The Helmet of Salvation and the Sword of the Spirit

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Short Summary
The symposium emphasized the urgency of donning the whole armor of God to stand firm against the increasing spiritual darkness of the present evil day. Central to this armor are the helmet of salvation, representing the protection of the new mind through knowledge, understanding, and love of divine truth, and the sword of the Spirit, the word of God, which serves both defensive and offensive roles in combating error and internal sin. Ultimately, the purpose of this spiritual warfare is not for personal gain but to faithfully serve God and assist in uplifting all mankind according to His divine plan.

Long Summary
Detailed Summary of the Symposium on “The Armor of God” (Approximately 500 words)

Opening Scripture and Theme
– Romans 13:12: “The night is far spent, the day is at hand; let us cast off the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light.” The symposium emphasizes that although we live in the millennial day, spiritually it is still night, and darkness is increasing.
– Isaiah 21:11-12 highlights the role of the watchman who announces both coming morning and night, symbolizing the vigilance required in these times.
– John 9:4 warns of a coming night “when no man can work,” underscoring the urgency to prepare spiritually.

Need for the Armor of Light and Whole Armor of God
– Darkness in the world results from ignorance, superstition, and misunderstanding, blinded by “the God of this world.”
– 1 Thessalonians 5:5-6: Believers are “children of light and of the day,” not of darkness, so they must not sleep but watch and be sober.
– Ephesians 6:11: The necessity to “take unto you the whole armor of God” to stand firm in the evil day. This implies active steadfastness, readiness for spiritual battle, and not passivity.
– The believer is a “resident alien” with heavenly citizenship and must avoid entanglement with worldly distractions (politics, finance, false religion, relativism, mass media, entertainment) which diminish the armor’s protection.
– Reference to reprint 5338: Believers belong to the new dispensation, opposing the works and ways of the “Prince of Darkness,” and must balance priorities carefully (1 Corinthians 6:12).

Helmet of Salvation
– Mentioned in Isaiah 59:17 and Ephesians 6:17; symbolically protects the “new mind,” the embryo of the new creature.
– Protection comes through intellectual understanding, appreciation, and practical application of truth.
– Importance of knowing what one believes, why, and being able to support beliefs from Scripture, as Jesus did (“Thus saith the Lord”).
– Truth is not only knowledge but must be understood and put into practice—knowledge, understanding, and wisdom form a triad crucial to spiritual protection.
– Psalm 25:4-5; Psalm 43:3; John 17:17 stress the necessity of divine truth (“thy truth”) over human interpretations.
– Sacrifice and love for truth are necessary to fully “put on the helmet” and maintain it.
– The helmet represents a clear understanding of the divine plan, centered on the Ransom doctrine. Staying close to this “center” ensures security; straying leads to danger.
– 2 Thessalonians 2:10 warns that those without love for the truth will be deceived by strong delusions. Even the “great company” may be partially deceived (reprint 4583).
– The “adversary” uses scientific and educational institutions to promote destructive doctrines such as evolution and higher criticism, undermining faith and morality.

Sword of the Spirit (The Word of God)
– Ephesians 6:17 describes the sword as the only offensive weapon in the armor, used both defensively and offensively against spiritual enemies.
– The sword must be used scripturally, avoiding fleshly motives (2 Corinthians 10:4), and wielded confidently but humbly.
– Jesus’ use of Scripture in the wilderness temptations exemplifies proper use of the sword (Matthew 4:4,7,10).
– Acts 20:28-30 warns elders about “grievous wolves” who seek to draw disciples away with perverse teachings, emphasizing the need to defend truth both against external and internal threats.
– 1 Thessalonians 5:21 encourages believers to “prove all things,” using Scripture to discern truth and error.
– The sword also serves to convict and discipline the believer’s own heart and conscience (Hebrews 4:12).
– Reprint 3621 encourages separation from the spirit of the world and faithful training in using the sword of the Spirit to “show forth the praises of him who hath called us out of darkness into his marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9).

Prayer as the Seventh Piece of Armor
– Ephesians 6:18 exhorts believers to pray always with perseverance and watchfulness for all saints, making prayer integral to spiritual warfare.

Purpose and Motivation for Being a Soldier
– The symposium challenges attendees to consider “why” they desire to be soldiers of Christ.
– The ultimate purpose is not self-centered but to serve God and help lift the world of mankind (reflecting God’s love for the world).
– The divine nature is desired to fulfill this high privilege and responsibility.

Summary of the Whole Armor of God
– Girdle of Truth: Loyalty to truth.
– Breastplate of Righteousness: Protection through appreciation of Jesus’ sacrifice.
– Sandals of Peace: Readiness to proclaim the gospel.
– Shield of Faith: Confidence in God’s power and promises.
– Helmet of Salvation: Protection of the renewed mind through knowledge and love of truth.
– Sword of the Spirit: The Word of God, used offensively and defensively to fight error and sin.
– Prayer: Essential for perseverance and spiritual strength.

Final Encouragement
– Believers must avoid worldly entanglements and remain faithful in their spiritual training and warfare.
– There is a great privilege awaiting faithful soldiers: working with Jesus to restore perfect order to human affairs.
– Time is short; the day is at hand, so full use of the armor and spiritual weapons is urgently needed.

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Key Bible Verses Referenced:

– Romans 13:12
– Isaiah 21:11-12
– John 9:4
– 1 Thessalonians 5:5-6, 21
– Ephesians 6:11, 17-18
– Isaiah 59:17
– Psalm 25:4-5
– Psalm 43:3
– John 17:17
– 2 Thessalonians 2:10
– Acts 20:28-30
– 2 Corinthians 10:4
– Matthew 4:4,7,10
– Hebrews 4:12
– 1 Peter 2:9
– 2 Timothy 2:3-5
– 1 Corinthians 6:12

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This symposium deeply explores the Christian’s spiritual armor as described in Scripture, focusing especially on the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, and emphasizes the necessity of truth, love for that truth, prayer, and readiness in the face of increasing darkness. It calls for steadfastness, careful study, and practical application of the Word of God to stand firm in these perilous times.

Transcript

Romans 13:12. The night is far spent. The day is at hand. Let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. We’ve heard a lot about that this weekend.

And indeed the day is at hand. We are well into the millennial day, but it’s still night, isn’t it? Isaiah 21:11 12 Watchmen. What of the night watchman? What of the night?

And what did the watchman say? The morning cometh, and also the night. If ye will inquire, ye inquire, ye return. Come, and dear brethren, the signs are all around us that the darkness is rapidly settling in.

We believe the darkest part of that night is yet to come. As indicated in John 9. 4. The night cometh when no man can work. Are we ready for that final test?

In order to be ready, we need the whole armor of God and the armor of light. The darkness in the world is a result of ignorance, superstition, misunderstanding. But as the apostle Paul tells us in 1st Thessalonians 5:5,6, ye are all the children of light and the children of the day. We are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep as do others, but let us watch and be sober.

We have been given knowledge, understanding and wisdom, and it’s in place of something. It’s in place of the ignorance, superstition and misunderstanding that controls the world, and it’s not their fault. They’re blinded by the God of this world, and what a blessing we have, and what an advantage this gives us as we see the things unfolding around us.

And this special provision is ours because we have put on the armor of light, which protects us against the darkness. But we must be careful after we put it on to make full use of it, and there’s another aspect we’re going to touch on at the end. The apostle Paul tells us in Ephesians 6:11, and you’ve heard it many times in the last two days, wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all to stand.

Well, what does this imply? It implies steadfastness on our part. It implies a condition in which we are ready to stand, to stand our ground against the powers of darkness. It does not mean inactivity. Picture in your minds a soldier as we’ve been considering it this weekend, armed, ready for conflict.

He’s on the battlefield. The enemy is approaching. Yes, he has done all he can to prepare, and now he stands ready to make full use of the armor that protects him and those around him. Another general point to consider is that our citizenship is in heaven. Here we are merely resident aliens, and I know from firsthand what that means.

So does Sister Margaret. We’re both resident aliens. Me and Romania are here. We must take great care not to be distracted by or drawn into the things of this world because they are largely darkness and not light. The light of the Scriptures helps us to see, by contrast, the darkness that exists in worldly politics, finance, false religion, relativistic morality, mass media, entertainment, etc.

Involvement in the darkness of this world diminishes the protection provided by the armor that God has given us. There’s subtle difference between armor of light and complete armor in Ephesians 6, but others have touched on that. Here’s a brief quote from reprint 5338 Let us remember that we belong to the new dispensation and not to the old, and should therefore live in accordance with our citizenship and our responsibilities toward the Prince of Light and in opposition to the Prince of Darkness, his works, and his ways. Even those things which are not sinful misunderstanding, even those things which are not sinful can become a distraction if we permit our priorities to become unbalanced. First Corinthians 6:12 all things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient.

All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any of them.

With these introductory thoughts before our mind, let us continue with the last two pieces to be considered in this symposium, which are the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit.

The helmet of salvation, this piece of the armor, it’s mentioned twice in the Scriptures. It’s mentioned in Isaiah 59, verse 17, and of course it’s mentioned here in Ephesians 6:17, and it’s this latter one that’s the more familiar text, and take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. The sword will be considered later.

So we first turn our attention to the helmet.

This helmet is designed to protect the head, and we’ve heard a lot about that, and what is that? Well, symbolically it’s the new mind, isn’t it? And the importance of this piece of the armor cannot be overstated. The embryo, new creature, exists in the new mind.

It must be protected at all costs, and this protection comes from what? From our intellectual understanding and appreciation of the truth. But of course it has to go beyond that. We must know what we believe and why we believe it, and we must be able to support those beliefs from the word of God, just as Jesus did with a thus saith the Lord.

Now, this is not to say that knowledge is the only thing. It’s not. That’s why we have multiple pieces of the armor. But it is very important and it’s indispensable. You know, in the time in which we’re living, we cannot do without any of the pieces of armor, and we’re thankful that we have all of them available to us.

Now the Apostle Paul tells us we need all the pieces of the armor working together in order to be able to withstand the special trials of our day, and truth. Truth is actually an important aspect of each piece of the armor, not only the helmet.

There has never been more truth available to the Lord’s people than now.

But sadly, there has never been a greater neglect of what is available. We need to make full use of what the Lord has given us.

Our brethren of the past were persecuted, tortured, some of them put to death because of the few morsels of truth that were available to them at the time, and that’s not something just from the distant past. Within the lifetimes of most of us here, there have been brethren who were imprisoned and even killed because of the truth. What about us? How valuable is the truth to us personally?

How much time and effort have we spent in putting on the whole armor of God? How many Bible students today have thoroughly studied, not merely read, but thoroughly studied, the truth present? Truth, Thy truth, thy truth. Psalm 25, verses 4 and 5. Show me thy ways, O Lord.

Teach me thy paths. Lead me in thy truth. It’s not Brother Russell’s truth.

It’s thy truth, God’s truth. It came from our returned Lord, and Brother Russell was the instrument. Psalm 43. 3. O send out thy light and thy truth.

Let them lead me. John 17:17. We’ve heard that already. Sanctify them through thy truth. Thy truth.

Thy word is truth.

Well, you probably heard this triumvirate before, but knowledge is only the first step. Then comes a proper understanding of the truth, and the third step of wisdom comes from putting the truth into practice.

These three steps, knowledge, understanding and wisdom, are vitally important to our being able to put on the helmet, and to be able to stand in the evil day.

To have the truth is one thing. It’s like having a helmet. It’s great to have a helmet, but simply having a helmet is worthless if we do not put it on, if we do not know how to use it, and so it is with the truth.

An intellectual knowledge of the truth is not enough. That’s been brought out already too this weekend. We must make the truth our own, put it into practice, and cultivate the love of the truth and the spirit of the truth.

This putting on of the helmet takes time and effort on our part. Here’s a relevant quote from the manna of April 20th. Each person should, day by day, carefully scan his earthly duties and obligations to see in what manner he could justly and properly cut off moments, hours or days from the service of earthly things and earthly interests that now might be given to sacrifice for spiritual things and spiritual interests of himself or others. I don’t know if you’ve ever heard this definition of sacrifice or what your definition of sacrifice would be. But the one I’ve heard that I really appreciate, sacrifice is when you give up something of value.

Now, some will just stop at that point, but that’s only half the definition. You give up something of value in exchange for something of greater value.

You wouldn’t sacrifice if you didn’t think there was a greater benefit to be derived from that, and so we need to put this into practice when we’re studying the truth. Now, so far, what we have considered is all rather theoretical.

The harsh realities of modern life can be very demanding, especially if you have a family, if you have kids, if you have a job, etc. Labor saving devices are not always time saving devices. Let me repeat that. I think you all got it. Labor saving devices are not always time saving devices.

And you know, in fact, some of them even rob us of our time.

It takes extra effort today to follow spiritually healthy priorities. We must be careful how we balance those priorities. You know, there’s a rule. We will find time for the things we love. You love ice cream.

You know, it’s five minutes before the store is going to close and you run down the street and you get that, you know, last opportunity. Well, the truth has got to be a lot more important to us than ice cream. We will find time for the things we love, and so we have to ask ourselves the question, do I love the truth? And if so, how much do I love it?

To the extent we love the truth, we will be better able to put off the things of this life and to put on the helmet of salvation and to keep it on. You know, brother Russell makes that illustration about, well, be careful if you take the helmet off because you might not be able to put it back on because you know that the reason someone might take it off might be pride, and pride is Going to swell the head and. Well, you get the picture.

Why is it called the Helmet of Salvation? Helmet of Salvation because it represents a specific understanding of the divine plan, and that’s the Ransom doctrine, which is the center of the Plan of Salvation. To the extent that we stay close to the center, we are on safe ground, our helmet will be secure and if we stray from the center, we are in danger.

You heard the story about the man who wanted to hire someone to go across the mountain with a wagon load of dynamite. I don’t know if you heard that one. Good, you haven’t. Well, and this was in the old days, okay? It’s horse drawn wagon and guy comes in.

First one says, well, you know, I think I could get within like, you know, two yards of the edge of the cliff. Next guy, they’re all standing there waiting. Next guy comes in, I think I could get within a yard. Next guy, I think I could get within a foot. Well, you know, they’re competing against each other to see how close they can get to the edge.

Well, the last guy comes in and says, I don’t know how close I can get to the edge. I’m going to stay as far away from it as possible. Well, he got the job. Okay? And that lesson is so important to us.

We want to make sure that we stay as close to the Lord as possible and as far away from the edge as possible.

Those who do not have the truth and the love of it. What’s going to happen? What does 2 Thessalonians 2:10 tell us? They’re going to be deceived. They’ll be deceived because they don’t have the love of the truth.

Not just having the truth, but the love of the truth. In proportion as we love the truth to that degree, we will not be susceptible to the strong delusions. But even the great company may be deceived, or at least partially deceived. Here is a sobering comment from reprint 4583. No doubt some who will be of the great company will be more or less deceived of the adversary by the strong delusions of this hour.

Such in their blindness and deception may set forth darkness for light, and light for darkness. They may do it with great positiveness, but scarcely, we think, with bitterness, anger, malice, envy, hatred, strife, works of the flesh and of the devil. Do you see the point here? They might be very sincere and not realize that they are being deceived, and it’s all the things that brethren have been talking about this weekend that are going to help us to keep from being deceived.

But we have to have the love of the truth. The fact that such errors may be presented with great positiveness, yet without overt marks of carnality and mixed with truth will make them all the more powerful as delusions, and the thought that even the great company will be deceived is truly thought provoking. This should be a strong incentive to us to have the truth in the love of it. We are in the hour of temptation.

There has never been a time when the helmet was more needed than today. There is a forceful statement from volume six. 658. 658, volume six, and it has aged well, as has all of Brother Russell’s writings.

The adversary is turning everything scientific and educational into a weapon of destruction. That’s the end of the quote. But boy is it powerful. The majority of scientific and educational institutions of today, they’re following the teachings of the doctrines of devils, and that’s been brought out about evolution and higher criticism.

The theory of evolution is almost universally accepted. Brother Russell called attention to this theory as one of the special dangers of our day. Why? Why is it so dangerous? Because it destroys the foundation doctrines.

Belief in evolution results in agnosticism, atheism, relativistic morality. If there is no creator God, then there is no moral responsibility. You can all make your own rules. We have seen the tragic results in recent years of such extreme liberalism. Higher criticism is another danger that Brother Russell called.

Special attention to this concept, which started as a challenge to religious beliefs, has spread to other areas as well. Now, proving whether our beliefs are true is constructive, important and necessary. But higher criticism tends to spend a great deal of time and energy in the opposite direction, being more destructive than constructive, and all this is presented under the guise of progress by those who believe they have a better understanding.

Sadly, this principle has also been applied to Bible student beliefs. How many truth doctrines have been called into question in the past hundred years by those who thought they had a better understanding than the seventh Messenger? Yes, there have been many tests along the lines of the truth in the past century and a half. But most of these tests have not involved sudden and blatant changes, but rather gradual and more subtle deviations from the harvest message.

Anybody who’s familiar with the 15 years that followed the death of Brother Russell were amazed that those changes took place gradually. But by the time you got to the end of that 15 years, it was a total deviation, and even greater changes have taken place since then. Well, how many changes have taken place in your time in the truth. How many subtle errors of the adversary have been used and reused with success among the professed people of God?

The further we enter into this evil day, the stronger and more frequent these tests will become, and the more we will need to have the helmet firmly in place.

Let’s now turn our attention to the sword of the Spirit, and this is defined in Ephesians 6:17 as the word of God.

I believe it’s the only dual purpose piece of the armor. I don’t think the other pieces of the armor can be used offensively. They’re all defensive. But the sword is offensive as well as defensive. We must be faithful in defending unpopular truths while fighting against popular errors.

I learned that expression from Sister Mildred Raffles. Some of you knew who that was. We must be faithful in defending unpopular truths while fighting against popular errors, and we must use this weapon scripturally and properly against enemies outside the walls of Zion, as well as against the enemies within, and you may recall the lesson given in Ezekiel 33:2,6 along these lines.

But consider also the words of the Apostle Paul to the elders In Acts chapter 20, verses 28 to 30, which have already also been considered at this convention. Take heed therefore unto yourselves and to all the flock over which the Holy Spirit hath made you overseers to feed the church of God, which he has purchased with blood of his own. For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things to draw away disciples after them. Now we won’t go into details, but that’s a key, you know, tactic of a wolf or a false teacher.

They want disciples to come after them, not after the Lord. It should go without saying that this weapon is purely spiritual. A Thus saith the Lord, and it is written to combat the errors of the adversary, just as Jesus did when he was tempted of the devil in the wilderness. As it is written, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

It is written again, thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. It is written, thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve, and of course, that’s from the opening verses of Matthew, chapter four.

Not only is the sword used to combat the errors of the adversary, but also to prove all things, as in 1 Thessalonians 5:21, and to teach valuable lessons. There are dozens of examples of this in the New Testament but our usage of the sword must never involve fleshly motives. 2nd Corinthians 10:4 for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty. Through God to the pulling down of strongholds, we must learn to handle the sword confidently, but not boastfully.

Strictly speaking, it’s not our sword, it’s the sword of the Lord. You know, think of Gideon, the sword of the Lord and Gideon. We must be bold and fearless in defense of the truth, regardless of the consequences.

However, we must remember the words of the Apostle Paul to his beloved son Timothy, thou therefore endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier, and if a man also strive for masteries, yet he’s not crowned except he strive lawfully. We need to learn what it means to strive lawfully. That’s from 2 Timothy 2, verses 3 to 5.

What does it mean? It means to use the sword within scriptural guidelines and boundaries, and never to take up the weapons of the adversary, anger, malice, hatred, and strife.

Here’s a brief quote from the August 8th manna. True, the truth will prove to be a sword that will arouse opposition. Yet it should be the truth that causes the opposition and division, and not any rudeness or unkindness of word or action on the part of the Lord’s representatives. End of quotation.

In spite of our efforts, our best efforts, there is always a great danger of being misunderstood, and we won’t quote it. But the August 14th manna August 14th manna is very appropriate along this line.

Proper use of the sword is only possible by careful study. From reprint 1432. Reprint 1432 each consecrated believer should ask himself, how carefully have I studied that which I have clearly recognized as divine truth, and how fully capable am I therefore of handling the sword of the spirit. End of quote. So we see there’s a relationship of the helmet of salvation to the sword of the spirit, as well as to all the pieces of the armor.

All the pieces are necessary and must work together in this evil day.

Our defense is not only of the truth, but also of our brethren. From the man of October 25th let us who belong to the new nation, to the new kingdom that is not of this world, use no carnal weapons but the sword of the Spirit. Let us fight the good fight of faith, lay hold upon the glorious things set before us, and not only stand ourselves, but help all those begotten of the same Spirit and members of the same heavenly army corps, to stand complete in him who is the head of the body, the captain of our salvation. Here’s a whole bunch of Songs in the Night that have a similar theme. Songs in the night June 19, August 28, September 23, December 3, and December 17.

That was June 19, August 28, Sept. 23, December 3 and December 17, and here’s a brief quote from reprint 3621 Let all the members of this chosen generation, this royal priesthood, this holy nation, this peculiar people, seek more and more by vigilance, by faithfulness, and by holiness, to separate themselves from the Spirit of the world, to submit themselves to the transforming influences of the Spirit of God, and to discipline and drill themselves in the use of the sword of the Spirit, that they may show forth the praises of him who hath called them out of darkness into his marvelous light. That’s from 1 Peter 2:9. That’s the end of that quotation. Well, this sword is a two edged sword, and it means it’s also useful against the sin within ourselves.

From Hebrews 4:12 for the word of God is quick and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Hebrews 4:12 Heart loyal to the to the Lord will mean continual effort to bring all the conduct of our lives, yea, the very thoughts and intents of our hearts, into subjection to the Divine will, and that last Sentence is from Volume 6, page 136F136.

Finally, we are not of this world. We are pilgrims and strangers. Our citizenship is in heaven. Our loyalties are to the Lord, the Truth, and the brethren. We must never become entangled with the affairs of this world, as already mentioned, not by social or political entanglements.

Jesus had no time for such things, and neither do we. We are observers. If we are faithful in using the sword of the Spirit now, we will be granted the great privilege of working with Jesus to adjust human affairs in the future, and the results of those efforts will be perfect.

In summary, we need the whole armor of God to be able to stand in this evil day. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principality, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against wicked spirits in high places. We need the girdle of truth to be active and loyal servants of the truth. We need the breastplate of righteousness to protect our hearts by an appreciation and acceptance of Jesus sacrifice. We need the sandals of peace to help us to properly proclaim the good news, the gospel, the truth regarding the kingdom, the promises of God and the hopes for the future.

We need the shield of faith to provide us with full confidence in the wisdom and power of our God and full trust in his word. We need the helmet of salvation to protect the new mind. We need the sword of the Spirit to fight against the enemies of the truth and and to fight against the sin within ourselves, and we need that last verse there in the sequence in Ephesians 6:18. What do we need to pray?

Always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints. In some ways prayer is the seventh piece of the armor.

May the Lord continue to help us to train for our glorious future Work by skillful use of the sword of the Spirit, by putting on the helmet of salvation, by making full use of the whole armor of God, and by assisting our brethren to do the same.

That ain’t it. It’s not over yet. Time is short. You know, Paul said that, and it’s even more true today than it was then.

But there’s one more aspect we want to touch on.

It’s a small word, three letter word. Why we talked about the armor. We talked about being soldiers, we talked about the necessity of the armor, we talked about how to use the armor. But why?

Why do you want to be a soldier?

Putting yourself in danger, like Brother Harry told us, why do you do that? There’s a reason for it, isn’t there? And that’s the reason that we have to keep in mind when we’re looking at this whole subject. Why do you want to be a soldier? Someone would say, well, I want the divine nature.

Well, that’s a good reason. Then I would ask the question, why do you want the divine nature?

Why are we here?

What’s our purpose? What’s our hope? It’s not for us. Yeah, we have a part to play in that. It’s a wonderful grand privilege, the greatest privilege anyone will ever have.

But the reason behind it is to help the world of mankind. Well, it’s to serve God in the greatest capacity that we possibly can, and you need the divine nature to do that. But what does he want us to do? He wants us to lift up the world of mankind.

God so loved the world and we need to love them too. It’s not the same way we love the brethren for sure, but that’s why we gave up our lives and sacrifice. Because we saw that heavenly vision that the Apostle Paul saw.

And we want to be a part of that. Not just spectators. We want to be participants in that plan of God to lift up the world of mankind back to perfection. May the Lord help us to do this. May he add his blessings and overrule anything that was not in accordance with his will.

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