14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness,15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

Introduction: Last week we saw in verses 10 through 13 of Ephesians, that there is a great supernatural war raging between God and His angels and the forces of Satan.  Because Christians belong to God, we too are drawn into this spiritual conflict. This is why God gives no deferments or exemptions from His army.  If you’re a Christian, you are at war and will continue to be at war until Christ returns and takes charge of the earth. We also learned last week that our enemy, Satan and his demonic army, attack us by various cleaver schemes and their end goal is to thwart God’s plans for man and eternity.  Because our battle is not a struggle against flesh and blood, we cannot fight it in the power of our own flesh and blood.  It is a supernatural conflict that needs supernatural weapons to be also stand our ground when the enemy tries to advance.  The Apostle Paul gives us six pieces of armor, each is distinct and necessary if we are to be successful against the enemy (JISR).  If we leave one piece off, or take off any of the six pieces at any time, the enemy will overrun our position, and we will fail to hold the line.  This is why we are commanded to “Put on the whole armor of God” (v.11). Here in our passage today we are told to “stand therefore” which denotes the urgency of putting on the whole armor of God and our attitude towards holding our ground.  You could say it like this, “take your stand therefore, bent on victory” (LBC). We are not to be outwitted by the wiles of the Devil; we are to be ready for his attacks (McGee). Today we are going to look at the first three pieces of armor.

Transition: Let’s begin our study today by looking at the first piece of armor that is needed, . . .

I. The Belt Of Truth (v.14a).

14a Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth. . .

A. Roman soldiers girded themselves with a belt, from which hung strips of leather to protect the lower body (NIBC).

B. This belt held his garments together and served as a place on which to hang his armor (BKC).

1) By tucking in the loose tunic into the belt, it allowed the Roman soldier freedom of movement (WGB).

2) In the ancient garment of that day, the girdle or belt was passed around the waist and by the ends of the breastplate so it held in place the other parts of the uniform of the soldier.

A) It was essential.

B) Without it, everything would come apart.

A. It is based upon the Word of Truth (2 Tim.2:15; John 17:17).

1) The belt of truth is fundamental, because everything else we do as Christians are connected to it.

A) It holds everything together, and that’s what the truth is designed to do for us spiritually.

B) The truth is an objective standard of reality that stands outside of our experience and stands above our opinions (Evans).

(1) That standard of truth is the Word of God.

(2) It is the beginning point of authority.

2) Jesus prayed this for His disciples in John 17:17, “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.”

3) C. S. Lewis once said, “A man can't be always defending the truth; there must be time to feed on it” (Leadership, Vol. 4, no. 1.).

4) This is why it is critical for a believer to study and know God’s Word, because it girds us with God’s truth.

B. It is worn through our practice of truthfulness and honesty (Eph.4:14-32; 1Thess.5:22-23).

1) We are to do more than just study God’s Word, we are also to apply it in our daily walk.

- We are to live a life of practical truthfulness and honesty (NIBC).

2) A man or woman of integrity can face the enemy without fear and with a  clear conscience (BEC).

3) 1 Thessalonians 5:22-23, “Avoid every kind of evil. May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (NIV).

4) A.W. Tozer stated that, “Unused truth becomes as useless as an unused muscle” (in That Incredible Christian, Christianity Today, Vol. 34, no. 8.)

C. It protects us and gives us freedom of movement (2Tim.2:4; Gal.5:1; 2Pet.2:20).

1) When we gird ourselves with God’s truth, is keeps us from becoming entangled in the lies of Satan, and we won’t be able to hold the line for God.

A) We become backslidden.

B) We lose our direction as Christians.

C) And worse, we lose our witness and testimony as a believer.

2) Once a lie gets into the life of a believer, everything begins to fall apart (BEC).

We put on the belt of truth when we study and apply God’s Word to our daily lives, and we are told that this is necessary if we want to be able to stand firm in our faith and hold the battle line for the Lord.

Transition: The next piece of armor is. . .

II. The Breastplate Of God’s Righteousness (v.14b).

14b Stand therefore. . .having put on the breastplate of righteousness,

A. The breastplate was made of metal plates, chains or hard leather, and covered the body from the neck to the waist, both front and back.

1) Sometimes, it would even be made of overlapping slices of animal hooves or horns (MacArthur).

2) The ones that were made of large pieces of metal were  molded or hammered to conform to the body (MacArthur).

B. It gave protection to the vital organs, such as the heart and lungs.

A. It is obtained through Christ’s righteousness (1Cor.1:30; 2Cor.5:21; Rom.3:22; Phil.1:11; 1Pet.2:24).

1) A person cannot be right before God, unless they before right through Christ.

- 2 Corinthians 5:21, “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

2) We obtain a right standing before God, through faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior.

- Romans 3:22, “This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. . .”

B. It is worn through our doing what is right (Rom.1:17; 6:13-14; 14:17; Eph.4:24; 1Tim.6:11-12; 2Tim.2:22; 3:16).

1) The basic meaning of the word “righteousness” is to be made right before God (as we saw above), it also has the meaning of living a life that is right before God (i.e., to live according to God’s will and direction).

2) Therefore, we wear the breastplate of righteousness when we live for Christ.

A) Luke 9:23-26, “Then He said to them all, ‘If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He omes in His own glory, and in His Father's, and of the holy angels.”

B) Romans 6:13-14, “And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.”

3) Christ gave us the breastplate of righteousness when He died for ours sins, but as believers we must put it on our practical righteousness.

A) This isn’t speaking about us earning our salvation, because we can’t, Christ paid that price (Eph.2:8-9; Titus 3:5).

B) The Apostle James explains it like this, “. . .I will show you my faith by my works” (James 2:18).

C) This is a sanctifying righteousness of Christ (1 Cor. 1:30: BKC).

C. It protects the believer’s spiritual heart from Satan (1Pet.3:14; 2Thess.3:3; Jude 1:24).

1) The life we live will either fortify us against Satan’s attacks or it will make it easier for him to defeat us (2 Cor. 6:1-10: BEC).

2) The breastplate was to protect the heart of the soldier, thus any unrighteous acts committed by a Christian will rob him of this vital protection and expose his spiritual heart to Satan (WGB).

    Jonathan Edwards lived in the same state, at the same time as Jukes. He loved the Lord and saw that his children were in church every Sunday, as he served the Lord to the best of his ability. He has had 929 descendants, and of these 430 were ministers; 86 became university professors; 13 became university presidents; 75 authored good books; 7 were elected to the United States Congress. One was vice president of his nation. His family never cost the state one cent but has contributed immeasurably to the life of plenty in this land today (James S. Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited [Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc, 1988] p. 195).  One man wore the breastplate of righteousness, and other didn’t.  Can you see the difference that it makes?

Application: Warren Wiersbe sums up the breastplate of righteousness like this, “When Satan accuses the Christian, it is the righteousness of Christ that assures the believer of his salvation. But our Positional righteousness in Christ, without practical righteousness in the daily life, only gives Satan opportunity to attack us” (BEC).

    Someone has said, “When a man is clothed in practical righteousness, he is impregnable. Words are no defense against accusation, but a good life is”(BBC).  We need to be clothed with the breastplate of righteousness both in character and conduct, for when we fail to do this we become vulnerable, disgraced and defeated by the enemy – and we fail to help our comrades in arms to hold the battle line for Christ.

Transition: The last piece of armor that we will look at today is. . .

III. The Gospel Boots (v.15).

Stand therefore. . .15and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

A. The Roman soldier wore sandals studded with sharp nails for better traction in battle (JISR).

- The military successes both of Alexander the Great and of Julius Caesar were due in large measure to their armies’ being well shod and thus able to undertake long marches at incredible speed over rough terrain (EBCNT).

B. They helped the soldier to hold his ground and make quick moves without slipping and falling (JISR).

A. It is the basis for a firm foundation to stand upon (Isa.28:16; 1 Cor.3:11; Eph.2:20; 1 Pet.2:6-8; Acts 4:12; 1Tim.2:5-6).

1) The “gospel of peace,” the good news of Jesus Christ, not only brings us truth and righteousness, but it also brings us the peace of God because we have peace with God (Evans).

2) You can’t wear the gospel boots unless you have enlisted in God’s Army, and only His gospel gives the wearer the assurance and confidence they need to stand firm upon its truth when confronting the enemy.

- Isaiah 28:16, “Therefore thus says the Lord God, "Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a tested stone, A costly cornerstone for the foundation, firmly placed. He who believes in it will not be disturbed” (NASB).

B. It is worn through our preparedness to proclaim the gospel (1Pet.3:15; Mark 13:11; Isa.52:7; Rom.10:15; Matt.28:19-20).

1) The word preparation means “readiness or preparedness of mind” (JISR).

A) Therefore, we must always be ready, even before the battle begins.

B) The fact that this preparation is in reference to the feet implies that we must be ready to make our move.

(1) If we are good soldiers of Jesus Christ, when an opportunity comes to share the gospel we will not slip, or fall on our face because we are unprepared, but will always be read to give a clear, concise presentation of the gospel.

(2) What greater loss could there be than to have an opportunity to win someone to the cause of Christ and be unprepared to take advantage of the situation?

(3) What a victory that would be for our adversary!

2) 1 Peter 3:15, “But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect” (NIV).

3) The most victorious Christian is a witnessing Christian (BEC).

A) If we wear the shoes of the Gospel, then we have the “beautiful feet” mentioned in Isaiah 52:7 and Romans 10:15.

B) Satan has declared war, but you and I are ambassadors of peace (2Cor.5:18-21), and as such, we take the Gospel of peace wherever we go.

C. It provides for our firm footing during demonic attacks (James 4:7; Eph.4:27; 1Pet.5:8-9; Rom.8:31, 37-39).

1) As we take steps in life, the good news of our relationship with God will confirm our steps with rest in our soul (Evans).

A) The gospel of peace is the marvelous truth that in Christ we are now at peace with God and are one with Him (MacArthur).

B) Therefore, when our feet are shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace, we stand in the confidence of God’s love for us, His union with us, and His commitment to fight for us (MacArthur).

2) When our feet our shod with the preparation of the gospel, and Satan attacks with doubts about our salvation, we are able to stand knowing our salvation is secure.

A) John 10:27-30, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand. I and My Father are one.”

B) Romans 8:35-39, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?  As it is written: ‘For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.’ Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

3) If a believer does not properly shod his feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace, he is destined to stumble, fall, and suffer many defeats (MacArthur).

Invitation:
What is your relationship with Christ today?

A. Do you really accept the Bible as Truth, or do you deny it?

1) For a Christian this is the difference between being a hearer and a doer.

2) For a nonbeliever this is the difference between an eternity in heaven or hell.

B. In who’s righteousness are you putting your trust in?

1) There is only one way for us to be made right before a Just and Holy God, and that is through Jesus Christ.

- Romans 5:17-18, “For if by the one man's offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.) Therefore, as through one man's offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man's righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life.”

2) If you have rejected Christ, you are depending on your own righteous acts to make you right before God, and here’s what the Bible says about you; Romans 3:10-16, “As it is written: ‘There is none righteous, no, not one; There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God. They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one. Their throat is an open tomb; With their tongues they have practiced deceit; The poison of asps is under their lips; Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood; Destruction and misery are in their ways;’”

C. There is only one gospel that can save, and therefore it is the only firm foundation in which it is safe to stand, and that gospel is the good news about Jesus Christ and what He did for you and me.

1) 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.’”

- when someone claims that there are many ways to heaven, they are standing upon the shifting sands of the world, which leads to the wide gate that is broad and leads to destruction (Matt.7:13).

2) Revelation 22:17, “And the Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ And let him who hears say, ‘Come!’ And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.”

3) Romans 10:9-11, “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, ‘Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.’”

BBC - William MacDonald, Believer’s Bible Commentary.
BEC - Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary.
BKC - John Walvoord & Roy Zuck, The Bible Knowledge Commentary (New Testament ed).
EBCNT - Zondervan’s, Expositor’s Bible Commentary, New Testament.
Evans - Tony Evans Speaks Out On Spiritual Warfare.
JISR - Tommy Higle, Journey Into Spiritual Riches.
LBC - Liberty Bible Commentary on the New Testament.
MacArthur - John MacArthur’s New Testament Commentary.
McGee - J. Vernon McGee, Thru The Bible Commentary
Robertson - Word Pictures in the New Testament, by Archibald Thomas Robertson
Vincent - Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament, by Marvin Vincent
WGB - Willmington’s Guide To The Bible.
Wuest - Word Studies in the Greek New Testament, by Kenneth S. Wuest.
 

V.14.
- "stand," ("histemi" {his'-tay-mee: v, imper, aor, act, 2per, pl}); to stand up to, offer resistance to, stand firm, hold one's ground, to stand firmly on one's feet.

-- Robertson: "Take your stand therefore" (in view of the arguments made).

-- BKC: The imperative stand denotes urgency. This is followed by four Greek participles that denote either the cause or means of standing. The participles are rendered as follows in the: “buckled,” “in place,” “fitted,” “take up” (6:14-16).

-- Robertson: old verb, to gird around, direct middle (gird yourselves) in Lu 12:37; but indirect here with accusative of the thing, "having girded your own loins."

-- Vincent: having girded. Compare Isa.11:5. The principal terms in this description of the christian armor are taken from the Septuagint of Isaiah.

-- Wuest: “to gird around, to fasten garments with a girdle or belt.” It is in the middle voice, not passive as a.v., since context is hortatory, thus, “having girded about.” The Christian must gird his loins about with truth. That is his responsibility.  Expositors says; “First in the list of these articles of equipment is mentioned the girdle. Appropriately so; for the soldier might be furnished with every other part of his equipment, and yet, wanting the girdle, would be neither fully accoutered nor securely armed. His belt was no mere adornment of the soldier, but an essential part of his equipment. Passing round the loins and by the end of the breastplate (in later times supporting the sword), it was of especial use in keeping other parts in place, and in securing the proper soldierly attitude and freedom of movement.”

-- Vincent: The state of the heart answering to God’s truth; inward, practical acknowledgment of the truth as it is in Him: the agreement of our convictions with God’s revelation. The loins encircled by the girdle form the central point of the physical system. Hence, in Scripture, the loins are described as the seat of power. “To smite through the loins” is to strike a fatal blow. “To lay affliction upon the loins” is to afflict heavily. Here was the point of junction for the main pieces of the body-armor, so that the girdle formed the common bond of the whole. Truth gives unity to the different virtues, and determinateness and consistency to character. All the virtues are exercised within the sphere of truth.

-- Wuest: As to the reference to truth, the same authority says: “It is simplest and most accordant with usage to take it so here (in the sense of candour, sincerity, truthfulness).  And this plain grace of openness, truthfulness, reality, the mind that will practice no deceits and attempt no disguises in our intercourse with God, is indeed vital to Christian safety and essential to the due operation of all the other qualities of character.”

-- Wuest: With regard to the breastplate, the same authority says: “As the soldier covers his breast with the breastplate to make it secure against the disabling wound, so the Christian is to endue himself with righteousness so as to make his heart and will proof against the fatal thrust of his spiritual assailants.”

-- Robertson: Old word for breast and then for breastplate. Same metaphor of righteousness as breastplate in 1Th 5:8.

-- Wuest: The righteousness here is not justifying righteousness given the believing sinner when he first believes, but sanctifying righteousness, the product of the Holy Spirit in the life of the yielded saint. It can be defined as moral rectitude. The breastplate of righteousness is therefore the breastplate which is righteousness or consists of righteousness.

V.15.
- "and having," ("kai" {kahee: conj, coord}); and, also, even, indeed.
- "shod," ("hupodeo" {hoop-od-eh'-o: v, part (imper), aor, mid, nom, masc, 2per, pl}); to tie or bind beneath (used of shoes or sandals), put on.

-- Robertson: "Having bound under" (sandals). to bind under (Mr 6:9; Ac 12:8, only other N.T. example).

-- Wuest: The Greek middle is used again in the exhortation, “and having shod your feet“ the responsibility of the Christian soldier. If the Christian soldier is to stand up against the attack of the demons, he must see to it that his feet are properly protected and equipped.  The Roman soldier wore sandals which were bound by throngs over the instep and around the ankle, and the soles were thickly studded with nails. This would give him a firm footing in case of attack.

-- Robertson: to make ready, only here in N.T. Readiness of mind that comes from the gospel whose message is peace.

-- Wuest: used in classical Greek in the sense of establishment or firm foundation. Thus, the Christian soldier should see to it that his feet are equipped with the sandals which will give him a firm footing, namely, the good news that speaks peace to a sinful heart, for the Lord Jesus made peace by the blood of His Cross, making a way for a holy God to reunite Himself with a believing sinner who in Adam had been separated from Him and His life. Expositors says: “The preparedness, the mental alacrity with which we are inspired by the gospel with its message of peace with God, is to be to us the protection and equipment which the sandals that cover the feet are to the soldier. With this we shall be helped to face the foe with courage and with promptitude.”

-- Vincent: The Roman soldier substituted for the greaves of the Greek (metal plates covering the lower part of the leg) the caligae or sandals, bound by thongs over the instep and round the ankle, and having the soles thickly studded with nails. They were not worn by the superior officers, so that the common soldiers were distinguished as caligati. means readiness; but in Hellenistic Greek it was sometimes used in the sense of establishment or firm foundation, which would suit this passage: firm-footing. Compare Isa.52:7.

-- Wuest: “that which has been bound together.”