The Helmet of Salvation

# 6 of 6

The Helmet had two very important roles in a solider in battle. One was to protect the head. The other was to bear the colors of the lord or army for whom he fought. For the Greek or Roman it was easy to tell who was in which army by the colors of the uniform as well as the helmet. But in the feudal days of the Middle Ages, many knights wore the same type of armor, so to tell who was who, they would put the colors of thier lord on thier helmet. The military salute we have today also originates from the medieval helmet. They had visors to protect the face, and in the jousting competitions, it was known to throw in a ringer who was very good to fight in place of the lord. So to prove that a person was really who they were, before the match, they would raise the visor as a recognition to the opponent saying 'This is who I am'.

In sport fencing, the number one rule from individual practice to club to competition is that you must never cross blades without a mask on. The fencing mask should have kept the name 'helmet' but the French got there first and called them masks, likely because they made it hard to identify the opponent. In competition, fencers must have thier equipment inspected by an armorer for saftey reasons. The mask has a steel mesh that allows the fencer to see but protects the face from practically any blow. The mesh must be able to withstand a 40 kg punch test, which is stronger than most fencers are capable of delivering. The only incidents in which a mask failed to hold after being tested and approved involved broken blades which were sharp. After the mask passes the test, it is stamped so the referee knows it is eligible for use.

When it comes to spiritual warfare, like in fencing, we are not allowed to engage in combat unless we are first bearing the Helmet of Salvation. We are not allowed to pick up the Sword of the Spirit unless we are under the Blood Covenant of the cross and have been approved by God to wield it. The Helmet of Salvation bears the colors of the King of Kings, but unlike fencing masks which need to be tested for each competition, the Helmet of Salvation is a once-done deal. The decision to follow Christ is a life-time commitment and once you become a Christian, you will stay a Christian. Salvation is a gift that cannot be earned. And if we cannot earn it, we cannot do anything to lose it. And if we could lose it by our acts, there is no hope for any.

The Helmet of Salvation completes the Armor of God, but so many times, many Christians want to go about thier lives wearing only the Helmet of Salvation. These so called 'nominal' Christians want Jesus to save them from thier sins, but they still want to live thier own lives thier way. The problem is that we are at war and if we go naked aside from the helmet, we are easy prey. Paul tells us to put on the FULL Armor of God so when the day of evil comes we will be able to stand our ground. We don't know when evil is going to make thier move so we must make it a daily exercise to put on the Armor. You cannot wait until it arrives to put it on. The enemy moves too quickly and is described as a roaring lion seeking any whom he can devour. The lion does not hunt the healthy and strong. It hunts the weak, the young, the slow, and the unprotected. It only attacks the strong when threatened. So when we don't put on the Full Armor of God, we are only inviting the enemy to come in and mess up our lives. So put on every piece of the Armor of God every day, be alert and on guard, and press forward for the goal laid out before us.