A talk
with a friend inspired me to look a bit closer at the verses that
mention the city without walls and the helmet of salvation. The issue of
the talk was if a city with walls is like a Christian wearing the helmet
of salvation. So we will look if it is so. I would like to show you the
verses first and then look at them individually.
Proverbs 25:28
He that has no rule over his own
spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls.
Ephesians 6:17a
And take the helmet of salvation
City without walls
The first verse says that the one whose spirit is uncontrolled is
like an unwalled and broken down city. His affections and passions are
without any guard against them, no fence about them to check his pride
and vanity or to restrain his wrath, anger, revenge, etc. Desire has its
seat in the soul, but in the spirit it grows into passion. Behind
sensual passions (e.g. over eating, drunkenness), intellectual passions
(e.g. ambition) and many other passions rules a false ego. Instead of
being held down it rises to an unbounded supremacy. A man who knows not
to hold in check his desires and affections is in constant danger of
blindly following the impulse of his unbridled sensuality, and of being
hurried forward to outbreaks of passion, thus bringing unhappiness upon
himself and most likely to others, too. He who doesn’t rule over his
own spirit and when temptations to excess in eating or drinking are
before him, has no government of himself, or when he is provoked breaks
out into exorbitant passions, such a one is like a city that is
broken down and without walls. All that is good goes out, and
forsakes him; all that is evil breaks in upon him. He lies exposed to
all the temptations of Satan and becomes an easy prey to the enemy; he
is also liable to many troubles.
Nehemiah 1:3
And they said to me, The remnant that
are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction
and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and its gates
are burned with fire.
The good character of a wise and virtuous man i.e. of someone
that has rule over his own spirit, maintains the government of
himself, and of his own appetites and passions, and does not suffer them
to rebel against reason and conscience. He has the rule of his own
thoughts, his desires, his inclinations, his resentments, and keeps them
all in good order.
Proverbs 16:32
He that is slow to anger is better
than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a
city.
The helmet of salvation
The second verse is the one that speaks about the helmet of
salvation:
Ephesians 6:17a
And take the helmet of salvation
The context of this verse is the armor of God which we are to
put on.
Ephesians 6:11
Put on the whole armor of God, that ye
may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
This verse clearly says what we are to do with the armour that
God gives us – to stand against the wiles of the devil, our enemy.
What about the helmet as part of this armour? The following verse is a
bit more specific
1
Thessalonians 5:8
But let us, who are of the day, be
sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for a helmet,
the hope of salvation.
It’s not an uncertain hope, but one that brings
with it no shame of disappointment.
Romans 5:5
And hope maketh not ashamed; because the
love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is
given unto us.
The head of the soldier was among the principal parts to be
defended, as on it the deadliest strokes might fall. The head is the
seat of the mind, which, when it has laid hold of the sure Gospel
"hope" of eternal life, will not receive false doctrine, or
give way to Satan's whispers and temptations to despair. Salvation must
be our helmet; that is, hope, which has salvation for its object.
A good hope of salvation, well founded and well built, will both purify
the soul and keep it from being defiled by Satan. It will also comfort
the soul and keep it from being troubled and tormented by him. He would
tempt us to despair; but good hope keeps us trusting in God, and
rejoicing in Him.
Conclusion
A man that has no command of himself and passions, but gives the
reins to them, is exposed to the enemy of our soul, Satan. The city that
is incapable of being defended, can be plundered without trouble.
Self-control is the ruling of the spirit, the keeping down of the false
enslaved ego.
Receive and accept the helmet offered by the Lord, namely,
"salvation" to secure the head. The whole armour of God, that
no part be naked and exposed to the enemy.
On one hand we have the city without walls and on the other hand
the helmet of salvation. Walls and helmet are both to protect. The man
who doesn’t control his spirit (from within) is compared to a city
without walls. So the man who does control his spirit is like a city
with walls, strong to defend external enemies. The one who doesn’t
wear the helmet of salvation is in danger to get his head injured (from
the outside). Its the head that does the thinking and commands the whole
body. It better be guarded well so that we don’t "loose our
head".
Actually those two are not quite the same, but we need both –
to develop the fruit of the Spirit so that we don’t need to be
compared to a city without walls.
Galatians 5:22-25
But the fruit of the Spirit is
love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness,
temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ's
have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in
the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
And in order to walk in the Spirit we also need to put on the
whole Spiritual armour that God gave us, the helmet of salvation, in
this case, to protect our head and our thinking from the enemy.
Andrea Kioulachoglou
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