The Helmet of Salvation and Belt of Truth: Thoughts from a Christian Counselor

Spiritual Warfare Series

In my previous article, I discussed the Armor of God described in Ephesians 6, beginning with the Sword of the Spirit. The key concept for the sword is devotion, or how we give God our attention. Our attention is our source of light in the world. In Matthew 6:22, Christ says that the eye–or our attention–is the lamp of the body. If you fill your attention with the things of light, your being is filled with light. If worry, fear, lies, greed, or acting on temptation are the things that gain your attention, your lamp–your whole being–will be filled with darkness. When you are devoted to Christ, your whole being will be filled with light and will radiate light, but when you give your attention to darkness, you start to lose the fight.

A concept I often discuss with clients is called differentiation of the self. A primary aspect of this concept is keeping your attention on yourself (and God) and not being reactive toward others or the world. When our focus, our attention, and our devotion is on God, we start to hear what He is saying. This is how a Christian begins to do warfare–and not just endure it. When we are able to hear from God, the Word (the Sword of the Spirit) lives in us and through us. This is how “the Word of God is living and active, sharper than a double-edged sword” (Hebrews 4:12). In this article, I discuss how we can actually use the other pieces of the armor of God.

The Helmet of Salvation

Jesus said clearly that He is the only way, the only truth, and the only life, and that no one can come to the Father except through Him (Matthew 14:6). We cannot be saved without putting our faith in Christ. However, once that journey has begun, every Christian is attacked by the enemy regarding their salvation. The Helmet of Salvation protects our spiritual head by declaring our identity in Christ. We are no longer what Christ saved us from, but in Christ we are made the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21). The attack of condemnation strikes at our identity in Christ. It declares that we are not worthy and that Christ is not able to make us worthy. Condemnation essentially attempts to convince the believer that they have lost their salvation, their new identity that was purchased and not earned. The Helmet tells every naysayer that our salvation is a done deal and that Christ’s work on the cross is sufficient. While we are not perfect, it is Christ’s perfection that makes us the righteousness of God. You need to let that sink in. Whenever you doubt your right to approach the throne of God with boldness, grab onto the helmet and go. No amount of failure or success, or condemnation, can modify your purchased salvation.

The Belt of Truth

Rather than simply contradicting the enemy’s lies, wearing the Belt of Truth means upholding the greater existential Truth. The Truth is love. God loves you, and you are commanded to love God and to love your neighbor. We often think that doctrine is Truth, but that is only a part of our faith (James 2:14). Doctrine doesn’t always lead to Truth, and sometimes it can take God’s place in our heart. The enemy is constantly lying, and when we find that we are fighting flesh and blood (and creating disunity) instead of powers and principalities (spiritual warfare), we need the Belt of Truth in order to hold the whole suit on. The truth is that God is working on your friend just as He is working on you, and He loves your spouse just as He loves you.

Truth leads Christians to unity. How easy it is to divide and to form factions. When tempted to give up on your church, judge a fellow believer, entertain resentment toward a family member, adopt a bias against someone, or just plain decide things won’t work out and that you need to give up–when these things happen, you are in combat. You are being tempted out of the Kingdom of God and into the broken world, and it is the Belt of Truth that will keep you from living at opposition to the will of God. If someone tries to bait you into a fight over doctrine and ‘truth,’ remember, “I tell you the truth, whatever you did for the least of my brothers, you did for Me.” (Matthew 25:40). The Truth is that God is love, and everything needs to be weighed against this.

Aside from footwear, the Belt of the Armor of God is the most familiar and necessary item. It may seem humble and everyday ̶ and we may take it for granted–but without truth firmly in place, the armor and weapons fall away. Like ropes on a ship, the belt only really draws attention when it is missing ̶ but it is revered by those who depend upon it. The Word says to “gird your loins with the belt of truth.” Truth is meant to be intimately close and keenly depended upon. Let love be the undercurrent of your every action. You don’t have to hide it, however. There is nothing wrong with a big, shiny belt buckle.

Christian Counseling Can Support You in Spiritual Warfare

Christian counseling can help you to identify spiritual attack and to connect with God’s grace. Actively pursuing spiritual growth and healing is a worthy investment, and a fine defense and offense in the spiritual war.

Photos
Helmet “Casco,” Courtesy of Raul Hernancez Gonzalez, (CC BY 2.0) Flickr CreativeCommon; Belts, C3-Formentera Belt, Courtesy of InExtremissd, (CC BY 2.0) Flickr CreativeCommon