The Helmet of Salvation

Ephesians 6:17
And take the helmet of [the hope of] salvation {G4992 – hope of salvation}, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God {Jesus}.

1 Thessalonians 5:8-10
But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation {G4991}. For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.

What does the helmet represent (based on 1 Thes 5:8). Hope of Salvation.

What is hope?
Definition: Pleasureful / Joyful anticipation or expectation {See also G1680}

What is Salvation {G4991}?
Present (now) saving, rescue, safety, preservation, deliverance from the molestation of enemies, and also, a future ("eternal") salvation.

This helmet of hope is there to protect us from the bombardment our mind faces each day living in this world. The world tries to convince us that what it trains (programmes) in us, is what is, and how we exist. Further bombarded against an intimate relationship with the Father. Compounded by all the hurts, pains, and traumas that try and destroy all hope (elevating hopelessness). This helmet, because we do have a hopeful expectation, protects us against that unbelief.

For those who have doubt because of their own sin-conscience and need "conditions" for salvation, Christ became that for them—unequivocally, for that purpose, Christ removed any and ALL human-made conditions towards God.

Acts 4:12
Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among people, whereby we must be saved.

Romans 1:16
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believes; {presented} to the Jew first, and {then} also to the Greek.

Who has God given the ability to receive Salvation—some people or all people?

Of note: some churches and Bible translators / translations (as such withing Calvinism) believe that God only selected a few "chosen" people for salvation.

What is the Will of God?:

2 Peter 3:9
The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

So when does salvation enter into our life?

It is when we accept our own self into Their family—as receiving Their adoption of us... us, taking on Their Surname:

Romans 10:13
For whosoever shall call upon {G1941} the name of the Lord shall be saved..

Paul quotes a scripture (Joel 2:32) that talks about our salvation. The words "call upon" speak of making our identity as His (Christ's). The Greek is epikaleomai which translates as:

1. to put a name upon, to surname

a. to permit one's self to be surnamed

2. to be named after someone

When we come to believe in Christ (His removing any-and-all of the self-made / human-made religion), who we are / get to see ourself as changes. We too get to fully drop all the "expectant" religion of self-made and human-made effort to please / appease God—freeing ourselves into a fully free (unburdened and energy-free), open, safe, Intimate Relationship with the Father.

As truly and completely welcome in utmost JOY towards you as you for you (without need or expectation for changing anything of ourself), we become (as we are right-this-now) as who we are joyfully Created as: Children of our Father in Heaven.

Just as a child shares the surname of a parent as belonging to (identifying to) the parent, so do we now become adopted by our Father as His child. So now, when we look at ourself, what we see should no longer doubt that we are actually ACCEPTED as our own self, as ourself, as Their own unique personal child! A Child, that is me / that is you, which is identical to Christ Jesus.

2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

1 John 4:15-17
Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as {Christ Jesus} is, so are we in this world.

You are exactly as equal in the family of the Lord as Jesus Christ is—Jesus beautifully as our "older" sibling!

And this identity we become Born-Again into has no regard to who we once were, nor where our current state of being is at the time. The Lord is / has / show no partiality {is "no respecter of persons"} with anyone (Acts 10:34). And Jesus demonstrated that in His earthly ministry—bringing any and all people to the Kingdom.

This righteousness is a gift to all people through what Christ did. Having been reconciled to the Father, we have all been gifted righteousness (right standing with God)—manifesting upon us when we believe:

Romans 3:21-24
But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; even the righteousness of God which is by the faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.

Here is some of what happens when you welcome yourself into the Family of Our Father:

We are Born-Again, not just in the Spirit, but in our entirety (all that is our Tabernacle):

John 3:3-7
Jesus answered and said unto him, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a person be Born-Again, they cannot see the kingdom of God." Nicodemus said unto Him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?" Jesus answered, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a person is born of water and of the Spirit, they cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto you, you must be born again."

Made us Holy & Blessed us with all Spiritual Gifts:

Ephesians 1:1-3
Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus: grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.

Baptized into Christ by the Holy Spirit:

1 Corinthians 1:13
For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.

Sealed by the Holy Spirit:

Ephesians 1:13-14
In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.

What does sealed mean? Like a letter / like a jar of preserves; and the Lord has taken on responsibility to perpetually and forever maintain our salvation—eliminating ANY worry about my "works" or "effort"... and the Lord has ZERO want to remove you from Their Family, because, even if we "doubt" our Worth, YOUR worth is as EQUAL to Jesus Christ!

1 Peter 1:5
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

Isaiah 41:10
Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I Am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’

Does this mean we don't have a choice to deny Him after we've accepted Salvation? No, we can still {as blatantly and extremely difficult as it would be} "could" choose to reject our kinship with the Father—it is just not a risk in that we "lose it" like we lose a coin, or ignorantly wander off as a sheep, or as a result of behaviour. There would truly need to be a fully willful rejection of that salvation and adoption:

Hebrews 10:26
For if we Sin (the sin of unbelief) wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remains no more sacrifice for Sin, but a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.

Hebrews 6:1-6
Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. And this will we do, if God permit. For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, and have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, if they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.

So how are we to walk our life in the Lord?

Colossians 2:6-7
As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.

First, how did we accept Him? By believing. How are we to walk with Him? The same way—through belief. Thanking Him for everything He did for us! It is about believing, not faith—for that faith is the Faith of Christ! Thus, it does not require our own efforts of faith, as even then, Faith is a Fruit of the Spirit.

It's not hard to believe. It just sometimes feels hard to put aside what we believed before: we believed it was acceptable that God was angry with me, or that it was just "normal" to be sick, or to be poor, or to be defeated, or to be fearful. What hurts and what we feel is the letting go of everything that we believed (un-belief) that was not aligned with what God holds true for us. This is renewing the mind.

Ephesians 4:22-24
that you put off concerning the former conversation the 'old you', which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; and be renewed in the spirit of your mind; and that you put on the 'new you', which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

Romans 12:2
And be not conformed to this world: but you are transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.