But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation. 1 Thessalonians 5: 8. NKJV.
When I grew up, helmets were not a thing. Nobody wore helmets bike riding, and it was rare to see someone riding a motorcycle wearing one. I remember the first time I wore a helmet. My friend offered me a ride on his motorcycle and lent me his helmet. It felt huge, heavy and quite cumbersome. It seemed restrictive. Faster speeds, congested roadways, and statistics encouraged most state lawmakers to pass legislation requiring motorcyclists to wear helmets. It is for their own benefit. God’s Word doesn’t compel us to wear the helmet of salvation, but it is to our benefit if we do!
Roman helmets were a very critical part of their armor. That is an obvious statement, isn’t it? Craftsmen usually constructed them of brass or bronze. Later, they discovered that many were also made of iron. Each helmet, regardless of material, protected the wearer’s head. It covered the whole head, his face and even between the eyes. The New Living Translation says: Put on salvation as your helmet. What is there about “salvation” that is a head protection? Let’s break it down.
When we put on the helmet of salvation, we are declaring which side of the battle we are on. It is a declaration that we are willing to follow our Commander, no matter where He leads. This helmet shows the enemy and the world that we want to have a mind that is controlled by God and His thoughts. What did the serpent do to tempt Eve? He appealed to her thought realm. Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden? We can see Eve beginning to think…she answered truthfully, Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, the woman replied. It’s only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, You must not eat it, or even touch it; if you do, you will die.I think God made it pretty clear: don’t eat it. You won’t die! The serpent replied to the woman. God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil. The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Genesis 3:1-6. NLT. If God had controlled her mind, the serpent wouldn’t have beguiled her. Satan got her to swallow his lie, and she began to doubt God’s goodness. He is still using the same tactics, and unfortunately God’s people are still falling for it. She was deceived, and so we can be too.
In I Thessalonians 5:8, Paul tells us But let us who live in the light be clearheaded, protected by the armor of faith and love, and wearing as our helmet the confidence of our salvation. Reading through the Genesis passage made me stop and think, “Why do we think we can outsmart Satan?” The NKJV describes him as more cunning than any beast of the field, the NIV says he was “more crafty”; the Message has him “more clever”; but the Amplified may be the clearest: Now the serpent was more crafty (subtle, skilled in deceit) than any living creature of the field which Lord God had made. Genesis 3:1. My friends, do you really understand that without the Holy Spirit, we can’t fight him? That is humbling to admit, but he probably can outsmart us, but not when we are armored with the Armor of God.
We are humans, but we don’t wage war as humans do. We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:3-5. NLT. This takes the mind of Christ to be able to confront those worldly arguments. We can’t do it with our own minds. We must renew our minds as Romans 12:2 exhorts. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, and what is good and acceptable and perfect. Eve was tricked away from what was good, acceptable and perfect. Many times it is the small lies that trip us up. Is God really for you? What about the leadership of your church? Do they have your best interest at heart? Or do you even need to be part of the body of Christ? You can just love Jesus and go about your life as you see fit. These are some of the subtle lies that we can begin believing, if we do not have the helmet of salvation firmly covering our minds.
The hope of salvation causes us to stand strong and tall. It reminds us of whose we are, and where we are going. It gives us confidence in Him and His ways. We grasp the truth of Romans 6:5-7. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. As believers, we must set our minds on things of the Spirit, and we can only do that when settle in our minds and hearts that we are going to submit to our Commander, our Lord and Savior. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. Colossians 3:2-3. ESV. Without the helmet are thoughts scatter to fear, doubt and unbelief.
Paul’s exhortation in Ephesians 6:11, Put on, is written in a very firm tone. The verb tense is “put it on and keep it on”. My friends, we can’t pick and choose the time we armor up. Soldiers can’t pick and choose random days to serve or not. There is a war raging, and we are all in it. The good news is we fight from victory, not for victory, no matter how you feel or what you see. Wear your helmet. Every day. All day.
Remember: You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you. Isaiah 26:3. NLT. Check your peace level, maybe you have forgotten your helmet!
Father, there are some of your children who are weary in their fight. I ask you to refresh them today with your grace and strength. Teach us the blessing of our helmet of salvation. We are so grateful for the hope your salvation gives us. Thank you for the protection we have when we use your armor purposefully and consistently. In Jesus’ Name, amen.
Faith Encounters 