The Tenses of Salvation

Satan will take advantage of every situation that comes his way in order to disable a Christian, and he will not hesitate to use chaotic world conditions and problems to oppose the mind. But God’s answer to this is the helmet of salvation.

In 1 Thessalonians 5:8, Paul is not talking about the salvation of the soul when he says, “We must be sober and put the armor of faith and love on our chests, and put on a helmet of the hope of salvation.” He is not referring to salvation as regeneration or conversion. This is the mistake that many make when attempting to interpret this verse. They say: “Whenever the Devil attacks your mind and seeks to oppress it, remind yourself that you have been saved.” Well, there is nothing wrong with that, of course. This explanation is mistaken, however, not because it is untrue, but because it does not go far enough.

The best way to interpret any verse of Scripture is with another verse of Scripture. Thus this text from 1 Thessalonians throws a shaft of light on Paul’s statement in Ephesians 6:17: “Take the helmet of salvation,” for it shows salvation, not just as something in the past, but something that is also a future “hope.” He uses the word salvation the same way in Romans when he writes: “Our salvation is nearer than when we first believed” (Rm 13:11).

In the Bible, the word salvation has three distinct tenses—past, present, and future. At conversion, we are saved from the penalty of sin. At present, day by day, we are being saved from the power of sin. And one day in the future, we will be saved from the presence of sin. It is to the future Paul is looking when he invites us to put on the helmet of salvation.

Further Study

Ps 27:1-14; Isa 12:2; 25:9

What was the psalmist’s conviction?

What was the prophet proclaiming?