Take Your Thoughts Captive
February 18/19, 2023
Chris Whitelaw

1. What salvation is Paul talking about?
· “Soterion" meaning ‘salvation-bringing’
· Paul is talking about glorification when he refers to the helmet of salvation, the hope of the presence of sin being eradicated forever. Glorification speaks to Christ’s return, where he will make all things new, we will be forever separated from corruption and sin, and we will be like Him.
· Read Revelation 21&22 to see what this hope looks like.
“But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled and put on the armor of faith and love, and a helmet of the hope of salvation.” 1 Thessalonians 5:8

2. Why a helmet?
· The Roman helmet was called a galea, and it had two purposes: protection and identification. The helmet protected you from artillery attack and identified who you were and who you belonged to.
· The helmet protected the head. Biblically the head represents the whole being: People would place their hands on the head of a person when that person was being blessed (Matthew 19:15). Curses would fall on someone’s head (Genesis 49:26). When Jesus crushes the head of the serpent (the prophetic image found in Genesis 3:15) the Bible is saying that Jesus not merely got in Satan’s head, but that he destroyed him.
· Paul uses a helmet to help us understand hope. Just as helmets protect us and identify us, guarding our head. The hope of salvation guards our entire being.

3. Why do we need the helmet & how do we put it on?
· The helmet reminds us that salvation has nothing to do with us and everything to do with Jesus. That it is in and through and by Jesus that we are saved and that he never lets us go. (John 6:37-40, John 10: 27-30)
· The helmet of salvation protects us spiritually from lies from the devil and lies from ourselves. Without the helmet, we leave ourselves exposed on the spiritual battlefield.
· The helmet identifies us as the victorious ones.
· The helmet reminds us that we have a role to play today, in sharing hope with others
· So how do we on the helmet of salvation? We need to refresh our memory every day by staying in Scripture, praying during all circumstances, remembering who has the ultimate victory, and reminding ourselves of who we are and who’s we are!