Skip to main content

Salvation

                 Take the helmet of salvation (Ephesians 6:17)

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)

For those who think that Paul was being especially inventive in describing things like righteousness and salvation in terms of garments, the second passage shows that Isaiah was likely his “Shakespeare.” Like the breastplate, it is designed to be donned and simply allowed to do its job. And now, on to the content.

While we have historical or literary precedent for salvation being associated with helmets, it’s not the association I would have chosen. Helmets protect the head, and therefore, the brain, or the mind. I would have expected truth. But the curious, interesting, and wisdom of the armor is that it seems to protect against weaknesses with the unexpected. Our emotions are protected by a belt of truth, which doesn’t seem to care about our feelings. Our wills are protected by doing what’s right, not whatever we will. So how does our being saved, and knowing we are saved protect the head, or our thoughts? Shouldn’t salvation, perhaps, be what protects our loins, belly, or emotions?

Here's a possible reason why salvation is precisely what we need to protect our minds. We tend to think of salvation as a fact or as a state of being. We “are saved.”  And, (praise the Lord!) we are. Maybe it’s a modern thing, or a fallen thing, but we tend to miss an obvious point. We are saved. We do not save ourselves. The point of salvation is not as much about the change of our condition, but about the cause of it. Salvation is about a connection or relationship with a savior, the omniscient, wise Savior. And it is on the basis of that relationship that we can strengthen others.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The List

              Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,   through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;   perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. (Romans 5:1-5)           Think about it. We have been justified. At least, we could be justified if we stopped insisting that our justification be based on our merits. We have peace with God, or could have peace if we stopped throwing temper tantrums. We have gained access into grace i...
Post a Comment
Read more

Listen!

  While he was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!” (Matthew 17:5)            Do you like roller coasters? I don't. You spend forever climbing a hill. You get to the top and have half a second, then you race down to a low point. Sometimes the racing down involves tying your insides into knots. At the bottom, you either have to be dragged up another hill or you get off the ride. Peter's life was a roller coaster from the time he met Jesus. There would be miracles, and then Jesus would teach things that didn't always make sense, and then they'd go out and perform miracles, and return to be taught. Peter was praised for giving the right answer to "Who do you say that I am?" Jesus said that said answer came from God. Peter was at the top of the hill.            ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Prayer Lists

                 Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. (I Peter 2:2-3)   In connection with what I wrote yesterday about the possibility that I’m wrong, I’m feeling the need to go back to basics - craving spiritual milk because somehow, I missed something. It’s a little embarrassing, craving milk like a newborn, but the truth probably is that we are newborns many times in many ways in our lives. From God’s perspective, we may never be anything more than newborns, forever needing that milk. On the other hand, being a newborn can also be exciting because so much is new. My mind is playing pinball - ricocheting from one idea to the next and through six more before it happens to hit the third again. The main topic is prayer. I have at least seven organizing structures all somewhat influenced by the movie War Room , which I’v...
Post a Comment
Read more