Helmet of Salvation

In today’s world, helmets are mostly worn for riding bikes, skateboarding and jumping out of planes. In Paul’s world, Roman soldiers wore helmets to protect their heads from fatal blows during battle. Paul compared the helmet to salvation in Ephesians 6 because it is essential to protect the Christian mind from the fatal blows of doubts and thoughts of despair from Satan.

The doctrine of Salvation comes from the Greek verb, “sozo” which means to heal, to preserve, to save, to make whole and to deliver. Salvation, in the life of a believer, delivers them from the slavery to sin and gives the Christian mind the focus of eternal life and peace. Consider how you are guarding your mind against Satan’s attacks. Prayer and commitment to the memorization of Scripture is a big step in making sure that, as a believer, you are sound in your faith and know how to recognize the lies of the devil. Paul mentions the helmet of salvation again in 1 Thessalonians 5:8 and refers to it as the “hope of salvation.” Hope encourages the believer to not give in to the despairing thoughts of the enemy.

Also, take comfort that once a Christian is covered by the redemptive blood of Christ, nothing can ever remove his or her salvation. John 10:28-29 speaks of the finality of salvation, “And I [Jesus] give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.”

When Satan attacks with thoughts of doubt or falsehoods, Christians need to remember that they are no longer slaves to sin and are instead children of God, giving them the choice to reject the lies of Satan. The helmet of salvation should sit firmly on a Christian’s head, reminding him or her that “for though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh.” (2 Corin. 10:3)

With our helmets securely fastened, we can have the confidence needed to understand and endure the trials that we face. In Romans 8:18, Paul says, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” In order to share in Christ’s glory, we must share in his sufferings. Knowing that we have the hope and security of salvation can only give us perspective of what is to come.