Ephesians 6:17 (NKJV) 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;
This week we are looking at the final piece of the full armor of God that we must put on. The last two pieces, the sword of the spirit and the shield of faith we carry. The helmet of salvation protects the most vital part of our spiritual anatomy. In the natural, we know that people have survived as paraplegics yet because their brain still functions they can live productive lives.
We have noted that in both the natural and spiritual realms connection of the head to the body is imperative to life. In the natural it goes without saying that one cannot live without a head! In the spirit, our head is Jesus Christ. A Christian has no real life if their connection to the head of the church is lost.
We have also seen that some capabilities that are vital in battle center in the head and the mind. We process information through our minds. Our minds are the center of our senses. If we are going to be successful in natural battle, we have to be able to gather and evaluate information. In the spirit we must be able to do the same thing but from a spiritual perspective. To do this we must maintain connection with our head, Jesus Christ.
Finally, we saw that the Roman helmet helped the soldier focus in battle. The helmet of salvation helps us focus in our spiritual battles. We are usually defeated by things that have little to do with the trial we are currently facing. The devil loves to distract us so we cannot bring the weapons of our warfare to bear against the real problem.
The helmet protects all of these things. Over the years, helmets have been made out of different materials. There are leather helmets. The roman era helmets were brass or bronze. In the two world wars of the twentieth century they were made of steel. Today they are made of things like Kevlar. This makes them much more capable of protecting the wearer against modern weapons. However, no matter how strong the natural helmet may be it can never protect against all of the potential threats it may face. This is not true of our spiritual helmet.
Our spiritual helmet is made out of the most powerful material available. This material is perfectly suited to protect our “head” spiritually. It is able to protect us against all that the enemy can bring against us. The only way our helmet can fail is if we do not put it on. As long as we wear our helmet, we are safe. This wonderful material that makes up our helmet is salvation in Christ Jesus.
The Greek word translated salvation in this scripture is the word sōtērion. Vines Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words defines this word as “all the blessings of God bestowed upon man in Christ Jesus.” It is an all-inclusive word that implies everything from healing and protection to the state of relationship with God that enables the believer to live eternally with the Lord. Sōtērion is the material from which our helmet is made.
How do I put on this helmet of salvation? I believe one of the most important things we must realize to be successful in our Christian walk is who we really are. People have identities. Those identities define how they live life.
Some people’s identity is determined by what they do. For instance a doctor does not “do” doctor. He is a doctor. Some people are defined by their wealth or lack of wealth. A person “is” rich or they “are” poor. A person’s identity is often determined by life experience. A person may be a victim or a victor depending on how they have handled the trials of life.
If these identities are simply how others see us, it may not be a problem. However, when we take our identity from something outward whether good or bad, it is a problem. That identity becomes our helmet and it usually isolates us and makes us more vulnerable, not less.
We have found that the Greek word for helmet means to encircle the head. Our identity encircles our thinking, our emotions, our reactions and our relationship with the head of the Church, Jesus Christ. If you have had a difficult time in some area and you let that define you, it will affect how you evaluate information and how your senses function. It will determine your emotional responses and your ability to walk in faith, love and holiness.
Since the only thing that can render the helmet of Salvation ineffective is not putting it on, I ask again, how do we put on the helmet of salvation. We put it on by taking salvation as our identity. When asked about his or her spiritual condition, a Christian might say, “I am born again.” “I am a Christian.” is also acceptable. There is another response that I used to hear more than I do now. “I am saved!”
We do not have “saved.” Saved is not a theological or philosophical position. Saved is not a process by which I am able to live forever. When I received Jesus as my Lord and Savior, I became a new creature in Christ. I was saved at that encounter. Now I am saved. That is my identity. All other identities are subject to that.
That is not to say that all other identities are wrong. I am a husband. That is an identity to me. I am a father and grandfather. I cherish those identities. I am a minister of the Gospel. That is an identity I take seriously and it certainly defines a great part of whom I am. However, if any of these identities become more important than my identity as “saved” I will not have my helmet securely in place.
Let me use marriage as an example. It used to mean something when a man was confronted with temptation from a woman and he said to her, “I am a married man!” That statement was enough to say that he was not going to fall for the temptation. The door was closed because his identity was “married man.”
Marriage is not just something I did it is something I became. I do not have married I am married. I am marred until the day I die. When I am tempted and my flesh wants to give in, I put a stop to that immediately. “I am married.” That is the end of the discussion. The temptation has nowhere to land because I immediately override it with my identity or “helmet” of marriage.
The same process and principle applies to salvation. I must accept that salvation is my identity. All other identities and desires are subject to that. When the devil says I am a victim I put on my helmet and say, “I am not a victim I am saved!” When the devil tries to tell me I am still a sinner, I tell him, “No I am not I am saved!” In any trial or challenge of life, I will be protected as long as I keep the helmet of salvation in place. I AM SAVED!
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