10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armour of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one;17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, 18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints."
Ephesians 6:10-18
The idea of loins being girt is a familiar one in Scripture. Peter, in his first epistle (1:13), exhorts his readers: 'Gird up the loins of your mind ...', and this echoes our Lord's own exhortation in Luke 12:35, 'Let your loins be girded about and your lights burning' - an echo, perhaps, from the Passover story, where the people of God were commanded to eat the Passover with loins girt and staff in hand, that is, ready to move out of Egypt. A general state of readiness is therefore indicated.
Loins are to be girt about with truth, says Paul, but in fact all aspects of the armour have to do with the truth and teaching of the Word. It is deeply taught believers who become soldiers and warriors of God, and to put on the armour of God is therefore to think through the doctrines of the Word, making them our own, and doing so day by day, reminding ourselves - daily, and even hourly, when the pressure is on! - what we are and what is ours in Christ, rehearsing our riches in Him. Commentators, however, are divided on the question of what construction we are to place on the word 'truth'. Many take it to mean the moral quality of truth of heart , that is to say, sincerity or integrity. This is the view taken by Calvin, and followed in the ICC commentary by Abbott, who uses the phrase, 'truth in its widest sense as an element of character.' Others, however, disagree with this on the ground that 'this subjective interpretation is inadequate because not even Christian virtues constitute the armour that God provides. Nothing less than the objective realities of the gospel will afford the believer the divine protection he requires to resist the devil's wiles.' More requires to be said about this division of view and we shall continue this discussion in the next Note.