In Ephesians, chapter 6, we read about the Armor of God. The helmet of salvation is protection against the fatal blows of the enemy. It protects our minds. It’s always a battle over our thoughts. The fiery darts of the evil one are directed primarily at what we think. He uses the world (its systems & values) as well as our flesh (our lusts and passions) to incite rebellious thinking in the hopes it will result in rebellious actions. We might not be able to prevent the thoughts from striking us, but the helmet of salvation will help prevent their penetration into our souls. The fiery darts of despair, discouragement, depression, and defeat are all instrumental weapons that are used skillfully by our enemy to weaken our faith and open our minds to inappropriate thoughts that will lead to sinful actions. The exhortation in this whole passage on the Armor of God contains the call to “Stand firm” several times. We are not to give way, surrender ground, or retreat from our position in Christ.
The knowledge of God’s Word is the very material from which our helmets are crafted. The first and most crucial piece of information we glean from God’s Word is the truth of Christ’s salvation, a gift of His marvelous grace, received through the channel of faith. According to Isaiah 59:17, the Messiah would come, fully equipped for battle against evil. It states, “He put on righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on his head.” As Paul essentially quotes this passage in Ephesians, we are reminded that what we are called to put on is His righteousness. Our own righteousness will not protect us. It is his that will. The helmet of salvation, which we use, is also His. Our salvation, if based on our own efforts, would be most precarious. But His salvation is certain and true. This issue is what we refer to as “eternal security.”
Even in the face of the most profound attacks from the evil one, we can find inspiration in the example of ancient Job, who wore his helmet of salvation well. In Job 19:25-26, he declares, “I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God.” He was certain of the presence of a redeemer, a savior in the midst of all our pains and struggles in life. As the old spiritual says, “there’s a balm in Gilead.” That balm is Jesus. Job also had the assurance that one day, in his flesh, he would see this redeemer. In his comments on this passage, Norm Geisler adds, “In other words, Job had present knowledge that he had been redeemed (‘my Redeemer’) and that he would see Him in his heavenly resurrected body: I ‘know’ (now) that I ‘will see God’ (later, in heaven). Such knowledge implies his assurance of eternal security.