THE HELMET OF SALVATION

Ephesians 6:17a
Take the helmet of salvation…

Helmets are a common sight these days. Depending on what state we live in, we can see them on motorcycle operators or youngsters out riding their bicycles. We see them used in sports such as Nascar, hockey, football, and baseball. We even see them used in our military, as the pilots of top speed aircraft rush distances in no time. But why do we see them more so these days? If you think about it, back in the day, helmets were not a big deal.
It wasn’t until 1967 that Tennessee made it law to wear a helmet when riding a motorcycle. Football Hall-of-Famer Bill Hewitt played his whole career without ever wearing a helmet. Ralph Earnhardt, father of legendary Nascar driver Dale Earnhardt Sr., can be seen in countless photos never having helmet head only because he never wore a helmet. So again, why are they such a big deal now?
As I was thinking on this myself, I found myself coming to grips with the fact that sports, as well as life in general, have just gotten rougher. Nascar tops out at speeds over 200 mph and one false move without a helmet could result in death. That’s a far cry from the 60 mph that Ralph Earnhardt used to push. Even the common motorcycle nowadays goes faster. The use of a helmet for an aviator pilot can make a difference too in the quick second thrust of an escape hatch. Bumping your helmet on the glass may be less damaging than bumping your unprotected head. The signs all point in the same direction – wearing a helmet can save your life.
So maybe that answers the question of why a helmet is so important. Wearing a helmet can save your life. And while that looks to be the case physically, is it possible that it is the case spiritually also? I would venture to say yes. As we will see, the enemy will try in many ways to invade our mind and damage our face, but in wearing the helmet of salvation we find a greater protection than the one with no head covering at all.
Let us start our study by defining the word ‘salvation.’ ‘Salvation’ in Ephesians 6:17 is the word SOTERION, meaning literally salvation, but also defense. The root is SOTER meaning deliverer or savior. In essence, Paul is expressing to us the need to put on, or receive, the helmet of our defensive savior. This doesn’t look much like anything special until we fully understand, however, the benefits of this head gear.
Made of polished metal and brass detailing, the Roman guard’s helmet was complete with a rim around the forehead and flaps protecting the soldier’s ears and cheeks. In the back was an additional segment of metal protecting the soldier’s neck area. These pieces of forged metal served as protection for the blows that were sent to the top of the head, the back of the neck, the face and nose regions, and the jaw bones.
Looking specifically at these areas, we start with the bowl of protection over the head itself. Working underneath the bone plate of our skull is the brain, or the mind. The mind includes the intellect, the emotions, and the will. Without the working of these areas, we can be certain that we are not in our right mind. And so, the helmet protects our head from the bombarding of fear, depression, oppression, trust issues, and false doctrines that the enemy sends our way. The enemy wants to mentally detain us, pushing us into going crazy as a result of his attack. But the helmet is our protection. Romans 12:2 instructs us to not be conformed to this world, but to be transformed by the renewing of our mind. We stay renewed by keeping the helmet on our head, for as Philippians 4:8 says, we are to meditate on the things that are true, noble, just, pure, lovely, of good report, virtuous, and praiseworthy.
The second benefit of the helmet was the protection it offered the neck. In Joshua 10:24 we read the account of Joshua ordering the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon to the ground, and Joshua’s soldiers placing their feet on the necks of these evil kings. This standing on the neck represented the overcoming power of Joshua’s army, but on a grander scale the overcoming power of God Himself. We see this truth in Jeremiah 30:8 where we read, “’In that day,’ declares the LORD Almighty, ‘I will break the yoke off their necks and will tear off their bonds; no longer will foreigners enslave them.’” It is not God’s plan that we become the enslaved, but that we have victory over the one who is working to enslave us. As such, He gives us the helmet of salvation. Yes it protects our minds, but it also protects our necks from the binds that enemy wishes to place on us. Again, the root word means deliverer or savior. With Jesus as our Savior, and His salvation covering our necks, there is no reason why we should be in bondage.
The Roman helmet held within it the ability to confuse the enemy. How, you may ask. The answer is in the third piece of the helmet, known as the crown guard. This was the protrusion that extended out like a visor. Just as the guard used oil to prepare his shield, so also he used oil to prepare his helmet. Anointing the helmet prior to battle would allow the sun to reflect off the metal, therefore blinding and confusing the enemy in the heat of battle. But for the Roman Centurion, the crown guard worked as a visor to keep the sun out of his own eyes. The oil on the helmet, though, also allowed the head covering to become slippery. When the enemy’s blow came down on the helmet, the oil aided in deflecting the blow, and the crown guard deflecting damage to the soldier’s face and nose. The oil also assisted in keeping the soldier’s gear from corrosion, just as keeping the oil of the Holy Spirit on our minds keeps our minds from corrosion. When we live bathed in the anointing of the Spirit, the enemy cannot touch us.
Lastly, the helmet included facial protection, cheek protectors, which were attached to the helmet and fell over the cheeks and jaw much like a metal mutton chop. But why would the helmet include these stationary flaps? Physically, if the soldier’s face or jaw was damaged it would affect the solider. Seeing physical deformities in the mirror could play games on the soldier’s mind. But having physical damage to his jaw could also play games, as suddenly he would be unable to eat solid food. Much like in the physical, we see this same thing happening in the spiritual. When we look spiritually in the mirror, it is sometimes the disgust of how we look that only spirals us downward into despair. But the same is true of damage to our jaw. If we suffer from a broken jaw we cannot ‘eat’ spiritual food. Just the same, we cannot speak the declarations and promises of God with a broken jaw. Therefore, the helmet of salvation, or defense, is wore to prevent us from becoming a spiritual mute and malnourished, or spiraling into the depths of despair. Remember, as Romans 10:10 says, it is with the heart we believe and with the mouth we confess.
Ephesians 6:17a is blunt and to the point for us all. “Take the helmet of salvation…” Leaving this piece behind when it is time for warfare is detrimental to our safety, for with no helmet we leave both our mind and mouth open to the enemy’s attack. How can we fix our minds of Christ with our mind being tampered with? How can we speak the declaration of God’s Word without a voice to speak with? It is time we put on, and strap tight, the helmet that God has given us as our mind’s and mouth’s defense against the attack of the enemy. Maybe it isn’t so much a suggestion as it is a command to the saints. TAKE THE HELMET!