Spiritual Warfare 9: Weapons Training: Salvation

Eph 6:17 Take the helmet of salvation

From David Guzik:
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According to Blue Letter Bible commentary author, David Guzik, “In the ancient world, this was a leather cap studded with metal for extra strength. Often some kind of plume or decoration was added, perhaps to identify the solider to his regiment. Salvation is pictured as this kind of helmet, protecting essential material. A soldier would be foolish to go into battle without his helmet.

1 Thessalonians 5:8 speaks of the helmet of salvation in connection to the hope of salvation. The helmet of salvation protects us against discouragement, against the desire to give up, giving us hope not only in knowing that we are saved, but that we will be saved. It is the assurance that God will triumph.”
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What else does God’s Word say about SALVATION?

Eph 2:8
It is by grace that we are saved, not of ourselves so that no one can boast.

According to the above verse, salvation is not earned by working a quota of goodness. It is by grace (unmerited favour) from God, not by our righteousness because all our righteous acts are like filthy rags (Isa 64:6b), we all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Rom 3:23). But God loved you and me so much that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).

We have been created to do good works (Eph 2:10) but these good works are not the means to salvation but evidence of it. If we are still insisting on being slaves to sin and living a lifestyle of habitual sin, we have to check whether we were saved in the first place. Jesus said

Matthew 7:20-22
20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. 21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’

So if we want to be sure that it was a genuine salvation we availed of, we can check our fruit. When we are sensing that we are not repenting from our sins, we can ask God to give us a pure heart. The Holy Spirit’s power is unlimited. He can help us get out of sin’s captivity and live in obedience to God.

Eph 1: 13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.

2 Corinthians 7:10
Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.

The enemy may continue to make us question if we belong to God or not. God’s Word has the answers. Jesus is the answer. When we have the assurance of salvation which is an important part of God’s full armor, the enemy can not intimidate us.

Psalm 27:1
The Lord is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid?

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