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Why We Can’t Really Feel Guilty, Condemned, Hopeless, Useless, Lonely, Fearful, or Frustrated When we wear our Helmet of Salvation
Ephesians 6:17
As we open in our Bibles to Ephesians 6:17, we are opening to the passage about what should become more and more, the most precious part of the daily outfit we wear.
The Helmet of Salvation is to be the constant reminder of our new identity in Christ.
When God saved us, He made us a new creation.
2 Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV) Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
Our Amazing New Identity in Christ
When Jesus described how to know His family, He identified us as the ones He gave an abundant life, that was so full, we become walking fountains of the water of life.
God says His children are the ones that have an endless life, endless joys, and never-ending security.
Jesus identified us by so many superlatives. Those who: never hunger, never thirst, are never alone, never perish, never die, are never lost, and never walk in darkness.
Putting On Our Helmet is Reaffirming the Truths of Salvation
The Helmet of Salvation is not getting saved it’s understanding, believing, and using all the benefits of being saved.
Wearing that helmet means acting, feeling, operating like you are saved.
No longer enslaved by the chains of sin.
No longer walking in darkness and reflecting the ways of our old father, the Devil.
But sometime we lose track of our new identity in Christ.
Neglecting Our New Identity
When we don’t protect our minds with the hope of our salvation: our new identity gets hacked.
We start getting robbed of joy and peace.
We lose our security, confidence, spiritual hunger, and peace.
Neglecting the truths of salvation can confuse, paralyze, and lead to periods of what could be called:
Spiritual Identity Theft
Not wearing that helmet leads born again believers to look, act and feel lost.
Every moment of every day the world, our flesh, and the Devil are teamed up to try to steal our true identity, by obscuring and clouding the hope of our salvation.
Paul told the saints at Thessalonica (1 Th. 5:8), the Helmet of Salvation is to protect our hope of salvation.
What exactly is the hope of salvation? It is the assurance of God’s promises to never condemn us. We can bolding come to His Throne of grace and mercy (Heb. 4:16), knowing that we have been completely cleansed and forgiven (Heb. 10:22).
Perhaps the best Scriptural declaration of what we have when we are saved is captured in Romans 8. As we open back to Romans 8 we just want to read just four verses from the start, middle, and end of this chapter.
Romans 8:1,28,38-39 (NKJV) There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit 28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose 38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Paul summarizes all the doctrines of salvation by explaining for all those in Christ there is:
NO condemnation v. 1 (because we are forgiven, justified, and reconciled); and
NO frustration v. 28 (because God steers everything to sanctify us into usefulness); and
NO separation from His great love v. 38-39. Wow, that’s the best news of all.
Pray
Never Condemned, Never Frustrated, Never Separated
Each facet of salvation defined by those seven great doctrines of salvation, are the keys to walking through life confidently.
The summary of the Helmet could be stated as a series of declarations of why we can’t really ever feel guilty, condemned, hopeless, useless, lonely, fearful, or frustrated again.
But this is only ours if we wear our Helmet of Salvation.
Wearing the Helmet of Salvation means
1. Because I am Forgiven, I never again have any reason: to feel Guilty.
2. Because I am Justified, I will never again have any reason: to feel Condemned.
3. Because I am Regenerated, I will never again have any reason to feel Hopeless.
4. Because I am Redeemed, I will never again have any reason: to feel Useless.
5. Because I am Adopted, I will never again have any reason: to feel Lonely.
6. Because I am Reconciled, I will never again have any reason: to feel Fearful.
7. Because I am Sanctified, I will never again have any reason: to feel Frustrated.
Wearing the Helmet of Salvation’s FORGIVENESS component:
Means I behave like I really believe my debts are paid,
so I never again have a reason to feel Guilty.
God has removed all my debts.
Jesus said to the woman who anointed Him, “Your sins are forgiven” (Lk. 7:48).
Have you experienced the relief of knowing that all your sins, all of them—past, present, and future, are GONE? Your sins are paid for, and your eternal life is purchased—by the very blood of the One who paid the price.
Wearing the helmet of Salvation’s JUSTIFICATION component:
Means I behave like I know God has erased the record of all my sins,
so I never again have to feel Condemned.
God has promised we will never be condemned.
Romans 5:1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 8:1 There is now therefore no condemnation to those who are in Christ.
Because of our sin—we are all guilty convicts in God’s sight; so we need justification.
So Christ died to take guilty convicts and destroy any record that that ever committed a crime and takes their place
in the punishment—that’s justification!
Have you experienced the peace of justification, all guilt removed, all punishment forever taken away from God’s sight?
Wearing the helmet of Salvation’s REGENERATION component:
Means I behave like I know I have a fresh new start,
so I never again have to feel Hopeless.
God gave me a brand new heart.
God says I am a new creation in Christ (John 1:12; 2 Cor. 5:17).
So Christ died to take dead and rotting spiritual corpses and make them vibrant, full of endless life and brand new—that’s regeneration!
Have you experienced the power of an endless life, and every day partaking of the powerful presence within of the very Lord God Almighty?
Wearing the helmet of Salvation’s REDEMPTION component means:
I behave like I know that God now owns my life,
so I never again have to feel Useless.
I Corinthians 6:19-20 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 20For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.
Because of our sin—we are all slaves to unrighteousness; so we need redemption.
So Christ died to take slaves and make them freed forever—that’s redemption!
Have you experienced the thrill of being liberated, set free, rescued by God forever?
Wearing the helmet of Salvation’s ADOPTION component means:
I behave like I know that God has really brought me into His family,
so I never again have to feel Lonely.
Romans 8:14-15 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.”
Because of our sin—we are all strangers to God; so we need adoption.
So Christ died to take strangers and make them part of the family—that’s adoption[1]!
Have you experienced the joy of knowing you are adopted into Christ’s family?
Wearing the helmet of Salvation’s RECONCILIATION component means:
I behave like I know that God has “Friended” me,
so I never again have to feel Fearful.
Romans 5:10-11 For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. 11 And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.
Because of our sin—we are all enemies of God; so we need reconciliation.
So Christ died to take enemies and make them friends—that’s reconciliation!
Have you experienced the wonder of friendship with God?
Wearing the helmet of Salvation’s SANCTIFICATION component means:
I behave like I know God is using every event to change my behavior into Christlikeness,
so I never again have to feel Frustrated.
Hebrews 10:14 For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified. Romans 8:28 (NKJV) And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose
Because of our sin—we are all defiled; so we need sanctification.
So Christ died to take our soiled and spotted lives that always get wasted and make them clean, focused and fruitful—that’s sanctification!
Wearing the Helmet of Salvation means
1. Because I am Forgiven, I never again have any reason: to feel Guilty. I have been forever freed from every stain no matter how deep, and of every impurity no matter how defiled.
2. Because I am Justified, I will never again have any reason: to feel Condemned. Jesus took my place. Jesus was punished for me. There is no record of my sin.
3. Because I am Regenerated, I will never again have any reason to feel Hopeless. I have been born again to a Living Hope. I am serving the God of endless new beginnings.
4. Because I am Redeemed, I will never again have any reason: to feel Useless. I was bought at a price, by God, and I am owned by Him for an eternal purpose.
5. Because I am Adopted, I will never again have any reason: to feel Lonely.
6. Because I am Reconciled, I will never again have any reason: to feel Fearful. God is my friend. He will never leave me, nor forsake me.
7. Because I am Sanctified, I will never again have any reason: to feel Frustrated. God is shaping me more each day to be useful for His purposes.
Take Up Your Helmet Daily
If you have never tried this, I’d encourage you to start a new dimension of your spiritual life by starting one of the more wonderful spiritual exercises you can ever do.
As you begin each day, one of our greatest privileges is to take up the helmet of the salvation God has given to us.
By faith we please God when we believe what He’s said about us.
We need to not live by what others say or have said about us all our life.
Satan is the Accuser and wants us to only remember all the many times we have fallen;
Satan delights in the days, weeks, or months he can keep us condemning ourselves for what we’ve done.
That is his plan, so don’t fall for it.
Resist Satan as you believe the truth; speak the truth; and preach the Gospel to yourself.
And whenever we fall down, God says to just turn back to Him and repent, confessing our sin immediately—and believe that what God has promised in His salvation.
We are forgiven, justified, regenerated, reconciled, adopted, redeemed, and sanctified.
That makes us precious in His sight, special in
His plan.
One of the most powerful habits you could develop is to take these truths about the gift of salvation and rejoice by faith in what God has done and wants to do in you!
Keep this list of what God did in salvation for you in your Bible, at home, on your computer, put one on your mirror where you start your day, and in your car.
Put this truth into your mind as a reminder of what great things God has promised and done through Christ’s death for us!
Slowly as you understand and lay hold on these truths a life-changing transformation take place in our minds, and then in our emotions, and finally throughout our entire life as we live each day based on God’s eternal truth.
[1] In New Testament language, the word used by God for adoption means “placed into a family as an adult son.” This denotes our standing in God’s family of God: we enter God’s family not as little children but we enter as adult sons with all the privileges. Entrance into God’s family is by regeneration, but enjoyment of God’s family is through adoption.
