Sermon Tone Analysis

The Helmet of Salvation

The Helmet –

For protection

The helmet is used to protect the head, which is always a major target in battle.

Satan wants to attack the mind.

He uses weapons such as doubt and confusion.

This is how he defeated Eve in the Garden ( ).

The helmet refers to the mind controlled by God.

It is too bad that many Christians have the idea that the intellect is not important, when in reality it plays a vital role in Christian growth, service, and victory.

When God controls the mind, Satan cannot lead the believer astray.

The Christian who studies his Bible and learns the meaning of Bible doctrines is not going to be led astray too easily.

We need to be “taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus” ().

We are to “grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” ().

Wherever Paul ministered, he taught the new converts the truths of the Word of God, and this helmet protected them from Satan’s lies.

Salvation -

I want to note that Paul here is speaking to believers.

The word salvation here isn’t necessarily talking about coming to a saving knowledge of Christ.

However, the Hebrew and Greek word used for “salvation” implies the ideas of deliverance, safety, preservation, healing, and soundness: “Salvation” is the great inclusive word of the Gospel, gathering into itself all the redemptive acts and processes: as justification, redemption, grace, propitiation, imputation, forgiveness, sanctification, and glorification.

Salvation is in three tenses:

Past tense - The Christian has been saved from the guilt and penalty of sin and is safe.

Present tense - The Christian is being saved from the habit and dominion of sin.

Future tense - The Christian will be saved at the Lord’s return, from all bodily infirmities that are a result of sin and God’s curse upon the sinful world and brought into entire conformity to Christ.

Salvation is by grace through faith, is a free gift and wholly without works.

The divine order is: first salvation, then works.

What I believe Paul is saying here is that the Christian soldier’s helmet is ‘the hope of salvation’, that is, our assurance of future and final salvation.

Whether our head piece is that measure of salvation which we have already received (forgiveness, deliverance from Satan’s bondage, and adoption into God’s family) (Past Tense) or the confident expectation of full salvation on the last day (including resurrection glory and Christ-likeness in heaven) (Future Tense), there is no doubt that God’s saving power is our only defense against the enemy of our souls.

Charles Hodge wrote: “that which adorns and protects the Christian, which enables him to hold up his head with confidence and joy, is the fact that he is saved” and, we might add, that he knows his salvation will be perfected in the end.

Salvation, then, is not only forgiveness of past sins, it is the strength to overcome, even conquer, present and future sins.

Closing

Wearing this helmet, we have confidence that nothing absolutely nothing, can separate us from the love of God.

So if God be for us, it doesn’t matter who is against us.

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