“So, Why the ‘Helmet of Salvation?’”
The Apostle Paul admonishes his readers in Ephesus to “put on the whole armor of God.” One of these pieces of protective gear is the “helmet of salvation.” In that Ephesian audience two thousand years ago, the church would have been familiar with the Roman soldiers’ various pieces of battle gear. The Roman army spread throughout the Greco-Roman world in the first century would regularly have ceremonial parades. The purpose of the parade was to strengthen the morale of the soldier, often far from home, and to serve as a warning to residents of the military supremacy of Rome. And, generally, these ceremonial warnings would serve their purposes well.
The helmet the Roman soldier wore was made of metal and would have been much heavier than a modern-day soldier’s helmet or football helmet, and certainly heavier than the helmets we typically wear when riding a bicycle. Of course, like all helmets mentioned, the primary purpose was to protect the forehead and skull from mortal blows to the head from any number of ancient bludgeoning devices.
Yet, why would Paul call this significant portion of our spiritual armor the “helmet of salvation?” Helmets protect heads, the skull and the cavity which houses our brain and nervous system. It’s the brain that stores our thoughts, including our values and central beliefs about the nature of existence, the provision of God, and biblical assurances of salvation.
So, of course, that brain which stores our mental assertions of truth and ultimate spiritual victory needs to be protected from the attacks of an Enemy. Such attacks that can rob us of the joy of the Lord, our hope in Christ, and our confidence in the all-sufficient cross-work of Jesus.
As mentioned in a previous blog, the central truths in Christ, stored in our minds and retrieved on command help us in seeing our way through difficult circumstances; stressful situations—including the trials associated with our current pandemic—always need to be contextualized by the over-arching truths of the Gospel.
It is our mind that stores our thoughts, conclusions, and aspirations. It is our mind that prioritizes truths, covenants and commitments. It is our mind that stores our conscience that, in turn, calls us to “take courage,” “remain faithful to our calling,” “forgive generously,” and “do everything in love!” It is our mind that stores the truths that allow us to trust in the promises of Jesus Christ.
As with the “breastplate of righteousness,” the “helmet of salvation” is imagery the Apostle Paul gleans from the prophet Isaiah (59:15-17). Writing seven centuries before the birth of Christ, Isaiah asserts truths in the midst of a moral catastrophe that had a choke-hold on the nation of Israel. The prophet wails that Yahweh finds no one that can be trusted to fight against the pervasiveness of evil. So, the Lord Himself will take up the “breastplate of righteousness” and the “helmet of salvation” to ensure the victory of justice, mercy, and grace.
Paul D. Patton, Ph.D., is a professor of communication and theater at Spring Arbor University in Michigan. He has graduate degrees in Guidance and Counseling, Religious Education, and Script and Screenwriting, and a doctorate in Communication with an emphasis in theater arts. He has been married to his wife Beth for over forty years and has three daughters (all actresses)—Jessica, Emily, and Grace, three sons-in-law, David, Joe, and Eric, and four grandsons, Caleb Rock, Logan Justice, Micah Blaze, and Miles Dean.