The first piece of the armor that Paul referred to is the belt worn by the soldier. The belt is important as it held all his clothing together. The Roman soldier wears a one-piece tunic over his inner garment and this is generally a loose-fitting piece; hence he would need to wear a belt over the tunic so as not to expose his modesty as well as not tripping over it as he moved.
Something else that is interesting with the belt that the Roman soldier wore over his tunic - it is a leather belt wrapped around his waist with extension pieces dropping down to cover his private areas.
Ephesians 6:14 - Paul likened the belt as truth that holds everything tightly together and at the same time it is the truth that will protect the dignity of the believer. What is this truth? one may ask. Jesus died on the cross bearing all our sins and because He died, by faith we have also died with Him and hence all our sins have been forgiven. Since all our sins had been settled by the judicious death of our Savior, there is therefore no condemnation for us in Christ (Romans 8:1).
Had the truth been known to everyone who believes in Jesus as his/her personal Lord and Savior, there would not be so much misery and guilt feeling by Christians who are not conscious of the efficacy and full benefits of the Savior's death and resurrection.
Hence, by associating truth with the belt that upholds the modesty of the wearer, Paul is reminding us that we need not have any guilt feelings as all our sins have been forgiven and no condemnation hangs over us even in moments when we fail (especially when we fall). All we need to do in such moments is to pick ourselves up, thank the Savior for His grace (unmerited favor) and move on.
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