February 23 I Saturday

Numbers 5-6

Mark 4:1-20

“Take the helmet of salvation…”  —Ephesians 6:17

We know helmets protect the head. It is a vital piece of equipment, but the helmet Paul speaks of cannot be seen and protects us from the moment we receive the Holy Spirit. It is “the helmet of salvation” that gives us assurance of one day entering into our eternal home.

The following nursery rhyme depicts our need for salvation and can be very much taken as a parable for the first half of the Bible’s overarching narrative:

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall;

Humpty Dumpty had a great fall

All the king’s horses and all the king’s men

Couldn’t put Humpty together again.

We are all Humpty Dumpties who, because of sin, have participated in a great fall that has left us broken and separated from the Spirit of God. The first half of the Bible is about all the king’s horses and all the king’s men being unable to put Humpty together again. The law, prophets, priesthood and sacrifices of the Old Testament all foreshadowed what was to come. They are therefore totally valid and right, but in themselves, they cannot put us together again.

There is no second verse to this rhyme, but thankfully, there is a second part to the Bible. Human beings, by nature, stand guilty before God, and the Bible describes us as in a state of perishing, which leads to eternal perishing. That is a frightening reality, but one that can be replaced for a state of living and eternal life. These are a gift of God, whereby we are forgiven in Christ and declared righteous before God. This is salvation, and it covers past, present and future events of our lives.

Many people have confessed their sin and placed their faith in Christ but are still uncertain as to whether or not they have in some way jeopardized their salvation or perhaps even lost it. This kind of accusation may be very familiar to us, but it comes from the devil. Once we are in Christ, we are indwelt by His Spirit and will never lose Him. As Paul says, “we take the helmet of salvation”, and despite whatever the devil might throw at us, we can say with confidence, “I have been, am and will be saved.”

Prayer: Thank You, Lord, for the helmet of salvation, protecting our minds against anything that threatens our salvation. It is a great comfort to know nothing will jeopardize an everlasting life with You, not even the devil.