Equipped: Truth

Last Tuesday I decided I was going to do a blog series (my first attempt, and more of a commitment than I'm used to making to the blogosphere) dealing with spiritual warfare and the armor of God from Ephesians 6. Then, last Tuesday night at our Element Church staff meeting I found out our next sermon series was All Out War: Investigating Spiritual Warfare, based on...you guessed it: Ephesians 6. (you can check out the sermons here)

Coincidence or providence? I don't know...but I'm running with it either way.

"Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." Ephesians 6:11-12

There are three critical things to notice from this passage:

You have a very real supernatural enemy.
He will attack you.
God provides us with the equipment we need to overcome the attacks.

The original readers of this letter would have been very familiar with the image of armor as Roman legionnaires would have been a common sight throughout the empire. Since you may not be so acquainted with the garb of a soldier of Rome, in each blog post I'll describe each piece and its function before tackling the spiritual counterpart.

Let's take a look at the first piece of equipment.

"Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist..." Ephesians 6:14

The cingulum militare (sometimes referred to as a balteus) was the military belt of a Roman legionnaire. This piece of equipment was a critical component of the armor of the soldier. In addition to carrying his sword (as well as his dagger and perhaps some provisions in pouches), it provided support for the breastplate, taking some of the load off the back and shoulders. It was also adorned with the apron which afforded some additional protection though was probably more decorative than functional. One of the most important uses of the belt was to "gird the loins". This involved tucking the otherwise knee-length tunic into the belt in preparation for a battle or march. The extra movement afforded by this would make a soldier more mobile and agile. As you can see, the function of the soldier's belt was twofold: foundation and freedom.

We can draw a comparison of the spiritual value of this piece of the armor from its physical counterpart.

Truth as FOUNDATION
Our spiritual battle must first find its anchor in the truth of God. Jesus himself is our foundation.

"I am the way and the truth and the life..." John 14:6 (emphasis mine)

The truth of Christ, who He is, His work on the cross and resurrection, and His intercession for us before the Father provides us with the foundation (and the source) for all of our other armor: righteousness received from Him, the readiness of the gospel of peace brought by Him, faith placed in Him, salvation worked through Him, and the Word of God proclaiming Him and empowering us.

God's truth is a sure foundation because it is eternal and unchanging. When we have accepted the truth of God into our lives and have the risen Lord dwelling in us, who is Himself the truth, we have truth as our foundation, and we have the consistency of character that flows from that. In this day and age, truth is seen as personal and subjective - what's true for you isn't necessarily true for me. When we put on the belt of truth, we acknowledge and accept that there is absolute truth and we live in that reality. Prepare to stand out from the crowd if your life is characterized by truth. William Shakespeare once wrote:

"To be honest, as this world goes, is to be one man picked out of ten thousand." - Hamlet, Act II, scene 2

If you live by truth, if you "bind [it] around your neck; write [it] on the tablet of your heart" (Proverbs 3:3), then you will not only have a rock-solid foundation to live upon, but you will walk in freedom.

Truth as FREEDOM
The truth of Christ is freedom. It is freedom from the power of sin and freedom from the penalty for that sin. Jesus said:

"If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." John 8:31-32

We are no longer slaves to sin if we accept the truth of Christ. Sin loses its power in the presence of that truth.

Truth is also freedom when we are real with people. Authenticity. Letting people see who we really are and allowing them into our struggles. Much of sin's power thrives in the dark. Truth acts as the light that dispels that darkness.

"Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God." John 3:20-21

The individual soldier was certainly strong, but a conquering force consisted of many soldiers doing battle together. Confessing weak areas allows our fellow soldiers to come to our aid. Trying to hide your sins and struggles from true Christian brothers and sisters is counterproductive. It would be like a soldier going into battle alone.

"He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy." Proverbs 28:13

"...each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body." Ephesians 4:25

"Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices." Colossians 3:9

There is freedom in honesty. You don't have to try to hide who you really are while secret struggles tear you apart. You don't have to waste time and energy trying to maintain "two lives". You are free to simply be you.

A final thought on the belt. The cingulum militare was not a standardized piece of equipment, rather it was a valuable personal possession. Although made in the Army workshops, it is thought that the belts were not issued at random, but instead selected by individual soldiers as taste and budget allowed. According to The Roman Army: A Social and Institutional History by Pat Southern, most scholars agree that "it was the leather belt more than anything else that proclaimed the wearer as a soldier." This means that the belt would have been worn in and out of uniform. On or off duty, a soldier could be identified by his belt. Let me draw one last comparison. No matter where we are: in church, at home or at work, participating in an outreach or riding the bus; as followers of Christ, we should be marked by truth.