Paul wrote, “Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth…” (Ephesians 6:14a).
What does it mean to gird your waist? In the physical sense this girding is what held the tunic up and cinched everything into place and did not require a belt, rather, it was the tying up of the garment from underneath and around the waist. Looking at the armor of a first century soldier, you’ll clearly notice that a Roman Soldier doesn’t need to “gird his waist” because he doesn’t have anything to “gird up”. But when we compare that to the common type of clothing that many Jews wore, we can understand the e significance of girding.
It was common then among Jews to gird up their tunic around their waist to keep them from stumbling when running, working and if necessary for a battle. Seeing this, I hope will help us better understand how the early saints would easily apply this metaphor spiritually. Just as not girding would easily cause then to stumble physically—not girding spiritually causes one to stumble spiritually.
That is why the majority of religious people today stumble and are in jeopardy of losing their souls. Not girding yourself with truth is the primary reason so few souls stumble at finding the narrow gate that leads to life. Stumbling spiritually is the primary cause that leads so many to the wide gate that leads to destruction (Matt. 7:13-14). Without truth we cannot stand, without truth we cannot walk worthy, and I wholly believe that is why the inspired writer puts truth at the top of the list as he begins defining the armor of God.
How important is truth? We’ll without truth one cannot be saved! I’d say that makes it very important. Paul warned, “9 The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, 10 and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, 12 that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness” (2 Thess. 2:9-12).
Your preacher is not truth, your pastor is not truth, you priest is not truth, your family, friends and co-workers are not truth. So, what is truth? God is truth. Moses describes Yahweh saying: “He is the Rock, His work is perfect; For all His ways are justice, a God of truth and without injustice; Righteous and upright is He” (Deut. 32:4). God’s word is truth according to Jesus who said prayed to the Father, “Sanctify[a] them by Your truth. Your word is truth” (John 17:17).
The psalmist wrote, “…His faithfulness will be a protective shield” (Psalm 91:4 CSB).