Holding it Together

Verse 14a, chapter 6 in Eph. states "Stand, therefore, with truth like a belt around your waist". The legionnaire wore a belt called the "Balteus" also know as a "Cingulum". A Roman soldier would begin fitting out for battle with his tunic, which was red or white. This tunic was either sleeveless or sleeved depending on climate, and reached below the knee when unbelted. Once the balteus was put on it brought the tunic in close to the body at the waist and above the knees.


These belts were valuable possessions for the soldier, and was as ornate as one could afford. Belteus' were made of leather with metal medallions attached and often with a strap that went over the shoulder. The front had a apron, called the "sporran", was made of leather with medallions hanging over the groin, but these were more for decoration than protection. On the left side the soldier wore a dagger, with the right side holding the sheath for the "gladius" or short combat sword. Once the belteus was on,not only did the legionnaire have a platform to hang weapons from but it bound up the tunic. This allowed the soldier to maneuver freely, whether marching, running or in combat. The Belteus held the uniform together!

For Christians the "Belteus" is truth. God's Truth! It is unswerving, unmovable and more reliable than ANYTHING we can lean on. It is what holds the Holy Bible together from Genesis to The Revelations, and it is what holds us together. Just as in Roman armor, truth binds our "armor" together. It binds our "tunic"(our salvation) together and provides the "ornamental sporran" that draws the world's attention to our witness. Without God's truth nothing else in our uniform matters. God is God and He is truth. In John 1:14 we see that "The Word became flesh and took up residence among us. We observed His glory, the glory as the One and Only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth." and John 1:17 "for although the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ." We must believe in and trust in God's truth if we are going to dress for battle with the rest of His armor. Truth holds it together.

Photo's from http://www.legionxxiv.org/equipment/