
The way to defend ourselves against the cunning deceptions of Satan is to gird ourselves with a thorough knowledge of God’s Word and a firm commitment to obedience. It’s sad that many Christians today remain vulnerable because they’re unwilling to do that.
We must never be content with our present level of spirituality but rather we must keep learning and growing, demonstrating an attitude of truthfulness that reveals our commitment to God’s Word and our readiness for battle.
Contributed by Alex Townsend