Ephesians 6:14-15 14Therefore, stand by fastening on the belt of truth and by putting on the breastplate of righteousness 15and by putting on the feet shoes of readiness given by the gospel of peace.
Verse 14 begins with the key command stand. In ancient warfare, especially as done by the Romans, battles were won by those who could stand strong in a line. Reinforcements were directly behind the front line and would exchange places to provide fresh strength. This line of offense was difficult to beat unless the opposing force could put up a line of defense against the steady march of the on-coming soldiers. If the soldiers fell in battle, the enemy could quickly overwhelm him. If enough soldiers fell, the battle would be lost. Standing up to the forces of evil is crucial for spiritual victory.
Paul gives how we can stand up to evil through a series of instrumental participial phrases. Each of these will describe a different piece of armor on a typical soldier of the time. The images are easy for us to picture but more challenging to apply to our lives.
The first one calls us to put around our waste the belt of truth. A belt can serve several purposes. Obviously, it can hold up our pants, but it can also be used for holding tools, swords, knives, and other essential equipment a solder might need. Truth may be first in the list because it is confirms the validity of everything that follows. The truth is found in the gospel of Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:13). Truth is found in Jesus (4:21). The Ephesians had come to believe in this truth, and it brought a change in their thinking and transformation of their behavior. Knowing the truth of the gospel will protect us from the deceit and compromise of evil. The best defense against heresy is to be deeply grounded in the truth of the gospel. From this belt, all other aspects of our lives will hang and be dependent.
Second, to cover our heart and vital organs, we need to put on the breastplate of righteousness. Proverbs 4:23 states, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” The heart in Scripture represents our inner most person that guides our decisions and thinking. We need to replace the deceiving desires of the world with seeking God’s kingdom and righteousness (Matthew 6:33). We have a source of strength and protection in righteousness because righteousness is a gift of God’s grace and results from our obedient faith. We align ourselves with God’s character when follow God’s will and commands.
Lastly, we can stand strong against the devil by putting on special shoes. These are equipped with readiness. In modern thinking, we might equate this with shoes that are tied and ready for a race. Paul often described his life and ministry as a race (Acts 20:24; 1 Corinthians 9:24; Galatians 2:2; 2 Timothy 4:7). God has a race for every believer to run. Our goal is to win the race and bring as many people along with us as possible. To win this race requires that we be ready to share the good news of peace with God through Jesus Christ. Our peace with God will be evident as peace with people. People seek peace but look in the wrong place. Deep and lasting peace is found only in Christ. Taking this message with us wherever we go and being on the offensive will help us to stand up and win the battle against evil.
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