‘The Helmet of Salvation’

‘The Helmet of Salvation’

And take the helmet of salvation….

Ephesians 6:17a

God lays great emphasis upon our mind.  He declares, ‘Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.  In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.’  He goes on to say, ‘Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.’ We cannot keep our heart without keeping our mind.  To this end, the Apostle Paul writes, ‘take the helmet of salvation.’  How should we understand the value of this ‘helmet?’  What we understand about salvation will invariably influence our everyday thinking.  We will behave according to what we believe and think.  What do we understand about salvation?  The simplest statement regarding it is, ‘salvation is of the Lord.’  Salvation is, from start to finish, the work of God.  God has planned it; Christ has purchased it; the Holy Spirit applies it unto all for whom God intends it.  Within the discussion of the umbrella subject of salvation, we have the discussion of justification, adoption, and sanctification.  Our understanding of the first two will influence heavily the way we think about the last one.  This will influence our behavior.  If the Holy Spirit is renewing us in the whole person after the image of God, then Christ’s behavior becomes the great pattern for our own behavior.  We come to think His thoughts after Him.  This guards our minds and influences our behavior in every relationship.  Let us value this ‘helmet of salvation,’ and use it to its greatest advantage.

O God of our salvation,
we rejoice that Your redeeming work has become
the means whereby we may guard our minds.
We praise You that, day by day,
we come more greatly to understand the value of this ‘helmet of salvation.’

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning