by Chuck Missler

In our continuing series of articles exploring "the Armor of God" as listed in Ephesians 6, we will now address the fifth in Paul's series of seven:

Wherefore take unto you the whole Armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand... And take the helmet of salvation, Ephesians 6:13, 17

Why Helmets?

Helmets are a form of security. Most of us have used a helmet of one kind or another. In sports, on a bicycle or motorcycle, in the factory or on a construction site, or in the military. Failure to have the proper helmet can prove fatal.

There's also a difference between wearing a helmet and simply owning one. When things start falling, you can always tell the person with the helmet on from the one who merely possesses a helmet. One is on his feet; the other can be distinguished by all the bandages!

Our most critical "helmet" (whether we realize it or not) is the one that is absolutely essential for the combat we are presently engaged in! It is the helmet designed by God:

17 For he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and an helmet of salvation upon his head; and he put on the garments of vengeance [for] clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloke.

18 According to [their] deeds, accordingly he will repay, fury to his adversaries, recompence to his enemies; to the islands he will repay recompence.

19 So shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him.
Isaiah 59:17-19

Salvation

"Salvation" is a very common topic, and yet still subject to much confusion. Salvation is received, not earned.

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. Ephesians 2:8-9

It is His gift; not wages. His salvation is for a purpose: to restore mankind to Himself. And it flows from a heart of love.

(Have you ever wondered why He bothered? The answer is in the verse just before the one above):

That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in [his] kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. Ephesians 2:7

Salvation is not an optional extra. The classic passage is John Chapter 3, where Nico-demus comes to Jesus by night.

Nicodemus

We know a great deal about this influential character. The Talmud indicates he was one of the four richest men in Jerusalem. He was a Pharisee and a ruler-a member of the Sanhedrin.

He was a member of the aristocratic family that had furnished the Hasmonean King Aristobulus II with his ambassador to Pompey in 63 B.C. His son apparently was the man who negotiated the terms of surrender to the Roman garrison in Jerusalem prior to the final destruction of that city in A.D. 70. (1)

Nicodemus outranks each of us in every respect: he was among the most wealthy in that society; he had stature; he had knowledge-in fact, he was the teacher.(2)

Nicodemus was among the most respected and religious among the professionals of his culture. He was certainly ahead of any of us. Yet he was in desperate need. Jesus declared to him, "Ye must be born again." (3) If he had a spiritual need, where does that place us?

Our Most Urgent Need

Why should God let you into heaven? You say, "I am as good as the next guy." Strike one.

"I am doing the best I can." Strike two.

"I'll try harder." Strike three.

"Nobody's perfect." That's the problem. Sin is a genetic disease; it has contaminated our very nature. Children never need a lesson in being bad. This genetic disease, sin, makes us ineligible for perfection; ineligible to be in the presence of a holy God.

Eternity

Every one of us will exist forever. The real you-call it "soul," " spirit," whatever-has no mass. It is "software" not "hardware." Having no mass, it has no time dimension limitations. Time is a physical dimension. You are eternal-whether you are "saved" or not!

The problem is, where will you spend eternity? If you are perfect-totally free of sin-you will spend it in the presence of God. If not, you will be denied His presence. You and I cannot begin to grasp what that implies. For eternity: that's a long time.

Who Will Perish?

What separates those who will spend an eternity in hell from those who will not? Heaven will be full of people who have committed all kinds of sin.

Hell is a real place for real people.(4) The one who told us the most about it was the Lord Jesus Himself. There are only two categories-those that perish and those that don't:

For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. 1 Corinthians 1:18

Salvation is an arrangement by which His eligibility is substituted for our lack thereof. It is available to us because our debts have been fully paid. Our complete pardon has been purchased and paid for.

Even killing the Son of God was not severe enough to put those men outside the boundaries of God's offer of forgiveness.(5)

[Is there anything keeping you from accepting God's free gift of salvation right now? If there is any doubt in your mind, bring it to the Throne right now. You don't need an appointment. Don't even read on without nailing this one down... with Him. It's your highest priority over anything-everything-else.]

We don't become saved by acting saved. We don't become married by acting married. Faith bridges the gap between our need and God's provision. Faith is simply the way we say "yes" to His offer.

What are you trusting in? Christ, plus something? Or is your hope and your trust in Christ alone? He did the whole job. To imply something must be added is a form of blasphemy!

Your helmet was purchased just for you. You are entitled to it because of Him.

Wearing Your Helmet

With a helmet on, you're noticeable. If you just possess one, it won't be as obvious. Life after death is not the issue. Life after "birth" is. Are you living as if you are saved? Many of us don't live as if we're saved... We are difficult to recognize because of "blending in." We exhibit fear, anxiety, doubt, and hesitation.

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to [his] purpose. Romans 8:28

What are the most important words in that verse? The first three: "And we know." Not just "suspect," or "hope," etc.

Realize who you are and that Christ paid the full price for your redemption. You have been redeemed, you have been paid for; you are no longer your own.

Put on your helmet; protect your thoughts by realizing who you are in Him. Nothing protects you more from a blow to your head than our "helmet of salvation." Each time you step out your door each day, realize that you have been redeemed.

You already have eternal life. No one can take that away from you. So Satan's darts can't reach you. Nothing, by any means, can hurt you. Re-read Romans 8:28-39.

Take your helmet off and you're vulnerable. Satan will put lying thoughts in your head. Remember this: How many of your sins were yet future at the cross? All of them.

Take the eternal perspective. When did God first start dealing with your problem? Before the world began! (6) What a staggering insight! He knew and planned for your destiny from before the beginning of time! (We often joke: I'm glad he picked me back then. Looking at me now, He might change His mind!)

We also need to manifest our helmet. We need to alert others to their need for one and how they can obtain theirs. Make this, indeed, a "New Year!" Put on your helmet and let the world know of your security in Christ. Walk with your head up, free of fear and doubt.

What could be more terrifying than the slightest concern over your place in eternity? There is no room for the slightest doubt on this issue. There are those who feel that their helmet is a perishable item; that once in hand it can be lost. That His grace is probationary. What do you think? Some of the controversies surrounding this issue will be explored in our next article in this series.

Notes:

1. There are Talmudic links to Nicodemus ben Gorion, brother to the historian Josephus, a very wealthy member of the Sanhedrin in the 1st century. He later lost his wealth and position (a reversal due to his becoming a Christian?).
2. John 3:10.
3. John 3:3ff.
4. Revelation 20:10,15.
5. Luke 23:34.
6. Ephesians 1:4.

Copyright © 1996-2001 by Koinonia House Inc., P.O. Box D, Coeur d'Alene, ID 83816

*This article from Chuck Missler was used by permission. For more informative articles, and audio tapes. See Koinonia House at http://www.khouse.org/

Personal Update Article

by Chuck Missler

In our continuing series on the various elements of the Armor of God (from Ephesians 6:10-18), last month we explored our "Helmet of Salvation." However, we had left some additional aspects to discuss further this month. How adequate is our "Helmet?"

Durability

We need to have complete confidence in our "helmet of salvation." There is no room for uncertainty about its adequacy or the durability of its protection.

Are you "going to heaven? Are you really sure? Or is it just a vague hope?

Where there is uncertainty concerning how salvation is attained - confusion as to what took place at the Cross - there will be confusion over whether it can be maintained. This issue reveals the reality of the Cross. If our salvation hinges on anything but the finished work of Christ on the cross, we are in deep trouble. Why should God let you into heaven?

• "Nobody’s perfect." That’s the problem.
• "I am as good as the next guy." Strike one.
• "I am doing the best I can." Strike two.
• "I’ll try harder." Strike three.

Try? My best? Church? Believe in God? Contribute? All are woefully inadequate to merit the destiny which He has reserved for us.

How, then? By faith alone. Faith is our response to His offer. He has done the entire job. It is actually blasphemy to suggest that we can contribute anything to what He has already completed.

If our salvation is not secure, how could Jesus say about those to whom He gives eternal life, "they shall never perish"?

And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. John 10:28-29

"They shall never perish." His is not a probationary life. "No man can pluck them out of My hand." There could not be a stronger statement.

Notice that you are in good hands: both of them. There are two hands involved: "my hand" (v.28) and "my Father’s hand" (v.29). The "eternal fist" of the Father and the Son.
Carefully note the following:

1. We are Christ’s sheep: it is the duty of the shepherd to care for each of his flock. The Shepherd keeps the sheep, not the sheep.
2. To each (already) is imparted eternal life. An ending, or forfeiture, would involve a contradiction in terms.
3. It is given, not merited: thus, we cannot demerit it.
4. They shall never perish. God cannot lie.
5. None is able to pluck them; even the Devil is unable to destroy a single one of them.
6. In the Father’s hand. No disappointments are thus possible. (Jesus handed this responsibility over to the Father in John 17.)

If Christ came to seek and to save that which was lost, (1) and yet we can somehow become unsaved "and therefore undo what Christ came to do" would it not be wise for God to take us on to heaven the moment we are saved in order to insure that we make it? Isn’t it unnecessarily risky to force us to stay here?

If salvation is not a settled issue, how can I "be anxious for nothing?" (2)

If a man or a woman ends up in hell, who has at some point in life put his or her trust in Christ, doesn’t that make what Jesus said to Nicodemus a lie? (3) If there is a condition "—even one" attached to God’s willingness to maintain a relationship with His children, it is not unconditional.

Are you focusing on your own behavior rather than on Christ? We are never completely free to fasten our gaze on Him until we are sure our relationship with Him is secure.

The Sovereignty of God vs. The Sovereignty of Man

Predestination vs. Free Will is one of the classic debates throughout the entire history of both philosophy and theology. The doctrine of election also lies at the root of the traditional debate between Calvinism and Arminianism.

(When the Lord Himself touched on this issue in Nazareth, they attempted to throw Him off a cliff! (4)

The "Once Saved Always Saved" view is still a very controversial topic among those grappling with the apparent paradoxes emerging from this issue. Our own view is that both views - Calvinism and Arminianism - are correct in what they assert, but both are wrong in what they deny.

This classic debate, we believe, can only be resolved by recognizing that God is outside our domain of time. The great insight of modern physics is the discovery that time is a physical property. Since God is not bound by the restrictions of our physical existence, He is not someone who has "lots of time," but rather One who is outside our domain of time altogether.

While we have complete freedom of choice - within our dimensionality of time - He is outside of that domain and He alone knows the end from the beginning. Thus, it is a courtship between two sovereignties.

It is His faithfulness and unconditional love that we have the opportunity to receive. (We attempt to explore this in more depth in our briefing package, The Sovereignty of Man.)

The Prodigal Son

We all recall the famous parable of the Prodigal son. (5) Unthinkably rebellious, disdainful of his situation, he ends up in a hopeless mess. Which of the son’s good works maintained the relationship between the father and the son in the parable? None.

Yet, had he forfeited any rights to his sonship? This is one of the key lessons of the parable: Once a son, always a son. The relationship was unbroken, even though his fellowship had been interrupted by his misdemeanors.

As a believer, you will never be judged for your sins. (6) It is so settled in the mind of God. However, some of us never seem to get out of the courtroom and into the family room. There is far more than mere forgiveness in store for us, if we are "in Christ."

Adoption

Romans Chapter 7 is sometimes described as "law school." Yet the following chapter deals with our transcendence through adoption. (7) In the culture of that time, the procedure of adoption elevated a child into eligibility for his inheritance.

If salvation wasn’t permanent, why introduce the concept of adoption? Wouldn’t it have been better just to describe salvation in terms of a conditional contract between man and God?

Is your adoption probationary? Why would God choose, before the foundation of the world, (8) to adopt someone He knew He would eventually have to unadopt? Could you ever really put your total trust in a heavenly Father who might unadopt you? (I have heard of unwanted pregnancies. I have never heard of an unwanted adoption.)

To believe we can be unadopted is to believe that man is able to thwart the predestined will of God.

The authors of the New Testament left us with detailed explanations of how one becomes a child of God. If that process could be reversed, doesn’t it make sense that at least one of them would have gone into explaining that as well?

Sealed

We also notice that the New Testament repeatedly applies to us the concept of being "sealed." (9) The term explicitly denotes protection and security; being closed off from outside influences and interferences.

What is the significance of a seal that can be removed and reapplied? What does it really seal? To allow "unsealing" involves a contradiction in terms. (In the Book of Revelation, 144,000 are sealed. (10) The entire group reappears later in Chapter 14. (11) How many were lost?)

[Maybe we’d better just hope for the best: We’d better cross our fingers and hope that Christ ultimately defeats the Antichrist in the end. If mortal man can thwart God’s prophetic will for his own life, think of what a supernaturally empowered world leader could do on a larger scale!]

In Conclusion

Resolve any insecurities you may have with respect to your own eternal destiny NOW. It is clearly the most important issue in your life. Is there anything keeping you from accepting God’s free gift of salvation right now?

If your helmet appears perishable or lacking durability, your potential victory in the spiritual battles you are continually facing will prove fragile. The believer knows his ultimate victory is certain. Reread Romans 8:28-39. And remember who is continually holding you up in prayer: Our Lord Himself! (12)

How do you know that you are really saved? Two ways: (1) By trusting in the completed actions by Jesus on that Cross erected in Judea so long ago. And, (2) By experiencing the power of the Holy Spirit in your life. You are not saved by your actions, but your actions should demonstrate that you have been saved. It’s not so much an issue of "life after death"; but rather, "life after birth" (your second birth!).

How are you doing? Chat with Him about it. Every day.

Notes:
1. Luke 19:10.
2. Philippians 4:6.
3. John 3:16-18.
4. Luke 4:25-30.
5. Luke 15:11-32.
6. John 5:24.
7. Romans 8:15-16.
8. Ephesians 1:4.
9. Ephesians 1:13-14; 4:30; 2 Cor 1:21-22; 1 Pet 1:5, et al.
10. Revelation 7:4-8.
11. Revelation 14:1-5.
12. Hebrews 7:25