The Belt of Truth and the Breastplate of Righteousness

Ephesians 6:14–17 NKJV

14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;

The image in Eph 6 is that of warriors, soldiers prepared for battle.

Imagine the scene in the movie Braveheart of the battle of Falkirk. The English army on one side and a bunch of angry Scotts on the other side. They’re about to engage in a vicious battle. Each man has prepared himself for death. Adrenaline is high and even the horses can since the intensity. Then as one side charges the other side follows and the two armies clash on the battle field. Now imagine someone casually walking onto the battle field, no sword in hand, no shield, no armor or helmet, completely unaware that there is a battle at all. How long do you suspect he might last as these two armies clash together?

Yet so many Christians are just that unaware and unprepared. Paul has told us that we have a great and powerful enemy that should not be underestimated. He has then told us to prepare ourselves by putting on the whole armor of God. And yet we are so distracted by the cares of worldly things that we don’t even bother to put on the armor of God. Perhaps Satan’s greatest trick of all is to convince us that he is no threat, that there is no battle. Of course we know that Satan’s primary weapon is deceit. It was this was from the beginning.

“You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

John 8:44 NKJV

44 You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.

Perhaps it is for this reason that the first piece of the armor of God that Paul mentions is the belt of truth

Ephesians 6:14 NKJV

14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness,

The Belt of Truth.

Some have pointed out that Christ is the central truth.

John 14:6 NKJV

6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

almost every other major world religion claims that Christ was a prophet or a good teacher. But only Christ claimed to be the way, not a way. The truth, not a truth, the life not a life. Christ alone said no one comes to the Father except through me. And If Jesus is the absolute truth then He must be exclusive. Anything that apposes objective absolute truth must be false. So every other religion that excepts Christ as a way exclude themselves because Jesus taught that He is the only way. So if you’re seeking and trying to discover which religion is right that should help you exclude the majority of them.

So if Christ is the truth is that what Paul is referring to when he says gird your waist with truth.

But another view is that this truth is more of an instruction that we should live truth. That we should love truth, desire truth, speak truth. This idea is that to put on the belt of truth is to put on truthfulness.

If Satan is the father of lies then it would stand to reason that truth would be our greatest and most important defence against him.

Hebrews 3:12–13 NKJV

12 Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; 13 but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.

Psalm 4:2 NKJV

2 How long, O you sons of men, Will you turn my glory to shame? How long will you love worthlessness And seek falsehood? Selah

Jeremiah 2:13 NKJV

13 “For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, And hewn themselves cisterns—broken cisterns that can hold no water.

So what is the belt of truth and how do we put on the belt of truth?

Is it Christ himself who is the truth or is it truthfulness? I think it is both. If we put on Christ who is the truth then we will know the truth, love the truth, seek the truth, and be truthful. All of which protects us from Satan’s most powerful weapon against us.

John 8:31–32 NKJV

31 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. 32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

If we abide in Christ and His words abide in us then we know the truth and the truth shall make you free.

Next we are to put on the breastplate of righteousness

Ephesians 6:14 NKJV

14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness,

The Breastplate of Righteousness

What is the breastplate of righteousness.

Most of the time in Paul’s writings righteousness refers to justification. Justification is to be made just or made righteous. It is an imputed righteousness that comes through faith in Jesus Christ.

Romans 3:21–23 NKJV

21 But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22 even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

This righteousness is imputed

Romans 4:5–8 NKJV

5 But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness, 6 just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works: 7 “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, And whose sins are covered; 8 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord shall not impute sin.”

This imputed righteousness certainly gives us a strong defence against the accuser of the brethren which is another name for Satan used in Rev.

Romans 8:1 NKJV

1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.

Romans 8:33–34 NKJV

33 Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.

One of Satan’s greatest lies is that you are condemned that you are lost, that God has cut you off. So one of our strongest defences would be the truth that we are righteous not because of our own works but because of faith in Christ.

So is this the breastplate of righteousness or is it the moral righteousness of the new life in Christ.

Ephesians 4:20–24 NKJV

20 But you have not so learned Christ, 21 if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: 22 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, 23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.

Ephesians 5:8–9 NKJV

8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth),

There is no doubt that the imputed righteousness that we have by faith in Christ should manifest itself in righteous conduct.

I would suggest again that it is both. Our breastplate of righteousness is both the imputed righteousness of Christ which guards us against the slanderous accusations of Satan as well as righteous conduct which strengthens us against the temptations of Satan.

How do we put on the breastplate of righteousness.

Through faith in Christ and belief in the truth that God has made me righteous apart from the works of the law.

By making daily choices to live righteously.

Romans 6:19 NKJV

19 I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness.

And by keeping a short account with God.

1 John 1:9 NKJV

9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

In doing this we put on the breastplate of righteous which is strong to defend us against the evil one.

For

Proverbs 28:1 NKJV

1 The wicked flee when no one pursues, But the righteous are bold as a lion.