The Helmet of Salvation

February 3, 2012 at 10:31 am | Posted in Bible Studies, I Thessalonians | 9 Comments
Tags: 1 Thessalonians 5, battle helmets, Christian soldiers, Ephesians 6, helmets, Isaiah 59, Revelation 3, spiritual warfare, World War II

If you have ever played or coached baseball or football – or even tee-ball or softball – then you know the importance of a helmet.

But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.

I Thessalonians 5:8 (emphasis added)

Christians are “of the day,” meaning that we live in the light of Jesus Christ. Our spiritual blindness has been cured and we’ve been given spiritual eyes to see the Truth. To be sober means to be serious and aware and alert and vigilant and on-guard. We can have fun in Christian ministry, but silliness is overrated and possibly dangerous when our enemy is not playing around.

For he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and an helmet of salvation upon his head; and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloke.

Isaiah 59:17 (emphasis added)

The act of wearing a helmet is an acknowledgment of humility. It goes against our human nature to hide our head when we “head” confidently into battle, or when we are sure we are going to perform well in a contest. We want everyone to see us because we look brave or tough. We want to let everyone see the face of the one who won the fight or scored the touchdown or hit the home run. But we did not earn the helmet of salvation or the right to wear it. Jesus wore it first and He wore it best. The helmet of salvation – when we put it on – helps us to look like Jesus: bold but meek; confident yet humble. The helmet covers the brain, which is where we are supposed to think like Jesus. A helmet can hinder the vision, but that’s okay. We need to look at the Cross, anyway, way more than we need to swivel our heads around to see every worldly attraction that passes by us.

When Satan somehow gets you to question the hope you have in Jesus, the helmet of salvation reminds you that Jesus can not lose. He has won you for Himself in fierce battle, and He can not lose you. You could lose “your” salvation if salvation was in fact yours. You could have your helmet taken away from you if the helmet of salvation had been given into your care because of something you did. But you can’t lose the salvation granted by Jesus, because it’s not yours, it’s His. The helmet of salvation is still available even if you’ve been neglecting to put it on. It is Jesus’s helmet, not yours. The helmet reminds you that Satan is wrong when he tells you God can’t keep you saved.

And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

Ephesians 6:17 (emphasis added)

“Taking” the helmet of salvation is not talking about taking God’s gift of eternal salvation itself. You have no helmet of salvation to put on if you are not saved, because the hope of salvation is Christ Himself. Unbelievers do not have access to any of the armor of God.

The Bible does not tell us that we have permission to put on the helmet of salvation. It does not tell us to pray about the helmet of salvation. It does not tell us to consider the helmet of salvation. It does not tell us to plan to put on the helmet of salvation when we’re ready. No, the Bible tells us to TAKE the helmet of salvation. It’s an order, a command. It’s an imperative: take it.

In World War II some of the soldiers in Europe stopped fastening the chin straps on their helmets because they were afraid that their helmet could be struck so hard that when it flew off, the chin strap would decapitate them. It turns out that the practice of having an unfastened chin strap had started off as a joke. The more-seasoned soldiers would tell the newly arriving recruits to do this, thinking that it would be like telling a rookie mechanic to go fetch a left-handed screwdriver. But pretty soon even the experienced soldiers started believing the myth.

As Christians, engaged in spiritual warfare, it would be a tragic mistake for us – having received the helmet of salvation – to refuse to take it and wear it securely. Many Christians have believed their misinformed fellow soldiers – their brothers and sisters in Christ – and they think that Satan will overcome anything good that God is doing in our life, so it would be better to try to hide and wait out the battle so as not to excite Satan’s attention. On the other hand there are people who attribute every difficult circumstance that comes into their lives as as a sign that they must be doing God’s will – otherwise Satan wouldn’t be attacking them. This is one of the dangers of not having the helmet of salvation safely secured around our thought processes as we go into battle. If I started selling illegal drugs on the street corner, there is little doubt that I would soon have a great deal of trouble come into my life – but I could hardly take that as a sign that I was doing God’s will!

There are times when God allows Christians to experience trouble or tribulation as a chastening experience. Chastening is a sign that God loves you, but that He wants you to learn from your mistakes.

As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.

Revelation 3:19

This is not a sign of approval, but of correction.

The helmet of salvation should give us security in battle, not fear. It guards our minds – the way we think. We need to be constantly thinking of the salvation granted to us by the Lord – not because we might slip up and lose it – but to remind us of the responsibility it entails.