The Belt of Truth

“Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth. . .” Ephesians 6:14 (ESV)

In ancient days, one of the first pieces of armor a soldier put on was his belt. The belt wrapped around his shirt and protected his lower body. It provided a place for the soldier to attach his breastplate and sword-holder.

Illustration by Paul Agner

As members of God’s kingdom, we need to make sure that we put on truth. The Lord wants us to be truthful inside and out (Psalm 51:6). We are to tell the truth and speak truthfully with everyone (Ephesians 4:25). And we need to know the difference between truth and error, right and wrong, in whatever we hear or read or watch (Hebrews 5:14).

So how can we know what is true?

How Can We Know What Is True?

One of the characteristics of the Creator God of the Bible is that He is a God of truth (Deuteronomy 32:4; Psalm 33:4). He cannot lie (Titus 1:2), so we can trust whatever He says to be true (Psalm 119:160; John 17:17). Jesus said that He is the truth (John 14:6).

We need to read and study God’s Word, the Bible, so that we can know what truth is and spot the lies of the enemy when we hear them in books, in movies, on TV, or from our friends.

We need to always compare what we learn to what the Bible—the source of truth—says. In the Bible, God tells us about many things, including history, science, and morality. So whenever the Bible touches on a topic, we need to believe it and accept and use it as our standard for truth.

Illustration by Paul Agner