How should we understand “the helmet of salvation”?
(Ephesians 6:14-20; Romans 3:21-22; 10:13-15; 1 Peter 3:13-16) Blog 17-23 Sep. 2023
Prepared by Richard A. Marin: Present Truth PO Box 700, Fallbrook CA 92088-0700 USA
REVIEW: In Ephesians, Paul shows believers in Jesus what blessings they have in Christ and what power they have in themselves through the gift of the Holy Spirit. Then he goes on to explain that God has given them gifts for the perfecting of the saints and tells them how to walk in love, submitting to one another. Having thus taught the church how to function from within, he describes their enemy and their need to be armed. Then he lists the armor they will need in the battle.
The Belt
1. Why does Paul say that Christians are to put on the whole armor of God? The reason we need to put on the armor is because we must hold our position against a wily enemy (Eph. 6:10-13).
2. What is the function of a military belt? The military belt serves to keep the soldier’s breastplate & other gear in place & to hold his skirt up for action (Eph. 6:4; Ex. 39:21; 1 Kings 18:46; Psa. 45:3).
3. What does the belt represent for Christians? The belt represents the true doctrine that the Christian holds. This includes the truth about the Bible, God, man, Jesus, salvation, the church, & eschatology (Eph. 6:14; Jude 1:3).
4. What is the doctrine of the Bible? The doctrine of the Bible is that it is given by God that we may know how to be saved & how to live in this world; that it is necessary, authoritative, sufficient, & clear (2 Tim. 3:15-17).
5. What is the doctrine of God? The doctrine of God is that there is one God in three eternal persons who are omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent, & all loving (Isa. 40:22-28, Matt. 28:19; 1 John 5:7).
6. What is the doctrine of man? The doctrine of man is that he was made perfect by God of flesh & spirit but through sin became degenerate & depraved (Gen. 2:7; Rom. 5:16, 21).
7. What is the doctrine of Jesus? Jesus was God eternal & became man, taking our degeneracy but not our depravity, that he might live a perfect human life & die an atoning death as our Substitute (Luke 1:35; John 1:14; Heb. 2:14).
8. What is the doctrine of salvation? The doctrine of salvation is that fallen man may be counted righteous before God through faith alone & may live to God’s glory by cooperating with the Holy Spirit in sanctification (Eph. 2:8-10; 2 Cor. 7:1).
9. What is the doctrine of the church? The church is the people that God has called out of the world to be the bride of Christ. It is his visible organized body that is to share the Gospel with the world (Eph. 1:22-23; Rom. 12:4-5; 1 Tim 3:15).
10. What is the doctrine of eschatology? Divine eschatology is that at the end of earth’s history God will judge the living & the dead before Christ returns bringing salvation to all whose names are retained in the Lamb’s book of life (Rev. 14:6-7; 1 Pet. 1:3-7).
11. How do these doctrines help the Christian stand firm when attacked? These doctrines cherished in the mind provide a ready answer to anyone who challenges our faith & they form a solid platform of truth which helps keep us stable when attacked (Psa. 119:11; Eph. 2:20; 1 Pet. 3:13-16).
The Breastplate
12. What does the breastplate represent for Christians? The breastplate represents the perfect righteousness of Jesus that covers every believer in him (Eph. 6:14; Isa. 61:10; Rom. 3:21-22).
13. If we receive the breastplate of righteousness when we believe why does Paul include it in our necessary armor? We need to continually put our trust in the external righteousness of Christ & not in our own internal righteousness. That’s why Paul says, “having on the breastplate of righteousness” (Eph. 6:14; 2 Cor. 5:21; Rom. 4:5; Phil. 3:9).
The Shoes
14. What is meant by having our “feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace”? That phrase tells us that we need to know what the gospel is & how to present it to others (Eph. 6:15; Isa. 52:7; Rom. 10:13-15).
15. What is the gospel of peace”? The Gospel is the story of Jesus & how he lived a perfect life as a human being & died for our sins so that all who believe in him have peace with God & the peace of God is shed abroad in their hearts (Eph. 1:12-13; 6:15; 1 Cor. 15:1-6; 2 Thes. 3:16).
The Sheild
16. What especially is in view when speaking of “the shield of faith”? Faith in the power & wisdom of God is what protects us from the fiery darts of the wicked one. With God on our side no weapon can prevail against us (Eph. 6:16; Psa. 44:4-8; 124:1-3; Isa. 40:28, 31; 54:17).
The Helmet
17. How should we understand “the helmet of salvation”? Our helmet is the hope we have of a future salvation reserved in heaven for us (Eph. 1:18; 6:17; 1 Thes. 5:8; Heb. 3:6; 1 Pet. 1:3-5, 9).
The Sword
18. What type of weapon is the sword of the Spirit? The Word of God is both a defensive weapon for when we are attacked by the devil, and it is also an aggressive weapon with which we can attack Satan’s strongholds (Isa. 14:19; 49:2; Matt. 4:4, 7, 10; Acts 26:18; Eph. 6:17; 2 Cor. 10:4; Heb. 4:12).
All Prayer
19. When Paul gives the last weapon in Ephesians 6, what two things does he say should accompany our prayers? We should pray in the Spirit who also intercedes for us & we should pray in accord with what the Bible promises, for “watching” refers to Bible study (Matt. 26:41; Rom. 8:26; Eph. 6:18).
20. Why does Paul say that we should perseveringly pray for all saints? We are not alone in the Christian warfare & for God’s name to be glorified all the troops need to be encouraged to speak the right words boldly for Jesus & when they are wounded, we should pray for their healing (Acts 4:29; Eph. 6:20; James 5:15-16).