Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 1:13
Our text is using a picture of a Roman soldier taking all the necessary precautions against injury. The soldier would gird up, or enclose in protective gear, those parts of the body that need protection, in this case the sensitive loins, or groin, area. Being properly girded up, the soldier could safely stand at guard or perform whatever duties were required of him. Interestingly, some of the modern-language versions of the Bible – the ESV and the NIV for example – rewrite this first expression in our text as ‘prepare your mind for action’. But the Greek words used in the original have nothing to do with either preparing or action. So those versions are inaccurate, reflecting merely the ideas of the version creators and not the intent of holy inspiration. The term ‘mind’ refers to our mental capacity and our thoughts. It is vital that we as soldiers of Jesus Christ have our minds protected from attack or injury. How do we do that?
The same picture of a soldier properly and safely attired for duty is contained in Ephesians 6 where Paul describes the Christian’s armour: ‘Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore having your loins girt about with truth…’ (Ephesians 6:13-14) The greatest protection and preservative that our minds can have is the truth. That is why we read the Bible; it is always true. If we keep our minds occupied with the word of God, the devil’s lies and distractions will have little room to penetrate our minds. We also need to be careful about the other things that we read. There are many good books and other writings that will be beneficial for our minds because they do not contradict the Word of God. But there are other books and writings that are not always accurate, telling outright lies or just a part of the truth. These are a threat to our minds, leading us away from the truth and causing us to question or doubt the truth. Many good sermons are delivered by good men who make sure their words line up correctly with the Scriptures. The truth they deliver is good for our minds, unlike the damage that can be caused by men (and women) who deny the Word of God.
But the truth that guards our minds is more than just what we read and hear; it also includes what we say. Just as it is impossible for God to lie (Hebrews 6:18), so it should be impossible for God’s people to lie. We know how hard it is to be truthful all the time. But if we make it a personal priority to always speak the truth in every aspect of our lives, we will build up our minds in preserving power.
God would have our minds to be like that of the Lord Jesus (Philippians 2:5). We will be able to stand for Him in an evil day if we are protected by the truth. -Jim MacIntosh