Helmet of Salvation- Part 1: What Is Salvation?

We are almost done with our series on the armor of God. There are six pieces of the armor. So far we have studied the belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, footwear of readiness, and the shield of faith. We’ve been studying each piece of armor to learn how to guard and strengthen our faith. It’s important to be intentional about doing so because it can prevent our faith from diminishing when we go through trials.

      The fifth piece of the armor of God that Paul writes about is the helmet. In Ephesians 6:17 (NIV), Paul writes, “Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” Paul calls salvation our helmet. We must have an understanding of salvation in order to use it as a piece of armor. We will break our study of the helmet into two parts to keep from rushing through it. The first will explore the meaning of salvation. The second part will look at how we can use salvation to guard and strengthen our faith.

      In Leviticus 11:44a, God says, “I am the Lord your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy.” God is holy. He is undefiled by sin or evil. To consecrate means to dedicate or set apart. We have to consecrate ourselves because, unlike God, we sin. We must set ourselves apart from the culture of sin and self-gratification because it is contrary to God. It goes against His standard.

      Have you ever been around anyone whose sense of right and wrong is different from yours? Depending on the level of difference, our feelings can range from shock, discomfort, disgust, and/or anger toward that person. Now imagine what that must feel like for God. He sees our sins and is appalled by them. He can’t stand them. That is why He sent Jesus.

      Jesus’s crucifixion brought us the opportunity for salvation. In the Old Testament, a sacrifice was required as an act of atonement for a person’s sins. In the New Testament, Jesus became that sacrifice for us. He took on our sins and the punishment they deserve. Paul wrote, “For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ” (2 Corinthians‬ ‭5:21‬, NLT‬‬). Jesus’ sacrifice allows us to stand before God confidently. When we are saved, we can approach God knowing we will be accepted by Him.

      So, how can we receive salvation? In Romans 10:9-10 (NIV), Paul tells us how. He writes, “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.” We have to believe that Jesus is Lord. If He was merely a man, then He would have stayed dead. After being crucified, He rose from the dead just as He said He would. He ascended into Heaven after spending time with His disciples. Through it all, He showed His sovereignty and proved He is Lord.

       We also read in Acts 2:38, “Peter replied, ‘Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’” If we truly believe that Jesus is Lord and that we can receive salvation through Him, then it should create a change in us. There is so much weight and responsibility in being saved. First, it tells us that we were in danger. Jesus received the punishment and condemnation we were meant to receive for our sins. We are only made right with God because of His sacrifice. Second, we bear the responsibility for the trauma Jesus experienced when He was crucified. It was our sin that put Him there. It would be a disgrace to carry on living as though we are not to blame. We need to repent. Our sinfulness is so reprehensible to God that we should want to be different. It is out of gratitude and a love for God that we truly desire to consecrate ourselves and be holy. 

      The act of baptism (just as the verbal declaration that Jesus is Lord), is our public acknowledgment that we are in need of saving and, thus, accept the salvation the Lord offers us. It puts the spotlight on us and the choices we make moving forward. When we publicly testify to Jesus’ Lordship and to the fact that we are saved, people will watch to weigh the truth of our testimonies. I believe that is why there is the public aspect to salvation. It holds us accountable for the way we live. It also gives us the opportunity to draw others to God so that they too can be saved.

      Salvation is important to our eternal destiny. We cannot enter Heaven or spend an eternity with God unless we are saved. Besides that fact, however, salvation is also important to our every day spiritual battles. It is a piece of the armor of God. We need to constantly put it on in order to protect ourselves against the enemy’s attacks. In the next post, we will explore how.