The LXX translates faithfulness by aletheia, "truth", and reins by pleuras, "the sides"

or loins. Here is the girdle of truth.

Here is the breastplate of righteousness and the helmet of salvation.

Here are the feet shod with preparation of the good tidings of peace.

Here is the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God.

"Truth" in the O.T. often stands for God's faithfulness. Here is the shield of faith.

Satan did not commence operations in Eph. 6:, neither did God wait until Eph. 6:

before providing His people with the panoply of God. Eve must have laid aside the

armour when attacked by the Devil. She tampered with truth; she entertained doubts of

God's faithfulness; she failed to quench the fiery darts of the wicked, and she handled

the sword of the Spirit deceitfully.

Let us notice some features that come into prominence by this twofold arrangement.

The breastplate and the helmet (heart and head).--There is no more vital connection

in either law or gospel than that of righteousness and salvation. A salvation that had not

righteousness as its basis would be useless in the conflict with the evil one. This is why

in II Cor. 6: 7 Paul calls the whole armour "the armour of righteousness". The

breastplate and the helmet are brought together in I Thess. 5: 8, where the breastplate is

"faith and love", and the helmet "the hope of salvation".

The shoes and the sword (feet and hands).--Both speak of a message. Once the

gospel of peace, the other a word of war. The idea conveyed by the word "preparation"

seems to be that of a firm footing, the word being sometimes used for a "base" in the

70: We must fully understand peace if we would succeed in war. The peace here