The Helmet of Salvation

The Helmet of Salvation

(Ephesians 6:17)
 

How the facts and truths of salvation become a defense against the attacks against the enemy.

 

 

There is much talk today in military circles about the merits of a missile defense system to protect America from incoming nuclear attacks. That type of radar-based system serves as a modern parallel to the ancient battle shield. In order to function properly as a shield, a missile defense system must be in place at all times; the moment it is turned off is the moment of vulnerability for an entire nation. In the same way, faith must be exercised continually. To lower the shield of faith is to invite the attack of the enemy.

 

Do you ever feel your life is empty and you need to stay busy? If so, you are a target for the enemy.Satan is in the business of waging a battle for the possession and control of your mind. His purpose is to corrupt or confuse you, whether through false teaching or through the world's value system, so that it is impossible for you to think about God and His purposes. That's why it is very important to examine the meaning behind Paul's statement that, as believers, we protect our minds with the helmet of salvation. Through Christ we can have victory in the area of the mind---many of his battles where the devil fights ---since the Lord Christ is our helmet. He is the girdle (belt) of truth, for He is the Way and the Truth, and the Life. He is the breastplate, for He is our righteousness. He becomes our shoes of peace, for He is our peace. He is the shield of faith, for He is the author and finisher of our faith. And He is the helmet of salvation, for we are told in the Bible that we have the mind of Christ.

 

 

Picturing the Helmet of Salvation

 

The helmet, which is the covering for our head, reminds us that Christ wants us to equip ourselves with His purposes, His plans, His thoughts, His concepts, His truth, and His revelation, so that we can stand victorious in the midst of the fury of Satan's attacks.  I believe the spiritual battle is fought in the mental arena more than any other place in life. We love the Lord, but if we aren't careful the devil can enter our thinking process, set up an outpost, and begin to influence other areas of our life.

The helmet of salvation is more than simply knowing that we are Christians. When we put on the helmet we are literally equipping ourselves with the wisdom of God resident in the person of Jesus Christ. We to take unto ourselves God's wisdom.

 

 

It is Personified in Jesus Christ

 

"But to those called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God... But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God---and righteousness and sanctification and redemption" (1Corinthians 1:24,30). Notice the progression in those words. Not only are we saved by God's wisdom, we are also given God's wisdom. We are also made right with God and actually participate in His righteousness. On top of all that, we receive sanctification from God and He gives to us His great redemption. All of this is because of the person of Christ. As we encompass the Lord and "put on" Jesus Christ, He becomes to us our wisdom. The helmet is personified in Jesus Christ. He is our helmet of salvation.

 

It is a Prerequisite to Any Kind of Ministry

 

In Santo Domingo, motor scooter riders do not wear a helmet because it is not required in the Dominican Republic. It is estimated that there are between 20-25 deaths a day in Santo Domingo alone. Many deaths would be prevented by wearing a helmet. When you go into spiritual battle as a minister of Jesus Christ, the helmet is not optional. You simply must wear it. You have to think like Christ. In the sixth chapter of Acts, when they were establishing the prerequisites for deacons, they decided, "Seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the holy Spirit and wisdom." Wisdom is a prerequisite to ministry.

 

                                           It is the Power of God in Your Life

 

If you don't have the helmet, you don't have power. Paul said in 1Corinthians 2:3-5, "I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God." He did not go to the church in Corinth with his own concepts or his own program. He went equipped with the mind of God and that gave him power.

 

 

It is Produced by Reading the Word of God

 

You gain God's wisdom through spending time with Him in His Word. That is why Paul could say to Timothy in 2 Timothy 3:15, "And from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation." Young Timothy became wise by spending time in the Word. You are never going to have the wisdom of Christ if you don't spend time reading the Bible. It won't come any other way. The Bible is God's message...His truth for us. It is the best way to come to know Him and know His mind.

 

 

 It is Possible Through Prayer

 

How can you get the helmet of salvation? How can you gain the wisdom of God for your Christian life? You have to ask God for it. The Bible says in James 1:5, "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to everyone liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him." The helmet of salvation which is the protection of the wisdom of God, is available to every believer. It is a prerequisite for anyone wanting to do ministry, and it is possible to obtain through prayer and the reading of the Word of God.

 

Practicing the Helmet of Salvation 

 

The key to all this is knowing  how to use the helmet of salvation. The whole system of apologetics and education came as a result of the recognition that Christians were being sent out into the world ill-equipped in the mental arena to do battle with Satan. The power of  ideas change the world. It was the power of an idea that caused communism to be established, and the power of an idea that swept it out. The power of ideas empowered Hitler and Stalin, just as they empowered Luther and Augustine.

We have never been in a place where we more sorely needed men and women thoroughly equipped with Christian minds, ready to do battle in the spiritual arena. The battle is raging and we risk losing if we do not have champions for God that are determined to be every bit as equipped in the disciplines of the gospel as the greatest scientist in his discipline.

 

 

Defending Ourselves in a Hostile World

 

 

The mind of Christ is not in accord with the mind of the world. Rather, it is in opposition to it. The world is hostile toward what you think and believe when you follow Christ. There is no place where that was more evident than in the early days when the apostles went out to champion the cause of the Gospel. Jesus promised in Matthew 10:18-19, "You will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. But when they deliver you up do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given you in that hour what you should speak."  These verses describe how the believer functions with the helmet of salvation in place. Jesus said that there will be times in your Christian life when you will be caught in a hostile situation with no time to prepare. You won't have an opportunity to pull out your apologetics text, so you will trust the Lord because you have equipped yourself with the mind of Christ. In that moment, as you are being attacked by enemy forces, you don't have to worry because God will give you the right words to say.

 

Today we need to be so equipped because we cannot walk into the world without any answers. Too many Christians spend their lives on the defensive, running away from confrontation because they have not equipped themselves with the mind of Christ. We need believers who can embrace His truth and boldly communicate it to a lost world.



Taken from David Jeremiah's  study guide, Spiritual Warfare

 

Next will be "The Sword of the Spirit Which is the Word of God"



~Annie~