Ephesians 6:13-14
“Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness …”
We are to actively lay hold of and put on the full armor of God. Not some of the armor; all of the armor. It is God’s equipment for spiritual warfare that gives us the strength to stand against the methods, schemes, and strategies of the devil. We will not win the battle in our own power, but only if we trust the Lord and his power.
The first piece of armor—our first source of strength—is truth. We must know the truth about God, man, sin, and Christ. We must know the truth about the Kingdom of God and how it operates. We must know the truth of the Word of God.
We must also seek truth about the way society and organizations should operate.
Scripture calls Satan the “father of lies” (John 8:44). He deals in falsehood, distortion, and deception. His greatest desire is to get people to believe wrong things about God and his kingdom. The enemy does not want Christians to know the truth about scripture. The believer who is confused about God’s Word cannot be effective in God’s work. He is “tossed here and there by waves, and carried about by every wind of doctrine” (Eph 4:14).
The truth of God’s Word is at the very heart of how the Lord works. Jesus said: “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31-32).
The distortion of truth is how Satan works. Paul gave this warning in 1 Timothy 4.1-2: “Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared…”
In addition to doctrinal truth, this piece of armor also refers to “telling the truth.” Christians are to be truth-tellers. We are to talk straight. Paul says it in Ephesians 4: “Speak the truth in love.” Sometimes that means encouraging people. Other times it means having hard conversations and holding people accountable. At all times it means we speak truth, and we do so with the right motives.
Trust God, do the work, and pursue truth.
Coram Deo
