The helmet of salvation

We have been discussing the armor of God for spiritual warfare in Ephesians chapter 6. The first three pieces of equipment we are to put on are the belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, and shoes of the gospel of peace. Then we considered items we are to take up, the first was the shield of faith. This column will focus on the next piece of equipment, the helmet of salvation.

In many sports athletes wear helmets. You will see football players remove their helmets when they are on the sidelines. In baseball, the batter will wear a helmet. The only player with a helmet on defense is the catcher. When I was in elementary school, I had the opportunity to attend several St. Louis Blues games. Back then veteran hockey players had the option to play without a helmet. Thankfully, they all wear helmets now and many opt for a protective face shield.

In warfare, a helmet can be the difference between life and death. I heard of a U.S. soldier who had complained about all the heavy gear he had to wear. He took a round in the head and expected to die, but as it turned out, his helmet saved his life. He said he never again complained about the weight of his gear.

In the analogy of the armor of God, we realize that a head injury would render the other items of equipment useless. In a spiritual sense, we must protect our minds from the enemy's attacks. We must stand firm on biblical convictions and learn to think critically.

We are aware that the brain is an organ that can be damaged. Sometimes behavior is adversely affected by physical anomalies in the brain. A person's personality can be completely altered by serious head injury. The point of the Apostle Paul's illustration is that we need to protect our minds as we face spiritual warfare. We need good spiritual, physical and mental health.

The devil attacks our minds daily enticing us to sin. Many of us know someone who struggles with chemical addictions. Somewhere along the way a person decides to experiment with drugs and alcohol. Eventually, they lose control and become addicted. This can be true of pornography, gambling, and many other addictive behaviors. It takes more and more to get the initial high and eventually the addict loses jobs, friends, family, children, and eventually his or her life. This is what the Bible means when it says sin leads to death, Romans 6:23.

2 Corinthians 4:4 says, "In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God." It is possible that a person is unaware of his or her physical or spiritual needs. Christians should not be surprised when unbelievers behave like unbelievers.

If we can remember that our battle is not against flesh and blood, but a spiritual battle, we will do a better job relating to people in a Christlike manner. We need the "Mind of Christ," Philippians 2:5-11. As the breastplate of righteousness guards our hearts, the helmet of salvation guards our minds.

Our adversary would have us question our faith and doubt our salvation. Many world religions offer structure and rules to live by, but no assurance of an eternal reward. 1 John 5:13 tells us that the Bible is written so that we will know that we have eternal life. John 3:18 clearly explains, "Whoever believes in him (Jesus) is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God."

We must protect our minds because what we believe has eternal consequences. Remember, Satan is the "father of lies" John 8:44. As our nation turns its back on God, spiritual warfare gets more intense.

Put on the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, and the shoes of the gospel of peace. Take up the shield of faith, and the helmet of salvation. Next week we will discuss the sword of the Spirit.