Welcome to my randomized study & miscellaneous thoughts about the Awesome God of the universe, who He is and what He wants us to be.

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Arming For Spiritual Battles
The Full Armor of God
Part 5 - The Helmet of Salvation


Now we turn our attention to the Helmet of Salvation, of which Paul wrote in Ephesians 6:17, “And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION.” (NASB)

The soldier’s helmet was a cap made of thick leather, or brass, fitted to the head, and was usually crowned with a plume, or crest, as an ornament. Its use was to guard the head from a blow by a sword, or war-club, or battle-axe. From the descriptions of the Grecian armor, we find that on the crest and other parts of the helmet were displayed a great diversity of symbolic figures. It is very likely that the apostle Paul refers to helmets that had on them an emblematical representation of hope; namely, that the person should be safe who wore it, that he should be successful in all his actions, and escaping safely from battle. While a soldier may live on and even fight with wounds to his legs, arms and sometimes even his torso, a wound to the head may not only incapacitate the warrior but in worst case scenarios, cause immediate death. Head wounds can also cause one to lose the mental abilities to focus, concentrate, remember or communicate. While it is said that, “the life is in the blood,” it may also be said truthfully that “the direction is in the head.” While a brain-dead person may be kept on life support systems that continue to supply blood to the various organs, thus keeping the body “alive,” the person is not truthfully “alive.” Here we see the importance of the Helmet – the protection of the head or better yet, the mind, the intellect and the reasoning of man.

A better translation may be to “receive” the Helmet of Salvation. In the first letter to the Thessalonians, Paul says that we have “for a helmet, the hope of salvation.” (1 Thess 5:8) Hope has a very different meaning from what we use the word for in the normal sense of the word. When we say 'I hope it does not rain' the very sentence itself contains doubt and an expectation we cannot do anything about. Hope from the Bible's point of view is much more powerful. Hope is one of the three essentials. Listen to the following scripture.

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
1 Corinthians 13:13 NIV

Faith, hope and love are all essential. Faith is of the heart. God gives it to us. We may not entirely understand all that God does but we can still put our faith in Him. Hope on the other hand is of the mind. It covers the head. It is our helmet. A man can survive several days without food or water but take away hope and he will commit suicide immediately.

"a faith and knowledge resting on the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time, "
Titus 1:2-3 NIV

"if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant. "
Col 1:22-23 NIV

The above two scriptures help shed light on God's definition of hope. Our hope is based on the eternal life of God. Our hope is held out to us in the gospel. An understanding of what God has promised us brings us hope. God does not lie. Our hope is based on Him. A Christian with the helmet of the hope of salvation will not get confused with the fleeing pleasures of sin. Nor will they trade their birth right (salvation) for the temporary lusts of he world.

The hope that we Christians have rests firmly upon the salvation that we have received as a gift from our Heavenly Father. If that hope is well founded and secure, we will withstand Satan’s attacks and our soul will be comforted with the “peace that passes all understanding.” As Adam Clarke writes, “The hope of continual safety and protection, built on the promises of God, to which the upright follower of Christ feels he has a divine right, protects the understanding from being darkened, and the judgment from being confused by any temptations of Satan, or subtle arguments of the sophistical ungodly. He who carries Christ in his heart cannot be cheated out of the hope of his heaven.” In Genesis 3, we see that one of Satan’s favorite places to attack us is in our thinking. As he did with Adam and Eve, he tries to encourage us to feel doubt, fear, lust, jealousy, envy and to make strife. He desires to break the relationship between God and man, always has and always will.

The serpent said to the woman, "You surely will not die! For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."
Genesis 3:4-5 NASU

Thus, the Helmet of Salvation is available to every Christian. Being given, we ought to accept it. Clearly there is choice involved here. When a soldier goes out into battle and leaves the helmet in his sleeping quarters, it is only a matter of time before a piece of metal hits him in the head and he is injured or killed. There's also a difference between wearing a helmet and simply owning one.

An interesting comparison might be made with the prophetic promise of God in Genesis 3:15 where we are told that the seed of the serpent would bruise the heel of the seed of the woman; but the seed of the woman would crush the head of the seed of the serpent. Satan could hinder and oppose but not destroy the work of the divinely promised seed of the woman. But the seed of the woman, the virgin-born Savior, would crush the head of Satan. Thus, while our Savior purchases for us an eternal salvation, He will destroy the power of Satan. So the Lord provides a helmet for our life. He saves us from sin, Satan, self, death, and hell. There are many more things that we have been saved from, but these things make us think, causing us to remember Christ's faithfulness in each of our lives. It is an encouragement to us and builds up our hope.

It appears, however, that the helmet of salvation here refers to more than the matter of the eternal deliverance of our soul from hell and to heaven. The helmet of salvation is referenced here for those who belong to the Lord and who are called to stand up for the Lord in the battle against the deceiver and the rulers of the darkness of this world. Hence, the helmet of salvation here is referring also to the fact that when the saved are in the midst of the battle for truth and the deceit of Satan cunningly confuses, God has the right antidote for the redeemed. God protects the minds of those who belong to Him. There is a protective helmet for the minds of the redeemed! Whereas the unsaved mind is so easily led to distortion and doubt, the redeemed can fearlessly affirm the truth of God. We have the helmet of His salvation! God has given us the assurance of His reality and of His presence. He also provides us with clear understanding of what is right and how to pursue it as well as what is wrong and how to avoid it. We have the protective helmet of His salvation that protects us in the midst of the battle for truth.

In Philippians Chapter 4, we are urged to think of things that are: true, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy. This is because our thought lives are often destructive. Yet, we are told in Scripture that Christians have the mind of Christ (2 Cor. 2). Since we have it, shouldn't we start to think like it? Satan can (and does) use our thoughts against us. Then we turn around and act on those thoughts, often hurting others. The helmet is our main form of protection against the temptations of our own flesh and against the attacks of Satan.

Having right thoughts is our Helmet of Salvation. When we fail to wear this simple piece of armor, we are easy prey. It is almost a grim reminder at exactly how frail we are without God's protection. Notice how this particular piece of armor gets our thoughts off of ourselves and onto God? No longer are we being self-centered, even selfish, but godly. In having this mind of Christ, we are to take our thoughts as captives to make them obedient to Christ (2 Cor. 10). We are the guards! But notice that we are also called upon to make our thoughts obedient. We are also the guardians!

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of both knowledge and wisdom (Proverbs 1:9; 9:10). To begin at any other place than a faith commitment to the self-disclosure God has provided is to enter upon a futile effort of ever learning without coming to the knowledge of truth. God has provided us a protective armor from such futile pursuits. When Christianity comes into the life, the Spirit of God illumines the mind and an entirely new outlook exists. This new outlook, this Christian logic, provides proof positive of the new birth. So God protects our head and gives us life. He guards our thoughts and gives us light. God makes it possible for us to speak the truth amid the confusion of the world. God gives us the things we need to serve Him well. God makes it possible for us to stand in the midst of strife. We have a helmet... rely on it, use it. It is the hope of our salvation, our eternal destiny with God, that allows us to remain steadfast through the trials day by day, pressing on in the race until we reach the final destination.

Keep thinking on His majesty,
Dr. Larry
Enjoyed the 2003 PDC conference: visit PurposeDriven.com
scribbled with crayon by dr. larry at 12:11 AM (0) comments