“Stand therefore, girding your loins in truth and putting on the breastplate of righteousness” (Ephesians 6:14).
“Girding the loins” means putting on the foundation garment; in the case of military armour, the foundation garment was the belt that supported the breastplate; it was not only a belt, as we understand it, but also came over the shoulders and back so that the breastplate could be fastened securely. If the belt were not put on correctly, it would not support the breastplate.
Paul uses the military armour as a metaphor for the armour of God; what he is saying is that we must put on the belt of truth so that it can support the breastplate of righteousness. By extension, what he is also saying is that if you have the wrong truth, the breastplate of righteousness will not fit. This was the problem with the Jews; they had on the wrong belt of truth, Judaism, and consequently it resulted in a different righteousness.
“For not knowing God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God” (Romans 10:3).
They had the wrong truth and the wrong righteousness.
The same can be said for much of Christianity today.
There is a notion that faith is an App that anyone can download at will; when they do, out goes defeat, failure, fear and all negativities; in comes victory, prosperity, status, self mastery and success in business, romance, war or politics.
This, of course, is self-deception on a grand scale; faith is spiritually beneficial only when it engages with truth; when it is made to rest upon falsehood, it will lead to eternal tragedy; for it is not enough to believe, we must believe what is true! Truth must be allowed to enter our hearts and change our whole moral and mental constitution as well as our outlook on God, man and the world.
Too many believers rely upon feelings rather than the Word of God; “I have prayed about this and I feel that God is allowing me to go ahead” is a common refrain of those intent upon doing what they want to do. Well of course God is allowing you to go ahead; if He didn’t stop Adam He won’t stop any of his children; to do so would be to rob us of our free will and make us less than He made us to be. But what says the Lord Jesus?
“My sheep hear My voice and I know them and they follow Me” (John 10:27).
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