6:17 helmet of salvation. For Paul, salvation is a present experience (2:8 and note) as well as a future hope (1 Thess. 5:8). The believer’s final ground of confidence is the faithfulness of God to complete the salvation He has begun (Phil. 1:6).

sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. The one offensive weapon in the believer’s arsenal is compared to the Roman sword, short and designed for hand-to-hand combat. See Jesus’ use of Scripture in Matt. 4:1–11; Luke 4:1–13.