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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.

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