Our Identity in Christ – Truth
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 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, stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God
As children of God we have been given the equipment to carry forward the purposes of God in this world which Paul describes as the armor of God. Armor requires strength to wear it and to use it and if it were left up to my strength to bear it nothing would be accomplished. So Paul says be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Therefore as we discuss the parts of our armor we bear in mind that they themselves and the strength to use them all come from and belong to God.
Paul urges us to put on the whole armor of God. A soldier who takes up sword and shield but never puts his shoes on is not ready for battle. We cannot pick and chose among these, we must take all of them as a whole.
Our armor is not like the armor of the world which can save the body but leaves the soul exposed to evil, sin, death and hell. Our armor is proof against the facinorous tides of our present reality. The Greek word for evil here is ponayros and it is an adjective that describes something that is full of labors annoyances and hardships. The petty tyrannies of everyday life are the battlefield for which this armor is given us.
Good and evil both increase at compound interest. That is why the little decisions you and I make every day are of such infinite importance. The smallest good act today is the capture of a strategic point from which, a few months later, you may be able to go on to victories you never dreamed of. An apparently trivial indulgence in lust or anger today is the loss of a ridge or railway line or bridgehead from which the enemy may launch an attack otherwise impossible. – C.S. Lewis
Our battle is against the general principles and basic assumptions of this world, it is against the impulse to exert our will against God’s will and it is against the spiritual darkness that grips our world in the celestial realm. In other words, our fight is with the world, the flesh and the devil.
To engage in this fight in our own strength would be useless. We are to fight in the Lord’s strength by putting on Jesus Christ.
Romans 13:14, “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.”
Galatians 3:26-27, “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.”
Paul describes this as putting on the armor of God. The first piece he describes is the belt of truth. Jesus told us that he is the truth.
John 14:6, “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
Plato reasoned out some truth, Moses had some truth revealed to him but Jesus is The Truth. Truth is not an abstract idea, truth is a person. When Jesus spoke the world into existence everything he said was true. Jesus is not a man who knows the truth; he is the Truth who became a man.
Paul compares truth to a belt. A belt is close to a person and it holds things together. In a suit of armor the breastplate and the leg armor buckle to the belt and are held in place by it. As our belt, truth secures righteousness to us. A belt can also take the weight of a burden off the shoulders like the belt of a backpack. We do not bear the weight of righteousness on our shoulders but transfer the weight to the truth, that is, to Jesus himself who is our righteousness.
What else does the Bible say about truth?
John 8:31-32, “Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
Proverbs 12:17, “He who speaks truth declares righteousness, But a false witness, deceit.”
3 John 3-4, “For I rejoiced greatly when brethren came and testified of the truth that is in you, just as you walk in the truth. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.
John 4:23-24, “But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
We have been given truth, we are girded with truth and we are being conformed to the truth. Truth is not the things themselves or the description of things; truth is the light by which all things are made to appear.
brotherpayne 