Helmet of Salvation
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Helmet of Salvation
Helmet of Salvation
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
“The helmet of salvation.”
instructs us to put on the whole armor of God and to “take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”
instructs us to put on the whole armor of God and to “take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” When a soldier suited up for battle, the helmet was the last piece of armor to go on. It was the final act of readiness in preparation for combat. A helmet was vital for survival, protecting the brain, the command station for the rest of the body. If the head was badly damaged, the rest of the armor would be of little use.
When a soldier suited up for battle, the helmet was the last piece of armor to go on. It was the final act of readiness in preparation for combat. A helmet was vital for survival, protecting the brain, the command station for the rest of the body.
If the head was badly damaged, the rest of the armor would be of little use.
Soldiers wore helmets because a blow to the head could be fatal.
Only a human being can think and express thoughts in an organized, verbal, and articulate way. Only a human being can state his thoughts in terms of music or mathematics, physics or philosophy, anthropology or astronomy.
The head has to be protected at all costs.
God gives us a helmet to protect our thoughts from Satanic influence and interference.
Satan usually goes after the mind. Paul told his friends at Corinth that “the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not” ().
4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
2 cor
The protection God gives us from Satan’s deceptions, denials, and distortions is the helmet of salvation. Without this protection, our thinking—brilliant as it may be—is open to the damning influence of Satan’s rulers of darkness.
Apart from God’s salvation, man cannot reach correct conclusions about psychological, social, philosophical, and spiritual phenomena.
He can orbit spacecraft and journey to the moon. He can split atoms and tinker with the genetic code. But sin impairs his thinking about his relationship to God and his fellows. His first sin separated him from God. His second sin separated him from man.
key - Satan tries to ensure that he is kept in bondage and blindness in both relationships.
14 Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place.
14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
Satan’s lies are diabolically clever.
Satan’s deceptions appeal to the unregenerate mind.
Satan would like to undermine our belief in the Bible as the inspired, inerrant, and infallible Word of God.
He would like to distort our doctrines so that we base our beliefs on erroneous or inadequate hermeneutical processes.
He would like us to think wrong thoughts about God the Father, the Holy Spirit, and the Lord Jesus.
He would like us to be mistaken about the plan of salvation and the daily practice of Christianity.
He would like us to espouse cultist absurdities. Get off track chasing the latest conspiracy theory while failing to witness to one soul.
He would like us to dilute God’s demands that we be like Jesus—that we be holy, loving, joyous, peaceful, patient, kind, and self-controlled.
He would like us to emphasize service at the expense of worship.
He would like us to dilute God’s demands that we be like Jesus—that we be holy, loving, joyous, peaceful, patient, kind, and self-controlled. He would like us to emphasize service at the expense of worship. He would like us to be occupied with the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches so that we lose sight of the world to come. He would like us to lower our standards and allow the world to pour us into its mold, or go to the other extreme and mistake isolation for separation. Satan has ten thousand wiles—all aimed at influencing what we think.
He would like us to be occupied with the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches so that we lose sight of the world to come.
He would like us to lower our standards and allow the world to pour us into its mold, or go to the other extreme and mistake isolation for separation.
Satan has ten thousand wiles—all aimed at influencing what we think.
As we put on the helmet of salvation and learn to appreciate its worth, we will use it to test all our thoughts.
1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
There are several actions a believer can take to keep this helmet fastened and functioning:
For instance, the thought that a certain movie would be good to watch or a certain book would be good to read may enter your mind. Before you translate that thought into action, you will test it with the helmet of salvation. Would watching that movie or reading that book be consistent with living a holy life, with becoming more like Jesus? Would the philosophies and ideas presented win the approval of God? We have to see or read some things in order to be stirred to holy indignation and wrath. We need to hear some arguments so that we can study them and refute them. But these subjects must be allowed to occupy our minds only with the Holy Spirit’s approval.
We must always remember that the mind is Satan’s domain. He goes after the mind to influence our thoughts, words, and deeds. God goes deeper; He goes after the heart. Because our minds are vulnerable, they must be protected by God’s salvation. The more we wear the helmet of salvation, the more we will think about the things of God, fill our minds and memories with God’s Word, and dwell on the enormous cost of our salvation and its ramifications in our lives. Therefore, the more we wear the helmet, the more we will be protected against Satan’s lures and lies.[1]
I Assurance of Salvation
I Assurance of Salvation
27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: 28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. 29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.
The assurance of salvation is our impenetrable defense against anything the enemy throws at us.
28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
God’s salvation is an ongoing, eternal state that His children enjoy in the present. It is daily protection and deliverance from our sin nature and Satan’s schemes.
Jesus said, “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell” (). The idea in this verse is that, as we prepare for Satan’s attacks, we must grab that helmet and buckle it on tightly. Salvation is not limited to a one-time act of the past or even a future hope. God’s salvation is an ongoing, eternal state that His children enjoy in the present. It is daily protection and deliverance from our sin nature and Satan’s schemes.
The assurance of salvation is our impenetrable defense against anything the enemy throws at us. Jesus said, “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell” (). The idea in this verse is that, as we prepare for Satan’s attacks, we must grab that helmet and buckle it on tightly. Salvation is not limited to a one-time act of the past or even a future hope. God’s salvation is an ongoing, eternal state that His children enjoy in the present. It is daily protection and deliverance from our sin nature and Satan’s schemes.
We must learn to keep our helmets buckled so that his fiery missiles do not lodge in our thoughts and set us on fire. Through this helmet of salvation, we can “destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ” ().
5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
II Renew our Minds
II Renew our Minds
There are several actions a believer can take to keep this helmet fastened and functioning:
1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Renew our minds. Our minds are battlefields. The outcomes of those battles determine the course of our lives. instructs us to renew our minds by allowing the truth of God’s Word to wipe out anything contrary to it.
1. Renew our minds. Our minds are battlefields. The outcomes of those battles determine the course of our lives. instructs us to renew our minds by allowing the truth of God’s Word to wipe out anything contrary to it.
conforming to this world.
A holy lifestyle
We should be transformed
Old ideas, opinions, and worldviews must be replaced.
A biblical worldview
We must allow God’s truth to continually wash away the world’s filth, lies, and confusion from our minds and adopt God’s perspective.
We must allow God’s truth to continually wash away the world’s filth, lies, and confusion from our minds and adopt God’s perspective.
III Reject Doubts
III Reject Doubts
6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
11 Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it. 12 For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil. 13 And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good?
the faith life
Human beings are sensory creatures. What we cannot fathom with our five senses, we tend to disregard. If we allow them to, circumstances may convince us that God does not really love us or that His Word is not true. It is impossible to have faith and doubt at the same time. God rewards our faith. With the helmet of salvation firmly in place, we can choose to believe what appears impossible (; ).
Human beings are sensory creatures. What we cannot fathom with our five senses, we tend to disregard.
Human beings are sensory creatures. What we cannot fathom with our five senses, we tend to disregard. If we allow them to, circumstances may convince us that God does not really love us or that His Word is not true. It is impossible to have faith and doubt at the same time. God rewards our faith. With the helmet of salvation firmly in place, we can choose to believe what appears impossible (; ).
If we allow them to, circumstances may convince us that God does not really love us or that His Word is not true.
It is impossible to have faith and doubt at the same time.
God rewards our faith. With the helmet of salvation firmly in place, we can choose to believe what appears impossible (; ).
IV An Eternal Perspective.
IV An Eternal Perspective.
2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.
20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
When life crashes in around us, we must remember to look up. Our salvation is the most precious gift we have received. Keeping our eyes on that can help us weather life’s storms. We can choose to live our lives by the motto “If it doesn’t have eternal significance, it’s not important” (see ; ).
When life crashes in around us, we must remember to look up. Our salvation is the most precious gift we have received. Keeping our eyes on that can help us weather life’s storms. We can choose to live our lives by the motto “If it doesn’t have eternal significance, it’s not important” (see ; ).
11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; 13 Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.
When life crashes in around us, we must remember to look up. Our salvation is the most precious gift we have received. Keeping our eyes on that can help us weather life’s storms. We can choose to live our lives by the motto “If it doesn’t have eternal significance, it’s not important” (see ; ).
Remember that victory is already accomplished. When we consider ourselves “dead to sin but alive to God” (), we eliminate many of the opportunities Satan uses to entrap us.
17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
9 Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.
When choosing sin is no longer an option for us because we recognize ourselves to be “new creatures” (; ), we effectively cut off many avenues of failure.
When choosing sin is no longer an option for us because we recognize ourselves to be “new creatures” (; ), we effectively cut off many avenues of failure.
As we wear the helmet of salvation every day, our minds become more insulated against the suggestions, desires, and traps the enemy lays for us. We choose to guard our minds from excessive worldly influence and instead think on things that honor Christ (). In doing so, we wear our salvation as a protective helmet that will “guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus” (; cf. ; ).