Spiritual Warfare
One of the first things to address when considering the piece of spiritual armor of “the Helmet of Salvation”, one must first see the severity of the battle that they are in. It is so easy for Christians today to not take Spiritual Warfare seriously and to think it is not a threat for them.
But the thing is, this is exactly what the enemy wants Christians to think. If the enemy can get Christians to think that Spiritual Warfare is not serious or is not real then he has already won.
1 Peter 5:8 says this about the enemy, “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” (1 Pet. 5:8, English Standard Version). Do you see how serious and real of a threat that the enemy is? He is not some weak villain who is irrelevant. Rather, he is a serious threat who is active, who is evil, and who is seeking someone to devour.
But, do you know who his target is? His target is you, his target is anyone who has been reborn as a child of God. So, Spiritual Warfare is real, it is a threat, and we must take it seriously as Christians.
The Helmet of Salvation
But what exactly is this Helmet that will protect us against the enemy? Well, the Helmet is our salvation and that salvation comes through Jesus Christ. And do you remember what that salvation is? There are three parts that make up your salvation and that is your justification, your sanctification, and your glorification.
First, your justification. God the Father sent down his only Son Jesus Christ. And Jesus Christ lived a perfect, sinless life, and then willingly went to the cross to die in our place and for our sins. After this Jesus was buried, and then on the third day he arose from the dead so that whoever would repent and believe on Him for their salvation would receive eternal life and be adopted into the family of God.
Second, your sanctification. God continues to work your salvation each and every day as he sanctifies you. You, as a Christian, have the Holy Spirit living within you and it is this Spirit that empowers you and strengthens you to live out your Christian life and to be made more and more like Christ.
Third, your glorification. There will come a day when Jesus comes back to the earth to bring us to be with him for eternity. And it is this hope that we hold onto as Christians. That a day is awaiting us when there will be no more evil, suffering, death, nor tears. In this day, there will be eternal joy, peace, and love as we spend eternity with Jesus Christ our savior and our redeemer.
Putting the Helmet On
But, at this point, we still haven’t talked about how to put the helmet on. Because with a physical helmet it is simple, you merely pick up the helmet, put it on your head, and tighten the strap. But, how do you put on a spiritual helmet? How do you put on a helmet that you can’t see?
Well, the Apostle Paul offers these words in 2 Timothy 4:7 where he says this, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” (2 Tim. 4:7, English Standard Version).
Do you see what the Apostle Paul says here? He says he kept the faith. That is how he “fought the good fight”. Not by trying harder. Not by doing this or doing that. But, by keeping the faith. And so, this is how we are to put on our Helmet of Salvation. By keeping the faith. Faith in our God. Faith in Jesus. Faith in his promises. Faith in the salvation that he so graciously purchased for us on the cross.
May you remember this week to put your helmet on. Because this helmet will protect you. No matter what attack the enemy may throw your way, you can know that you will be protected because your helmet is the salvation that you have received through Jesus Christ and his death and his resurrection.
