Paul the
apostle told the Thessalonian church members the “day of the
Lord” should not “overtake” them “as a thief”
because they were “children of light, and the children of the
day”. They were not to be
as “others” who are unenlightened but “watch and be
sober”, and not to be as those who “sleep” and “are
drunken in the night”. In chapter five and verse eight of his
letter, Paul shares concerning “faith”, “love”
and “the hope of salvation” where we read:
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.
The
verse begins, “But let us, who are of
the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love;”
Paul began
with the word, “But”
which is a disassociation conjunction that means “also, moreover,
and” “let us”
which refers to Paul, his companions and the Thessalonian church
members, “who are of the day”
which means “those who abstain from indulgence, vice and crime
which are usually perpetrated in the night” “be
sober” or
“calm, collected in spirit, temperate, dispassionate and
circumspect” “putting on”
which means “sink into and clothe one's self” “the
breastplate”
or “corset which covers the chest or part of the body from the neck
to the navel where the ribs end” “of
faith”
which means “conviction and belief that
God exists and is the creator and ruler of all things, the provider
and bestower of eternal salvation through Christ”
“and love”
which is the Greek word “agapē”
and means “affection, good will, benevolence, and unconditional
brotherly love”. When we use our imaginations, we can almost
picture Paul looking at a Roman soldier and using his armament as a
metaphor for the way the Thessalonians were to equip themselves with
“faith and love”.
The
verse goes on to say, “and for an helmet, the hope of
salvation.” Paul continued
with, “and for an helmet”
which was literally “the armor used for protection of the head”
and metaphorically “the protection of the mind and soul” “the
hope” or “joyful and
confident expectation” “of salvation”
which means “deliverance, preservation and safety”. This future
salvation of which Paul writes will consist of “the sum of
benefits and blessings which the Christians, redeemed from all
earthly ills, will enjoy after the visible return of Christ from
heaven in the consummated and eternal kingdom of God.”
When we
meditate upon Paul's words, we understand the importance of being
equipped with the defensive armor of which he wrote. We must have
“faith” to continue watching and being “sober”
as we look for the Lord Jesus' return. We also must continue in and
grow in “love” toward others as we wait, and we should
have a constant “hope” or expectancy that the Lord could
come at any time. It is interesting to think that the “breastplate”
covered the heart area of the body, and this can be related to
our emotions, and the “helmet” covered the head of the
body which can be related to our minds. Both our hearts or “seat of
emotions” and our heads or “thinking stations” are covered by
the armor of the Lord. May we comprehend how important it is to
protect our hearts and minds, or emotions and intellect, as we wait
upon the Lord, and may we ever be growing in our capacities to “hope”
for His “salvation”.
Next
time Paul tells the Thessalonian church members how “God
has not appointed us to wrath”,
so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow…there is more…
Look
for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From
Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be
Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the
Mount” in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com
; http://www.barnesandnobles.com
; download to e-books, and find it locally at
www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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