The Armor of God (pt. 6)

 

Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak. (Ephesians 6:13-20 ESV).

 

Next the apostle Paul turns to the protection of the head. He says, “… take the helmet of salvation” (v. 17). When a soldier of the apostle Paul’s day suited up for battle, the helmet was the last piece of the armament to be put in place. In fact, without the helmet, a soldier would be so vulnerable that the rest of the armor would be of little use. Paul’s statement “take the helmet of salvation” is the shortest description given to any of the pieces of armor—it required almost no explanation in terms of its value.

 

The Roman helmet, known as a galea, could vary quite a bit in design, since mass manufacturing didn’t exist at that time and each helmet was created individually. There was also some variation in the helmet design over time during the life of the empire. Usually the helmets were made of metal, though poorer soldiers or soldiers from the early days of the empire may have had leather helmets fortified with pieces of metal. The most obvious value of the helmet was to protect against blows to the head. Helmets usually had cheek plates to guard against blows to the face, and a metal piece in the back to protect against blows to the back of the neck. In addition, during the early first century the helmets began to include a brow ridge to provide protection for the eyes.

 

A soldier going into battle without a helmet would have instantly exposed himself to the deadliest of blows. Leaving off any piece of the armor would have been dangerous, but to go without the helmet would have been unthinkable. We can no more afford to be without the helmet of salvation today. The helmet of salvation protects us and keeps our focus where it needs to be: the end of the race. The helmet of salvation means we don’t have to live in fear of Satan. When he tries to disorient and destroy us, the helmet reminds us that our victory will come, not from us, but from the God who rules the universe—and that God wants to give us that victory. And with that helmet firmly seated on our heads, we can focus on living the life God called us to live—fighting the good fight on our journey to the Kingdom of God.