The Apostle Paul knew many Roman soldiers; as a result of his frequent imprisonment, often even being chained to them, he became was very well acquainted with their armor; in fact, even as he writes Ephesians, he is likely chained to one. Perhaps it was even that soldier that kindled Paul’s imagination to describe the Christian’s protective gear in terms of armor.
There were five pieces of armor that no Roman soldier went without, for he knew that he was virtually certain to die in battle without them. In Ephesians 6:14-17 Paul mentions these five pieces of protection in the order that the Roman soldier would most likely put them on.
The soldier would begin by putting on his protective apron – a thick leather belt from which hung down, strips of leather with metal plates attached. This gave the soldier freedom of movement while protecting his lower body from horizontal swipes of the sword in hand to hand combat.
In the same way, the Christian believer must gird himself with truth – he must know God’s Word and be equipped with the truth. Peter admonishes (1 Pet 1:13) gird up the loins of your mind for action. We must have our mind continually renewed by truth (Rom 12:2). As we subject it to error, it’s as if the belt which girds up our clothes is loosened so that we become encumbered. The Christian who is girded with truth is free (John 8:32).
