Greetings,
I
remember when I got my first pair of roller skates as a kid. They were
specially designed to go extra slow. Don't get me wrong, I certainly
appreciated them! However, they were toys. To ensure that I wouldn't get hurt
going extra slow, I received a safety kit along with the skates. This safety
kit included elbow pads, knee pads, and a snazzy helmet. How cool is it to go 1
mile per hour on roller skates with all that equipment! Did I mention it was
color coordinated?
What
parent wants to put their child in a dangerous situation without the proper
protection? Mine didn't, and I am very thankful for this fact. My snazzy helmet
protected my developing brain from all manner of evils. In order to protect me
from spiritual evils, my Father in heaven also gives me a helmet! It's called
the helmet of salvation and it is the piece of spiritual armor that we will be
focusing on this week.
"Wherefore
take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the
evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins
girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your
feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the
shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of
the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation,
and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Praying always with all
prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all
perseverance and supplication for all saints" (Ephesians 6:13-18)
The
Christian faith is based around the concept of salvation in Jesus Christ.
Salvation basically means to be saved or delivered from something. According to
the Bible, when we believe with our heart and confess with our mouth that Jesus
is Lord, we will be saved.
"That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt
believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be
saved" (Romans 10:9)
What do we have salvation from?
Everyone likes the idea of being saved. Some people dream of being saved from
abusive situations. Other people dream of being saved from their financial dilemma.
Still others dream of being saved 40% during a Macy's sale. We read in the
Bible that when confess that Jesus is Lord and believe in our heart that God
has raised Him from the dead we shall be saved. What does this decision allow
God to save us from?
"For the
wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ
Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:23)
"But God demonstrates His
own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be
saved from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies we were
reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been
reconciled, we shall be saved by His life." (Romans 5:8-10)
When
we have salvation through Jesus Christ, we are saved from the wages of sin
which is death. According to the Bible, sin is the problem that separates us
from God. Since we are born with a sin nature it does us no good to try to earn
our way into heaven. This requires us to be saved from our very nature, which
is precisely why Jesus died for our sins. The wages of sin is death, but the
gift of God through the sacrificial work of Jesus Christ is life. We are
reconciled to God through the death of Jesus.
We
are also saved from wrath. We are saved from bearing the guilt of our sins
before the Righteous Judge over the whole of creation, and we are justified by
the blood of Jesus. When you see the word "justified" think Just-If-I'd; in other words think Just-As-If-I'd
never sinned! When we have salvation in
Jesus Christ we are saved from hell and granted entrance into heaven. This
means that we are saved from eternal death and granted everlasting life. For
the Christian, to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord (2
Corinthians 5:8).
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that
whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life"
(John 3:16)
However, this isn't all there is
to the topic of salvation. The Bible actually goes on to say that when we are
Christian: we have been saved, we are
presently being saved, and also that in the future, those that endure to the
end will be saved.
"Even when we were dead in
trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you
have been saved)" (Ephesians 2:5)
"For the message of the
cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are
being saved it is the power of God" (1 Corinthians 1:18)
"And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures
to the end will be saved" (Matthew
10:22)
Salvation isn't strictly limited
to the moment we experience a new birth, become a child of God, and enter the
Kingdom of God (John 3:5). Salvation is something that God continually performs
on our behalf. He continually saves and delivers us. God saves our marriages,
God saves us from addictions, and God saves us from bad decisions. The Bible
says that God will contend with those that contend with us, and He save our
children (Isaiah 49:25). As a matter of fact, God is so powerful that He works
all thing to the good of those that love Him and are called according to His
purpose (Romans 8:28). God continually delivers us from all of the various
attacks of the enemy as we keep on the helmet of salvation.
The fact that we are presently
being saved also deals with the soul realm of the individual. This can be
confusing until we understand certain basic facts. We exist in three basic
parts being the body, the soul, and the spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:23). The body
is our physical aspect, the soul is most easily understood as the mind, will,
and emotions, and the spirit is our contact point with God. When we receive new
birth (John 3:5) it is our spirit man that is reborn. It is our spirit that
becomes one with the Spirit of God when we are saved (1 Corinthians 6:17).
The soul is not so quickly
delivered. As you may have witnessed, not all of the Christians you meet have a
perfect attitude, a perfect thought life, perfect emotional responses, and
perfect will power. As a matter of fact, none do. This is why our soul goes
through a process of being saved as we walk into maturity in Christ. As our
soul is delivered from carnality and into the glorious liberty of God's
holiness, we move on towards the saving of the soul.
"But
we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the
saving of the soul" (Hebrews 10:39)
"receiving the end
of your faith—the salvation of your souls." (1 Peter 1:9)
The
helmet of salvation protects us from any type of fatal blow. When we have
salvation in Jesus Christ we are permanently delivered from death. In Christ we
have everlasting life. The helmet of salvation also protects us from the
ongoing attacks of the enemy. Not only
does God deliver us from outside circumstances, but by moving us towards the
saving of our soul, God also delivers us from ourselves. How great is our God?
