ARMOUR OF GOD – Helmet of Salvation

Story of Meli falling off his bike.

And that reminds of me this next piece of armour in our Lockdown Lookup series of devotions that we have been looking at. So I want us to look at Ephesians 6:17. Paul writes and says “Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God. We are looking at the first part of that verse; “Take the helmet of salvation”.

Justin put it well yesterday in saying that Paul switched gears here from the first three pieces of armour (armour that you have in Christ they are fixed to your body) to the next three pieces of armour (are things you take up in each instance of battle). These are the ones you take up in going to battle. You pick up a helmet, your shield and sword and you go for battle.

So how does this apply understanding apply to taking the helmet of salvation?

Salvation is received as a gift from God and gives the protection that comes only from the Lord. We cannot ‘put it on;’ he puts salvation on us.  So what this passage is not saying is that we need to be saying the sinner’s prayer daily to accept Jesus. So this doesn’t talk about being saved again and again.

However, we do have to put on a helmet of salvation every day: and that is the helmet of the hope of salvation.

A good commentary of that statement is found in 1 Thess. 5:8 where Paul has been dealing with the subject of the Day of the Lord “But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet”. So as children of God we are admonished to live in light of our new identity in anticipating the Day of Lord. This is the state of mind we ought to have.

Putting on the helmet of salvation

So this helmet is the helmet of victory that has been achieved for us. We receive it as an assurance that the decisive battle has been fought and won on our behalf.

One of the biggest battlegrounds for us as Christians is the mind. The battle can be won or lost there. Just like in the battlefield, the rest of the armour can be pointless if the soldier has been destroyed in the head.

The devil plagues us with doubts daily. Our present battle with COVID-19 can place doubts in minds. The devil wants to put doubts on our salvation ultimately and injects worldly thoughts all the time Paul admonishing the Roman church in chapter 12:1-2 says “Do not conform to the pattern of the world but be transformed in the renewal of your mind.

Putting on the helmet of salvation we are continually living in hope because of what our salvation means. 

One commentator, Hope Bollinger  put it this way:

“We need to refresh our memory every day by staying in Scripture, pray during all circumstances, and remember who has the ultimate victory.”

Hope Bollinger

Satan wants to keep us trapped in the here and now. We see awful tragedies on the news, we encounter doubts, and we worry we’ve lost our salvation. But in times like that, we have to renew our trust in the Lord.

We have to remember that if he claims he will save us, and that we’ve put our trust in him, that he will not abandon us to Sheol (Psalm 16:10, Acts 2:27). 

Prayer:

A Prayer for Your Helmet of Salvation

Heavenly Father, salvation comes through you alone. Please give me the assurance that I am your child and that you will do all you have set out to do on earth. In this broken and dying world, remind me of your promises. Help me to renew my mind. Purge any thoughts that are not holy or not true, and equip me for the battlefield of today. Destroy any doubts that may cloud my mind and help me to keep my mind on the things of eternity, even amidst the worries of every day. I love you Lord, and am trusting in you today, tomorrow, and always. Amen.

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Activity for kids

(Click on the bold, underlined text in the activities below to go to the online link.)

1.       Whose hat/helmet is that?

Collect different hats or helmets from around the house, or find some pictures. Let your child say what each of those hats or helmets are used for, or who it belongs to. Explain that Roman soldiers’ helmets protected their heads, but they could also show whose army the soldiers belonged to and who they were fighting under. Explain that the ‘helmet of salvation’ shows who we are and belong to. When we put our trust in Jesus, we are no longer our own, but belong to God – he bought us at a price (Corinthians 6:19-20)! Find verses in the Bible that remind us of our identity in Christ and put them up around the house as reminders.

2.       Explore the brain:

Let your children explore facts about the brain, or share these with them (from FactSlides.com):

• When awake, the human brain produces enough electricity to power a small light bulb.    When you learn something new, the structure of your brain changes.
• We have more brain cells as a new born baby than we will ever have again in our lifetime.
•   You have about 70,000 thoughts a day.
•  The human brain has enough memory to hold three million hours of television.

Discuss why it is important to protect our brains. Also talk about how we need spiritual protection for our minds – the enemy wants us to believe lies about God and ourselves, so we need protection to believe God’s truth instead. Explain that the ‘helmet of salvation’ is the truth that we are saved by God’s grace through faith in Jesus. Memorise a verse about salvation as a family, like 1 Thessalonians 5:9 for example: ‘For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ’.

3.       Decorate a hat:

Let your child decorate an old cap or hat. You can also give each other interesting hairstyles! Discuss today’s devotion with your child, explaining what salvation is, how we are saved (Romans 10:9-10) and how the helmet of salvation protects us from the enemy’s lies.