Verse: also receive the helmet of salvation, Ephesians 6:17a
When I was in Sniper School I went through a class on ballistics. In that class, we watched a two to three minutes video on headshots. This showed situations when a person was shot in the head and the effect it had on them. Though a shot to the body is effective and deadly based on all the vital organs there, a shot to the head has a lot more immediate and possibly deadly effect.
The head has always been a place to aim when trying to kill your enemy. It is important in a fight not to keep it vulnerable. That is why from ancient warfare up to now soldiers wear helmets. Spiritual warfare is no different.
The helmet in the spiritual soldier’s kit is his salvation. Salvation is threefold with justification as our initial salvation, sanctification which is our continual conformity to Christ, and glorification which is our state after death that we are being saved to. I do not believe that the salvation Paul is talking about here is our justification, if we were not saved, we wouldn’t have any need for armor. No Christian, no godly armor.
Rather I believe that what Paul is speaking on is our glorification. When in ancient combat soldiers would swing a broad sword that was three to four feet long and used to crush down on the enemy’s head. Soldiers would wear helmets whether leather or metal to protect themselves. Our protection is our salvation and eternal security.
The evil one will try to swing a devastating blow to us in our fight against him. It is our salvation and belief in our eternal security that keeps us in the fight. The devil cannot destroy us, because we are in the hands of God. We are kept by Christ for we are his, no one can take our salvation away from us. It is that confidence that protects us when we are most vulnerable.
It has been said, “The hardest soldier to kill is one that does not fear death.” As Christians, we know where we are going when we die. Christ came to save us and died on a cross to pay that price. That is why Paul can say, “For me to live is Christ, but to die is gain”. We do not fear death and know that in this battle there is nothing that can take that away. We need to keep that in our mind as a protection for when we are most vulnerable.
The devil will try to convince us that we are not saved or that by our own action we can lose the salvation Christ has freely given to us. We need to guard our minds with the confidence that even when we fail, “He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Have confidence that Christ has you and fight on knowing that no one, even the Devil himself can take away your salvation. I will leave you with what Christ saves about this in
John 10:27-30.
My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish—ever; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”
Written by,
John Cooper Jr.
Godly Grunt 6
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