Ephesians 6:14

14 Stand firm therefore, ¹HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and HAVING ²PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS,

Ephesians 6:14 Meaning and Commentary

Ephesians 6:14

Stand therefore
Keep your ground, do not desert the army, the church of Christ, nor his cause; continue in the station in which you are placed, keep your post, be upon your watch, stand upon your guard:

having your loins girt about with truth;
by which is meant the Gospel, and the several doctrines of it; see ( Ephesians 1:13 ) ( 4:15 ) ; and to have the loins girt with it, shows, that it should be near and close to the saints, and never departed from; and that it is a means of keeping them close to God and Christ, and of strengthening them against the assaults and attacks of Satan; and is of great use in the Christians' spiritual conflict with their enemies; the girdle is a part of armour, and so considerable as sometimes to be put for the whole, ( Isaiah 5:27 ) ; and here it is mentioned in the first place:

and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
in allusion to ( Isaiah 59:17 ) , meaning not works of righteousness done by men, though these are a fence when rightly used against the reproaches and charges of the enemy, as they were by Samuel, ( 1 Samuel 12:3 ) , but rather the graces of faith and love, ( 1 Thessalonians 5:8 ) , though faith has another place in the Christian armour, afterwards mentioned; wherefore it seems best to understand this of the righteousness of Christ, which being imputed by God, and received by faith, is a guard against, and repels the accusations and charges of Satan, and is a security from all wrath and condemnation.

Ephesians 6:14 In-Context

12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.

13 Therefore , take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.

14 Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS,

15 and having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE;

16 in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

Cross References

• 1. Isaiah 11:5; Luke 12:35; 1 Peter 1:13
• 2. Isaiah 59:17; Romans 13:12; Ephesians 6:13; 1 Thessalonians 5:8