And Having Done All, Stand part 8

[listen to mp3] [watch video] [notes in pdf format]

(Please note that the teaching begins at the14 1/2 minute point of the mp3)

In previous studies of this series, we talked about the importance of recognizing that we are in a real battle against unseen forces of evil and the nature of that battle.  We considered the value of being inwardly empowered by the DUNAMIS of God and how to go about it.  We've looked at putting on the belt of truth and the breastplate of righteousness and we've talked about having our feet shod "with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace." Last time we focused on the shield of faith.

If your salvation — like a helmet — is not worn tightly around your mind, the enemy will come to chop the multiple benefits and blessings of your salvation right out of your belief system. He will whack away at your spiritual foundation, trying to tell you that healing, deliverance, preservation of mind, and soundness are not really a part of Jesus’ redemptive work on the Cross. By the time the enemy is finished with your mind, the only thing he will leave you with is Heaven! 

-Rick Renner, from Dressed to Kill 

Today we turn our attention to the helmet of salvation.

[Eph 6:13-17a, ESV] Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. ¹⁴ Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, ¹⁵ and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; ¹⁷ and take the helmet of salvation....

What is meant by salvation?

The primary word family used in the New Testament to communicate salvation and its benefits is...

• SOZO- to save, deliver or protect (literally or figuratively); also used to describe physical healing and deliverance from demonic oppression
• SOTER- a deliverer or savior
• SOTERIA- rescue or safety; rendered deliver, health, salvation, save, saving
• SOTERION- defender or defense; often rendered salvation

What does the Bible reveal about the salvation that is available through Jesus?

·         Salvation from sin and sin's eternal consequences

[John 3:14-17, ESV] And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up,  ¹⁵ that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. ¹⁶ "For God so loved the world,  that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.  ¹⁷ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

[1 Tim 1:15-16, ESV] The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. ¹⁶ But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life.

(Also see Acts 4:10-12; Rom. 1:16-17; 10:8-10; Eph. 2:1-10; Tit. 3:3-7)

·         Future deliverance into the fullness of all that has been eternally prepared for God's people for eternity

[Rom 13:11, ESV] Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed.

[1 Peter 1:3-6, ESV] Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ⁴ to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, ⁵ who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. ⁶ In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials....

(Also see 1 Cor. 15:50-55; 2 Cor. 5:1-6; 1 Thess. 4:13-18; John 14:1-6)

Every evangelical Christian would agree that the statements above and the supporting Scripture passages describes salvation... and many would also include the following.

·         Freedom from the authority of the kingdom of darkness

[Col 1:13-14, ESV] He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, ¹⁴  in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

[Col 2:13-15, ESV] And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, ¹⁴ by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. ¹⁵  He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.

(Also see Acts 26:12-18; Eph. 2:1-10)

·         Deliverance from demonic oppression and healing for physical conditions

[Matt 8:16-17, ESV] That evening they brought to him many who were oppressed by demons, and he cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick. ¹⁷  This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: "He took our illnesses and bore our diseases."

[Acts 10:36-38, ESV] As for the word that he sent to Israel, preaching good news of peace through Jesus Christ ( he is Lord of all), ³⁷ you yourselves know what happened throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John proclaimed: ³⁸ how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.

[Acts 8:4-7, ESV] Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word. ⁵  Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed to them the Christ. ⁶  And the crowds with one accord paid attention to what was being said by Philip when they heard him and saw the signs that he did. ⁷ For unclean spirits came out of many who were possessed, crying with a loud voice, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed.

 (Also see Matt. 9:35-!0:8; Acts 19:10-12)

·         Salvation of the soul (mind, emotions and will)

[James 1:21, ESV] Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

[2 Tim 1:7, NKJV] For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

• SOPHRONISMOS- literally, 'saving the mind'; sound mind

But even these do not cover the full measure of the salvation purchased for us by Jesus... which according to the apostle Peter includes everything needed for life.

[2 Peter 1:1-4, NKJV] Simon Peter, a bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ: ² Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, ³ as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, ⁴ by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

Think about the promise of this passage: those who have come into relationship with God through Jesus Christ have - through his divine power - access to everything that is needed for their earthly life as well as everything that is needed to grow in godliness.  No physical. material, emotional, relational or spiritual need is left out. Take a moment and ponder the Amplified Version:

[2 Peter 1:2-4, AMP] May grace (God's favor) and peace (which is perfect well-being, all necessary good, all spiritual prosperity, and freedom from fears and agitating passions and moral conflicts) be multiplied to you in [the full, personal, precise, and correct] knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.  ³ For His divine power has bestowed upon us all things that [are requisite and suited] to life and godliness, through the [full, personal] knowledge of Him Who called us by and to His own glory and excellence (virtue).  ⁴ By means of these He has bestowed on us His precious and exceedingly great promises, so that through them you may escape [by flight] from the moral decay (rottenness and corruption) that is in the world because of covetousness (lust and greed), and become sharers (partakers) of the divine nature.

With this in mind, read and meditate on Isaiah 53:4-5 from the Amplified:

[Isa 53:4-5, AMP] Surely He has borne our griefs (sicknesses, weaknesses, and distresses) and carried our sorrows and pains [of punishment], yet we [ignorantly] considered Him stricken, smitten, and afflicted by God [as if with leprosy]. ⁵ But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our guilt and iniquities; the chastisement [needful to obtain] peace and well-being for us was upon Him, and with the stripes [that wounded] Him we are healed and made whole.

Jesus gave us what we commonly call communion - the Lord's supper - as a tangible way of remembering the promise of Isaiah 53.

[1 Cor 11:23-26, ESV] For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, ²⁴ and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, "This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me."   ²⁵ In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me."  ²⁶ For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.

Consider this very practical approach to putting on the helmet of salvation:

1. Bring to mind an aspect of your life that is currently (or perhaps just commonly) under assault by the enemy.
2. Locate a promise from Scripture that clearly addresses this issue. (If you don't know of a promise, ask those you trust spiritually.)
3. Take a communion wafer in your hand and thank the Lord for his body which was crucified for your full salvation, including the specific area of need you are addressing. Thank him for the promise and then speak the promise as a blessing over your life circumstances.
4. Take the cup of communion in your hand and thank the Lord that salvation, including the promise related to the specific need you are addressing, is provided to you through his blood and his righteousness, not your own. (This is especially important if the enemy taunts you with unworthiness with regard to receiving that which God has promised.)
5. Repeat as often as needed until the mental warfare is won and a sense of confidence and trust in God's provision for your circumstance prevails. (Even if the promise has not yet been fulfilled, the battle is won when the enemy's lies no longer have an effect on your confidence.)