The Roman soldier wore a helmet of thick leather with molded and beaten metal to protect the head from the deadly blows from the enemy’s sword. The helmet was essential in protecting the most vital part of the body, the head.

So what are some of the attacks from the enemy that aim for our heads? Discouragement, doubt, pride, self-righteousness, loneliness, discontentment and grief: the list goes on. Often, the most disturbing attack on believers is aimed to erode one’s trust in God and confidence in salvation. Every believer is guarded by an impenetrable piece of armor which is the secure salvation from a faithful, all-powerful, sovereign God.

At the moment of salvation, each believer is justified by faith in Jesus Christ. Wayne Grudem defines justification as “an instantaneous legal act of God in which he 1) thinks of our sins as forgiven and Christ’s righteousness as belonging to us, and 2) declares us to be righteous in his sight (Rom. 3:26, 5:1; Gal. 2:16).” Ephesians 2:8 and 9 tell us that justification comes to us entirely by God’s grace, through faith, and not on account of any merit in ourselves. The security of our salvation does not rest upon our own works but upon the work of Jesus Christ in removing our sin and granting us his righteousness.

The second aspect of salvation is sanctification. This is the act by which each believer through the work of the Holy Spirit becomes progressively more Christlike in his daily living. It is important to understand that this is the result of salvation and not a means to it. The enemy would love to deceive us into a works-based salvation that we must earn. The Word commands us to not doubt God. It also instructs us to examine ourselves to be sure we are in the faith (2 Cor. 13:5). John says in his epistle, “By this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his command- ments.”

The third aspect of salvation is our future glorification. When Christ returns to establish his kingdom, every believer for all time will be given perfect imperishable resurrection bodies. First John 3:2 says, “We know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.” The hope of heaven and our ultimate salvation is the anchor for our soul. “And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified” (Rom. 8:30). This is God’s unbreakable chain of salvation for every believer. Nothing can separate us from the love of God: this is the helmet of salvation.