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The Helmet


          Take the helmet of salvation (Ephesians 6:17a)

          He put on righteousness as his breastplate, and the helmet of salvation on his head; he put on the garments of vengeance and wrapped himself in zeal as in a cloak. (Isaiah 59:17) 

        But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet (I Thessalonians 5:8)

          At last, something to protect the noggin, but… salvation? Truth has already been used to protect the emotions. But why not knowledge? Or Wisdom? Those are “sexy.” Salvation? According to Scripture, salvation is a gift given without consideration of merit. Salvation is an either you have it or you don’t thing. How is salvation going to protect our heads?
          Sigh, salvation as a helmet seems rather boring. Come to think of it, doing good deeds, submission, and truth/reality aren’t exactly exciting as pieces of armor. I suspect part of the problem is that, romanticism aside, armor isn’t exciting. It’s meant to keep you alive, and alive in this case means connected to God. It’s separation from Him that our armor is meant to prevent.
          Salvation is what connects us to God. To a great extent, truth/reality are unavoidable. Nearly all religions and philosophies have some element of truth to them because they are responses to perceptions of and responses to reality. Submission leads to some measure of peace no matter what one is in submission to. Good and righteous deeds can be done by serial killers, pedophiles, and people who brutalize puppies and kittens. In fact, they are so common that writers have to give their villains “pet the dog/cat” moments so their villains seem more realistic. The only piece of armor so far that those who aren’t Christians can’t access (apart from becoming Christians) is the helmet of salvation. Does that make it a little more interesting?
          That’s not to say that others don’t imitate it. Most try to beat their breastplates (righteousness, good deeds) into helmets. Some try to wrap their belts around their heads (truth.) There are also folks who try to cut their boots apart and fit them to their heads.[1] Still, others try to protect their heads with their bowels (feelings) or hearts (wills.) The problem with each of these is that each requires something that is vital in one area to cover more than one.
          Another of Wonder Woman’s bits of equipment comes to mind: her bracelets that can block gunfire. I remember a scene in which on Amazon pulls off one bracelet and tosses it to another, and they both manage to deflect all the bullets using one bracelet each. Granted, none of them is physical or literal, but how much of the “metal” from your breastplate can you remove before it’s no longer strong enough to do its job?
         There’s one more piece to the puzzle. What is is about salvation that protects the head. The head is the home of the mind and thought. Historically, the attack used against the mind is doubt. “Did God really say…?” And for the Christian, the most dangerous doubt has to do with salvation. Am I really saved? Can a person know whether or not they are saved? All else depends on the answers to those questions. Salvation means you’re connected to God. Doubts separate you from Him, at least from our perspective. So, yes, salvation is a key piece of armor.

[1] This describes Buddhism and Stoicism

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