The helmet of salvation is the fifth element of the spiritual armor of God. In Ephesians 6:17, Paul commanded the saints to take the helmet of salvation. What is the meaning of the helmet of salvation and how do you take the helmet of salvation according to the Bible and keep it on?
Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation (Ephesians 6:14-17)
Jesus Christ is the Way of salvation
Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God, is the only Way to God and the only Way to salvation. Christ is the Savior and Redeemer for fallen humanity. Only Jesus Christ and His blood can deliver you from the power of the devil, sin and death, and save you and reconcile you with God. There is no other way to salvation.
For you are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ (Galatians 3:26-27)
The people, who believe in Jesus Christ and are born again in Him and have become a new creation, belong to Him.
Born again Christians are clothed with Christ. They walk in the spiritual armor of God and take the helmet of salvation, just like Jesus.
the helmet of salvation was upon Jesus’ head
In Isaiah 59:17 we read about Jesus and how Jesus put on a helmet of salvation upon His head.
Yea, truth faileth; and he that departeth from evil maketh himself a prey: and the Lord saw it, and it displeased Him that there was no judgment. And He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore His arm brought salvation unto Him; and His righteousness, it sustained Him. For He put on righteousness as a breastplate, and an helmet of salvation upon His head; and He put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloke (Isaiah 59:15-17)
Jesus Christ, the Son of God and the living Word, came to the earth to save (fallen) man from the power of the devil, sin and death and restore the peace between God and man. (Read also: What kind of peace did Jesus bring on earth?).
Jesus was righteous and walked in the truth and righteousness of God with the helmet of salvation upon His head.
His mind and life belonged to the Father and not to the world and ruler of the world (the devil).
Everywhere Jesus came He preached the truth of God, brought deliverance to those who were in need, and called the people to repentance. Jesus made the way of salvation known.
Jesus yielded to God. Through His obedience, Jesus stayed faithful to His Father and the devil couldn’t touch Him and enter His life.
By walking after the Spirit in obedience to the will of His Father, Jesus walked with the helmet of salvation on His head. His mind belonged to God and was protected against every deception, temptation, and attack of the devil and his kingdom.
Despite the many attempts of the devil, the devil was not able to tempt Jesus to sin.
How beautiful are the feet of him that brings good tidings and publishes peace
How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of Him that brings good tidings, that publishes peace; that brings good tidings of good, that publishes salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigns! (Isaiah 52:7)
Jesus set the example of how we, as the new creation, should walk in the truth and righteousness of God according to His will and walk in the salvation of God, so that we are able to resist every attack of the devil even his attacks in our minds.
Through obedience to the Word, you shall be a witness of Jesus and declare His Name. You shall preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and make the way of salvation known to the people who are still the old creation and believe the lies of the devil and live in bondage of sin and death in fear.
You shall redeem the people who give heed to your call from the power of the devil. Just like Jesus, Who was a Witness of God and did everything in His power and redeemed the people from the lies and power of the devil.
The new creation takes the helmet of salvation
But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him (1 Thessalonians 5:8-10)
But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which He shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified by His grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life (Titus 3:4-7)
Salvation comes from God and no one else! No one can be saved through his own works. Therefore salvation is a gift from God.
This gift from God can only be received by faith in Jesus Christ and by His blood. (a.o. John 3:16-17, Romans 5:9, Ephesians 2:8-10).
Through faith in Jesus Christ and His blood and regeneration in Him, you receive the salvation of the Lord and are saved.
Through regeneration, you become a new creation; a son of God (this applies to both males and females) and receive eternal life.
Although you live in the world, due to regeneration in Christ, you no longer belong to the world.
As a born again child of the Most High, you belong to the Kingdom of God, where Jesus Christ is King and reigns. (a.o. Isaiah 9:6; Daniel 7:27; John 12:13-15; 18:36-37; Acts 2:30; Ephesians 1:20-22; Colossians 1:13-14; 1 Timothy 1:17; 6:15, Jude 1:25; Revelation 17:14; 19:16).
What is the helmet of salvation?
The helmet of salvation is your salvation in Christ and your walk after the Spirit in obedience to the word and will of Jesus and the Father.
By the grace of God, you are saved by the blood of Jesus Christ. Through the death of the flesh and the resurrection of the spirit you are delivered from the dead and saved.
Now that you are saved, you shall live from your salvation in Christ and your position in Him. You’ll walk according to the Word and after the Spirit, Who represent the will of God. So that you’ll keep your salvation during your life on earth. (Read also: Once saved, always saved?).
The Holy Spirit dwells in the new creation
Through the baptism with the Holy Spirit, you received the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit dwells in you, whereby the will of God (His law) is written upon your heart.
However, your unrenewed mind is still carnal. Therefore your mind is a hindrance. Your mind may stop you from yielding to the words and will of God and obeying the Word and the Holy Spirit.
Therefore it’s necessary to renew your mind with the Word of God (The Bible). So that your mind no longer thinks like the world and relies on the flesh and the wisdom and knowledge of the world (science), but thinks like the Word; Jesus Christ and relies on the Spirit and the wisdom and knowledge of God.
As you renew your mind and have the mind of Christ, you shall think, speak, act and walk as Jesus thought, spoke, acted and walked on earth.
The mind determines your course in life
The mind determines your course in life, because every thought, word, and action derives from the mind. Therefore, it’s necessary to renew your mind with the truth of God. So that, through the renewing of your mind with the Word and by yielding to God and His Word, everything in your life comes under the power of God. You shall think His thoughts, speak His words and His truth, and walk in the truth.
If you renew your mind with the Word of God you shall no longer be ignorant and have a lack of knowledge. But you shall possess the wisdom and knowledge of God and know His will.
Through the Word, you shall find out the truth and destroy the lies and the strongholds of the devil and the kingdom of darkness in your mind. You shall know, who you are in Christ and what authority and inheritance you have received in Him. From this truth, you shall walk by faith and obedience to God and live as the new creation. (Read also: ‘The strongholds in the mind of people‘).
He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that rules his spirit than he that takes a city. (Proverbs 16:32)
How the devil attacks your mind?
The devil does everything he can to take your salvation and make you apostate from God and His Word. Since the devil knows the power of the mind, he also shoots his arrows at your mind. The devil does everything he can to find a way into your head and enter your mind and take possession of your mind.
He uses your senses, feelings, emotions, thoughts, and the words of people, to sow doubt and fear in your mind, so that you will doubt the words of God and God’s existence and you shall doubt your salvation and your sonship of God.
The devil shall keep you away from the Bible to keep you ignorant. He shall master your time, through distractions, cares, and the things of everyday life. He shall feed your mind through his means of entertainment. (Read also: ‘Let me entertain you’).
The devil shall do everything in his power to take possession of your mind, so that you’ll believe his lies and live according to his lies.
He shall try to take the helmet of salvation from your head, so that your mind doesn’t belong to Christ anymore, but to the devil.
The devil knows if he possesses your mind, he possesses your life. Since everything derives from people’s minds. The head determines the functioning of the body.
Therefore, you should always stay awake and be watchful and be careful what you allow into your mind and what you listen to and watch.
You decide what things you spend your time on and what things you feed your mind. You decide to whom your mind belongs. And you will show what is important to you and where your heart is, by the things you do.
Seek the things, which are above and not on the earth
If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God (Colossians 3:1-3)
As the new creation, who is set apart from the world and belongs to Christ, you shall put off the old man and put on the new man. You shall seek those things, which are above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of the Father.
You’ll feed and renew your mind with the Word of God. This way, you’ll get to know the truth and will of God and be able to discern the lies from the truth.
You shall have the mind of Christ in which the will of God reigns.
Your mind shall belong to Jesus Christ and you shall submit to Jesus Christ; the Word and you shall live by faith after the Spirit after His will.
But if you refuse to put on the new man and keep feeding your mind with the words and the things of this world, your mind remains carnal.
As long as your mind remains carnal, you’ll think, speak and act like the world and not yield to Jesus Christ; the Word.
Why is a carnal mind enmity against God?
A carnal mind is enmity against God, because a carnal mind won’t yield to God. A mind that is carnal won’t obey God’s words and do His will. But a carnal mind is prideful and exalts itself above God and His will (His law (Romans 8:5-8)).
A carnal mind belongs to the world and the ruler of this world (the devil), and submits to the will of the devil, which reigns in the flesh through sin and death. Because of that, the person shall not live in the freedom of Christ and in the peace of God. The person shall live in the bondage of darkness and the power of the devil.
Therefore, take the helmet of salvation!
How do you take the helmet of salvation and keep the helmet of salvation on?
You take the helmet of salvation by faith and regeneration in Christ and keep the helmet of salvation on, by faith and by yielding to Jesus Christ; the Author of eternal salvation and staying in Him.
By Jesus Christ and His blood, you are saved. As long as you stay obedient to Jesus Christ and stay in the Word, and keep His commandments and don’t leave Him and His words during your life, you shall keep your salvation.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to His abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: Whom having not seen, ye love; in Whom, though now ye see Him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls (1 Peter 1:3-9)
The gospel of Christ is the power of God unto salvation
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believes; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek (Romans 1:16)
You’re saved and because your feet are shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace, you shall preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. You shall be His witness and make the way of salvation known to others.
You shall preach and not be ashamed of the gospel. Because the gospel of Christ is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believes.
‘Be the salt of the earth’
