The Belt of Truth

Intro: Welcome to Fellowship Espanol! We are glad you here worshipping the Lord with us today through music, giving and now the Word.

Can you pray this prayer with, “Lord help me understand what your Word has for me today and may your Spirit use the truths that come from your Word to transform our lives. Amen”

Open your Bibles and look with me at Ephesians 6:14

Ephesians 6:14 ESV

Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,

Stand Therefore -

Paul uses two words which are important when it comes to our topic today concerning the belt of truth.

Paul exhorts us to Stand firm, 3 times in vs 10-14.

Paul also exhorts us to withstand, which conveys the idea of resisting. Which is why Paul uses the image of wrestling because it portrays the hand to hand combat and resisting the opponent.

Why does Paul use these words? What is he trying to convey to the people of Ephesus? What is he trying to tell us?

As Alfredo said last week we are in a spiritual warfare, people are not the enemy but people who do not know Christ are blind to the beauty of the truths of the Gospel. They are blind to the truth of the Bible. Some people may have a form of godliness, but the source of their godliness is not the Spirit of God. With that said, your Democrat or Republican friends are not the enemy, people of different ethnicities are not the enemy, people from different religions are not the enemy. People with different philosophical views are not the enemy. The real enemy is the one who is deceiving the people, satan and hi minions.

Which brings us to a fundamental truth in life, what you truly believe will reflect in how you live your life. If you trust in God and believe the Gospel, your life will reflect those truths. At the same time if you believe in Darwinism, Islam, Buddhism, Secular Humanism… your life will reflect those beliefs.

Paul, in writing to the Ephesians, a very religious and business minded culture says Stand therefore, girding your loins with the belt of truth.

When I come to this passage I have several questions, we will answer a few of them today. Here is my first question...

Why Start With A Belt?

In Paul’s day they were not wearing Dockers and a button up shirt or a polo shirt. They wore robes, even as their undergarment. so if you are going to battle in a long robe, will you be able to run? will you be able to maneuver?

Think of the belt, more like a girdle. Part of the function of the belt was for a place to hold the extra fabric from your robe. The other function of the belt was to hold your sword.

Paul says before you go into battle, grab your belt because with out your belt you will be defeated. You will be tripping over your own self and will not be able to maneuver in the battle.

What Does Gird Your Loins Mean?

Some of your versions say having fastened on the belt, some of your older versions and the original greek uses a phrase “gird your loins”, which i prefer.

The term gird your loins, has to do with having a mentality of preparedness. It explains the process of putting on the belt and tucking in the extra fabric in your belt so you are ready for anything. You are ready for battle, for work, to stand or to resist. When a person is prepared or have girded their loins, they are not surprised when the enemy comes lurking, because they have girded their loins they are ready.

Peter picks this up and says 1 Peter 1:13

1 Peter 1:13 ESV

Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Again the Greek literally says gird up the loins of your mind. So the preparedness happens in your mind, in the area of thinking and believing. Peter tells us to gird the loins of our mind by setting our hope on grace. Here is my question what produces the hope, what is actively happening in our minds that is actively producing hope, faith, action?

The answer is Truth!

Transformation happens when our minds are active in God’s truth. Our hope increases, our love increases, we become more like Christ because we are confronted by truth and the Spirit of God transforms our lives by opening our eyes to the truth and helping us live in light of the truth.

What Is Truth?

There is a fascinating conversation between Jesus and Pilate during one of his trials.

John 18:33–38 ESV

So Pilate entered his headquarters again and called Jesus and said to him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus answered, “Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me?” Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered you over to me. What have you done?” Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.” Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” Pilate said to him, “What is truth?” After he had said this, he went back outside to the Jews and told them, “I find no guilt in him.

Jesus tells Pilate the reason I was born, the reason I have come into this world - to bear witness to the truth.

Jesus came to bear witness to the truth, so what did Jesus bear witness to?

John 8:13–14 ESV

So the Pharisees said to him, “You are bearing witness about yourself; your testimony is not true.” Jesus answered, “Even if I do bear witness about myself, my testimony is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going, but you do not know where I come from or where I am going.

John 8:18 ESV

I am the one who bears witness about myself, and the Father who sent me bears witness about me.”

Jesus bore witness about himself, so if Jesus came to bear witness of the truth and Jesus bore witness about himself, what is truth?

Or the better questions is who is truth? In a private discussion with his disciples, Jesus very plainly tells them.

John 14:6 ESV

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

Jesus is truth, all that Jesus shares is truth. Therefore the truths of the Bible is truth. This is historical, objective truth. It cannot change. This is not true for us and not true for the rest of the world. Truth is truth, period. What God reveals as truth is true for everyone that has ever been created.

So what is truth? Jesus is truth. The Bible is truth. The teachings and doctrines that come from this book is truth.

Ray Ortlund says “Gospel Doctrine creates a Gospel culture” and what he means by that is that the Gospel truths transform the way we live our lives. Gospel truth creates in us a true and sincere heart to follow after God. Listen to what Pauls says in Ephesians 4:17 - 21

Ephesians 4:17–21 ESV

Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. But that is not the way you learned Christ!— assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus,

Gospel Doctrine creates a Gospel culture, it transforms people to live in truth in a true in a sincere way, the way of Christ.

How Do I Put On The Belt Of Truth?

Tom Olson from Unlocking the Bible was really helpful in answering this question. He points out to answer this question we need to consider another question first...

When it comes to life, the decisions we make about relationships, marriage, parenting, work ethic, who or what I will worship… who are what has the final say in these areas of your life.

Is it my feelings?

Is it a person?

Is it my culture?

Is it comfort?

Tom Olson points out “If I could write what the belt of truth is in one sentence, it would be this: To fasten on the belt of truth is to give Christ the final say in our lives.”

Who or what has the final say in your life?

The answer to that question will reveal what in your life determines truth and ultimately what you believe about Jesus.

How can we make sure Christ has the final say?

Know your Bible. Jesus has reveled everything he desires for us to know pertaining to life ad godliness in the Bible. If the Bible says don’t do it, that means Jesus says don’t do it.

Another helpful tool I like from Tom Olson is the Gospel Test. If you are faced with a decision that you feel is not clearly addressed in the Bible, I encourage you to use this tool.

Does it honor Christ as Lord?

Does it increase my fight against sin?

Does it increase my love and praise for my Saviour?

Does it strengthen my faith?