Philip Schaff's Popular Commentary (4 vols)

Ephesians 6:14

Ephesians 6:14. Stand therefore. Stand ready for the fight, as the description of the armor indicates; others include the thought of standing in the fight. Standing victorious is the result, but is not referred to here.

Having girt your loins with truth. Putting on the girdle was the first act in arming. ‘An ungirded soldier would be a contradiction in terms' (Meyer). In the East, where flowing robes are worn, the girdle is necessary, and in the case of a soldier, it not only kept the armor in place, but covered some of the most vulnerable parts of the body. It was also used to support the sword. In the Christian, armor ‘truth' is the girdle. By this is not meant the word of God, which is mentioned in Ephesians 6:17, nor sincerity, nor mere truthfulness (in the sense of telling the truth); nor does the figure suggest a mere ornament. It refers to the state of heart answering to God's truth, the agreement of our convictions with what God has revealed. It is based on faith; ‘and indeed without faith no attempt will be made to put on the armor.

Having put on the breastplate of righteousness. The breastplate was in many respects the most important piece of defensive armor, since it protected the heart and lungs. ‘Righteousness' here cannot mean our own righteousness, but that which God provides, since the whole armor is from Him. But righteousness from Him is both imputed and inwrought; He both justifies and sanctifies His people. Both are probably included here, but more particularly the moral purity wrought in us by the Spirit of God, which has as its necessary basis God's accounting us righteous for Christ's sake.

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Philip Schaff's Popular Commentary (4 vols)

Ephesians 6:14

Old Testament

New Testament