The helmet of salvation serves as a critical piece of the spiritual armor God has provided for you. In some ways, it might even be the most important piece. Let’s find out why.
What Bible Verse Mentions the Helmet of Salvation?
In Ephesians 6:17, Paul lists the helmet of salvation, and it is one of the last pieces of armor he mentions, second to the sword of the Spirit. By the way, these are not listed in order of importance.
There are other references to salvation being a helmet in both the Old and New Testament. Isaiah 59:17 talks about putting on the helmet of salvation, righteousness as a breastplate, garments of vengeange and a cloak of zeal. 1 Thessalonians 5:8 tells us to put on faith and love as a breastplate, and to wear the hope of salvation as a helmet.
Why Is it a Helmet of Salvation?
A very logical question when thinking about the helmet is, “why is it called a helmet of salvation?” To help understand this question, I want you to consider the helmet’s purpose for the Roman soldier. Warhistoryonline.com provides a great description of the helmet’s purpose:
“The Roman helmet was called a galea, and it had two purposes: protection and identification. The helmets usually came with cheek guards and were thicker in places most likely to be hit.
Helmets worn by legionaries and centurions had crests made of plumes of horse hair which were usually dyed red. With the distinct nature of their helmets, it was easy to identify these men in the midst of a battle.”
I want to focus on the two terms that this description gives to describe the Roman helmet: protection and identification.
The Helmet of Salvation Is Your Protection
A helmet is designed to protect your head. As a Christian, the biggest battlefield is in your mind, where much of the warfare you will fight takes place. When the enemy attacks, he usually attacks there because he knows if he can influence the way you think, he will influence the way you will act. One major focus of attack by the enemy is to attempt to move you to doubt your salvation. If the enemy can convince you to doubt your salvation or question the validity of your relationship with God, then he can erode your confidence in your salvation.
A person who begins to doubt their salvation can easily move in one direction or another. A person who begins to doubt their salvation will either be encouraged to continue in their doubts, or just not think about their salvation. Both attitudes present a problem. When doubt creeps in, you may slip from operating on grace to operating law. Instead of walking in the grace of God by which you were saved, you slip into works to try to win God’s approval and earn back your salvation. You try to prove to God (and yourself) that you are still saved. This is an exercise in frustration that does not work. If you move in the other direction and don’t think about the salvation Jesus has freely provided, then discouragement can sink in. You lose all desire to continue in your relationship because you feel there is no use. Both things eat away at your walk with God and remove your freedom in your relationship with Jesus Christ. For these reasons, the helmet of salvation becomes your protection. It reminds you constantly of what God has provided for you in Jesus Christ. When you have your helmet on, the fight is not in trying to earn your salvation. The fight is in remembering you don’t have to earn your salvation. The price has been paid in full; your helmet reminds you of that and protects you.
The Helmet of Salvation Is Your Identification
I happen to be a big football fan (my teams have not been doing so well lately, but that’s a conversation for another day). When teams step on the field, they have a helmet that identifies which team they play for. You can instantly identify who is on your team and who is not. Who is for you, and who is against you? The same thing is true with the helmet of salvation. When you put the helmet of salvation on, it becomes clear to the enemy which side you are on. Once you put the helmet on, you belong to Christ. You are marked with his seal (Ephesians 1:13-14) and Satan knows you are a threat to his kingdom.
How Does the Helmet of Salvation Work with the Rest of the Armor of God?
You can make the argument that the rest of the armor of God it will not work without the helmet of salvation. Without salvation, you can’t even put on the rest of the armor. Those other pieces are rendered useless until the moment of salvation. Your salvation is the thing that identifies you as belonging to Christ and that activates the armor. If you don’t belong to Christ, you have no armor because the armor we fight with is spiritual. Spiritual armor requires a spiritual transformation that can only come through rebirth or being born again. This transformation happens at salvation, and that’s why the helmet of salvation is the critical piece that ignites the rest of the armor.
To be clear, I am not saying you vacillate between being saved and not being saved. That is not what putting on the helmet (or not) means. Putting on the helmet does not cause your salvation. You put it on as a result of your salvation. Every time you put on the helmet of salvation, it should be a reminder of who you are (and whose you are).
How Can We Put on the Helmet of Salvation Today?
The key to putting on the helmet of salvation today is walking in the confidence of your salvation. You don’t have to be worried or wonder if you are saved. You can know for certain you are saved. Your confidence results from knowing what God has said in his word and believing his message. It also comes from the inner witness of the Holy Spirit that you are a child of God. But don’t take my word for it; I want you to walk away from this article thinking about God’s words on this topic. Let these verses today protect your heart and mind as you put on your helmet of salvation.
“The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.” (Romans 8:16)
“And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.” (1 John 5:11-13)
“Because of this oath, Jesus has become the guarantor of a better covenant. Now there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office; but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.” (Hebrews 7:22-25)
“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39)
Walk today and every day in confidence, with your helmet of salvation on, knowing you belong to Jesus, and nothing will ever snatch you out of his hands or separate you from his love.
For Further Reading:
What Is the Belt of Truth in the Armor of God?
What Is the Gospel of Peace in the Armor of God?
How Do We Use the Sword of the Spirit in the Armor of God?
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/jasminam
This article is part of our Christian Terms catalog, exploring words and phrases of Christian theology and history. Here are some of our most popular articles covering Christian terms to help your journey of knowledge and faith:
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