The helmet of salvation has a key function: to defend against Satan and His Demons.
Since Paul is addressing believers, putting on the helmet of salvation cannot refer to receiving Christ as Savior. The only ones who can take up any piece of God’s armor, and the only ones who are involved in this supernatural struggle against Satan and his demon forces, are those who are already saved.
The fact that the helmet is related to salvation indicates that Satan’s death blows are directed at the believer’s head, which represents the believer’s security and assurance in Christ.
Discouragement, Despair and Doubt
The key weapons used by Satan in attacks to the head include discouragement, despair and doubt.
To discourage us Satan points to our failures, our sins, our unresolved problems, our poor health, or to whatever else seems negative in our lives in order to make us lose confidence in the love and care of our heavenly Father. When we do not know who we are in Christ and are not on sure footing with Him this often brings despair. Despair can quickly turn into doubt.
Doubts about one’s salvation and about the truths of God are the worst sort of doubting for a believer. If a believer doubts God's goodness or dependability, or if his relation to God seems uncertain, he has little ground for hope and therefore no protection from discouragement, despair and doubt. The person who thinks he has nothing worthwhile to look forward to has no reason to fight, work, or live responsibly. This is why we must put on the helmet of ssalvation.
Key Aspects of Salvation
There are several aspects about salvation that the believer must know and hid in his heart to be used in times of discouragement, despair and doubt.
First
Trusting in Jesus Christ immediately saves from the penalty of sin. For believers, this first aspect of salvation, which is justification, is in the past. It was accomplished the moment we trusted in Christ, and that particular act of faith need never be repeated, because we are secure in our Father’s hands—from whom we can never be snatched (John 10:28-29). We are forever saved from condemnation (Rom. 8:1).
Second
The second aspect of salvation, which issanctification, involves our life as we live on earth, during which time we experience a measure of freedom from the dominating power of sin. Being now under God’s grace, sin no longer has mastery or dominion over us; we are no longer sin’s slave but God’s (Rom. 6:14,18-22). Christ’s death saved us once and for all from sin’s penalty, and His life within us now is saving us day to day from sin’s power and mastery. Even when we fall and fail and sin, which we all do, God's sanctifying grace is saving us.
Third
The third aspect of salvation is in the future, the aspect of glorification, when we shall one day be saved altogether and forever from sin’s presence. Looking forward to that glorious time, John says, "Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we shall be. We know that, when He appears, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him just as He is" (1 John 3:2). To be like God is to be without sin. We rejoice that this aspect of our salvation "is nearer than when we believed" (Rom. 13:11).
Fourth
Hope is the final aspect of salvation; that is the real strength of the believer’s helmet of salvation. If we lose hope in the future promise of salvation, there can be no security in the present. This, no doubt, is why Paul calls this same piece of armor "the helmet" which is "the hope of salvation" (1 Thess. 5:
. "Having the first fruits of the Spirit," Paul explains in Romans, "even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. For in hope we have been saved" (8:23-24).The helmet of salvation is that great hope of final salvation that gives us confidence and assurance that our present struggle with Satan will not last forever and we will be victorious in the end. We know the battle is only while in this life, and even a long earthly life is no more than a split second compared to eternity with our Lord in heaven.
We Will Not Lose the Battle
If we keep on the helmet of salvation we are not in a battle or race we can lose. We have no purgatory to face, no uncertain hope that our own continued efforts or those of our loved ones and friends will perhaps some day finally make us acceptable to God. We know that whom God "predestined, these He also called; and whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified" (Rom. 8:30). There is not the loss of a single soul from predestination to justification to sanctification to glorification. That is God’s unbroken and unbreakable chain of salvation (cf. John 6:39-40; 10:27-30).
Hamlet of Salvation
When the hamlet of our salvation is in place, we can rejoice. If necessary, we may be distressed by various trials for a period of time on this earth so that our faith may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Our faith may even be tested by fire. Even though we have not seen Jesus, we love him, and though we do not see him now, we believe in him. We greatly rejoice in obtaining as an outcome of our faith, the salvation of our souls. Our time here on earth is short compared to spending eternity with Him.
That is salvation, which is our helmet. Our Helmet of Salvation is our certain prospect of heaven, our ultimate salvation, which we have as an anchor for and firm foundation for our soul.
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