Loins Girt About with Truth
A Sermon on Ephesians 6:14
Originally preached Jan. 21, 1962
Scripture
14Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
Sermon Description
Every piece of the believer’s armor is critical for the Christian life. In this sermon on Ephesians 6:14 titled “Loins Girt About with Truth,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones delivers this sermon on the six pieces of “the armor of God.” First are the “loins girt with truth,” then the breastplate of righteousness, feet shod with the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit. This is not an exhaustive list, but a highlighting of vital elements for spiritual warfare. There is no hope for the fight unless first put on are the “loins girt with truth.” In the apostles’ time, people wore long flowing garments, but loose clothing hinders efficient movement. Soldiers braced their clothing together with a girdle in order to move without encumbrance. The spiritual meaning here is for the mind. Some think “truth” means sincerity or candor, but the foundation of the Christian’s armor cannot be their own sincerity and truthfulness. The girdle, as well as the sword, is the word of God. Christians must be wholly governed by truth, which is revealed in Christ Jesus. This truth is not uncertainty, doubt, or lack of clarity. It is a settled conviction, knowing whom and what to believe. The devil tries to create confusion and uncertainty and to repel him, Christians must be “girt about” with truth.
Sermon Breakdown
- The apostle Paul exhorts Christians to put on the whole armor of God in order to stand against the wiles of the devil.
- The first piece of armor is the girdle of truth. This means having a firm grasp of biblical truth and doctrine.
- The girdle gives a soldier freedom of movement and a sense of security. For Christians, truth gives us freedom from sin and confidence in our faith.
- There are two aspects of truth: objective (the Bible) and subjective (our understanding and belief). We need both.
- The girdle of truth means we have a mastery of the truth and are mastered by the truth. It controls our whole life.
- To have our loins girded with truth means we have a settled conviction about the truth with no uncertainty or lack of clarity.
- The devil tries to confuse us and lead us into error, so we must know the truth to stand against him.
- The New Testament epistles were written to combat error and teach the truth. The early church councils also defined truth against heresy.
- Confessions and creeds are ways the church has girded itself with truth. They combat error and define essential doctrines.
- Without truth, we are like children "tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine." We must know the truth to stand firm.
- Truth is essential for withstanding the devil. We must know what and whom we believe to have victory.
The Book of Ephesians
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.