The Truth Revealed in Scripture
A Sermon on Ephesians 6:14
Originally preached Feb. 25, 1962
Scripture
14Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
Sermon Description
In Ephesians 6:14, Paul calls believers to have “loins girded by truth.” What is this truth? In this sermon on Ephesians 6:14 titled “The Truth Revealed in Scripture,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explains it is not subjective feelings or opinions, but doctrine. Proclamation is a chief means by which Christians are to lay hold of doctrine. A sermon is meant to bring out the doctrine. There cannot be proclamation without exposition, but one can have expositional analysis without proclamation. The doctrine of salvation is the great message of truth about which the whole Bible is concerned. This message of salvation, the truth with which one is to gird themselves, is found most clearly in the Epistles. The main function of the Gospels and the book of Acts is to attest the person of Jesus Christ, not to expound doctrine, though it is implied. All the Reformers have spent most of their time in the Epistles. The truth Paul refers to begins, but doesn’t stop, with belief in God, worship and Christian living. It is the whole plan and scheme of salvation. How are Christians to be strong and withstand the wiles of the devil, as Paul says? By taking hold of the whole doctrine and the whole message of salvation, not just bits and pieces, and applying it to their lives.
Sermon Breakdown
- The apostle Paul instructs Christians to "stand, therefore, having your loins girt about with truth." This means Christians must know the truth in order to stand against the devil.
- The truth is found in the Bible, specifically the New Testament epistles. The gospels and Acts establish who Jesus is, but the epistles explain the meaning and implications of Jesus's life, death, and resurrection.
- The truth is not a vague message of goodness or morality. It is the specific doctrines of salvation explained in the epistles.
- The truth includes doctrines like God's eternal purpose, the person and work of Christ, the work of the Holy Spirit, justification by faith alone, the believer's present position, the possibility of assurance, the church, God's promises, future hope, the reality of the devil, and how to overcome him.
- The truth forms a coherent system of doctrine. It is not just collecting fragments of comforting verses or appealing to the will. Systematic study of doctrine is required.
- Knowing the truth is required to stand against the devil. When the devil tempts or accuses, the believer can respond with the truth.
- The truth leads to strength, joy, light, and victory. It is essential for the Christian life.
Sermon Q&A
What Does It Mean to Have Your Loins Girt About with Truth? Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones Explains
What does Lloyd-Jones mean by having your loins girt about with truth from Ephesians 6:14?
According to Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, having your "loins girt about with truth" means being equipped with a comprehensive understanding of Christian doctrine. This isn't merely a superficial knowledge of Bible stories or verses, but rather a deep grasp of the entire system of salvation revealed in Scripture. Lloyd-Jones explains that this truth is like a girdle that strengthens the most powerful part of a person (the loins), enabling them to stand firm against spiritual attacks.
Why is knowing truth important in spiritual warfare?
Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that understanding truth is essential for spiritual warfare because:
"It is only by being steadfast in the faith that we can successfully resist the devil who is ever prowling around waiting to attack us. And it's a very wonderful thing that though he has the power and the ability and the strength of a roaring lion, we can successfully resist him. Yes, but only on condition that we are steadfastly in the faith, only on condition that we have our lines girt about with this thing which he calls the truth."
Without this foundation, Christians will be easily defeated by the devil's schemes and temptations.
Where does Lloyd-Jones say we find the fullest expression of Christian truth?
While the entire Bible contains truth, Lloyd-Jones makes a significant point that the fullest expression of Christian truth is found particularly in the epistles of the New Testament:
"If you want to know what this truth is that you've got to gird about, I say it's something that you find most plainly and clearly in the New Testament epistles. Now, why do I draw a distinction between them and the gospels and the acts? Well, for this reason, the main function of the gospels and the book of the acts of the Apostles is to attest the person of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ."
He explains that while the Gospels and Acts primarily focus on presenting Christ's person and establishing that He is the Son of God, the epistles elaborate and develop the full doctrine of salvation.
What does the truth that we should put on include, according to Lloyd-Jones?
According to Lloyd-Jones, the truth includes:
- God's eternal purpose and predestination
- The person and work of Christ, especially the meaning of His death
- The work of the Holy Spirit in applying Christ's work to believers
- The doctrine of justification by faith alone
- The believer's position and standing before God
- The nature of the church
- The assurance of salvation
- The promises of God and the Christian's future hope
- Knowledge about the devil and his strategies
Lloyd-Jones summarizes: "It's a system of truth. It's a body of divinity. It's a great system, if you like, of theology."
What does Lloyd-Jones say truth is NOT?
Lloyd-Jones is clear that the truth is not:
- "Merely some general message about goodness and morality"
- Not just "reverence for life" as some claim
- Not merely "a general message about religion"
- Not "some kind of sentimental comfort"
- Not "constant appeals for decisions" without substance behind them
- Not "a mere acquaintance with the letter of the scripture" without understanding
He states: "It is possible for us to have a knowledge of the Bible in a literary, in a grammatical sense, which still leaves us ignorant of the truth."
How does knowing truth help Christians resist the devil?
Lloyd-Jones explains that knowing truth provides a foundation that doesn't shake when attacked:
"You've got to have a rock beneath your feet. You've got to have a foundation that'll never shake. Let everything be shaking everywhere in the whole universe. You've got your feet on this. You're in God's eternal purpose. Nothing can shake it."
He adds that when the devil attacks, Christians must "Answer him with your doctrine. And it's in that way and that way only that we shall ever be able to be strong and able to withstand the wiles of the devil."
The more comprehensive our understanding of doctrine, the better equipped we are to stand firm against spiritual attacks.
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.