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1 Thessalonians 5:8
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8 But [de] let [nepho] us, [hemeis] who are [on] of the day, [hemera] be sober, [nepho] putting on [enduo] the breastplate [thorax] of faith [pistis] and [kai] love; [agape] and [kai] for an helmet, [perikephalaia] the hope [elpis] of salvation. [soteria] KJV-Interlinear
8 But since we are of the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation. NASB
Sober means to be clear in your thinking, in control of your faculties, oriented to life and your surroundings. These things come to you from a position of enlightenment.
Enlightenment means knowledge, understanding, clarification, illumination, the correct perception of ones own self as well as of ones environment (the world and life around you).
Enlightenment comes only from truth, and from no other source. You cannot become enlightened, you cannot learn, from lies or from deception. You cannot become enlightened by things that you have a preference for, or from a desire to have things the way you want them to be.
Enlightenment is a result of learning through proper perception, not from subjective bias.
The day, means the source of truth, where truth resides and is obvious and illuminated for all to see.
Sober means to be able to see truth with a clear thinking mind, absent all things that might retard or restrict or prevent your perceptive abilities.
Therefore, the two major areas of your body, your heart and your head, become protected by the resources provided by truth.
The heart is the functioning aspects of your soul. It is the circulation of doctrine throughout your soul. Doctrine is circulated by means of your active use of it, in your moment by moment thinking processes.
The head is your soul. Your soul is the source of your true essence, your life, the real you. Human life resides in the soul.
The helmet protects the head, and the breastplate is a coat of armor of sorts that protects the front and back of the soldier, like a vest with a slot in the center where the head can fit through, so that the breastplate can cover the front and the back of the body, from the neck to the thighs.
Faith is your confidence, reliance, assurance that what you know and have been taught in the Bible is truth, reliable and certain.
Love is ‘agape,’ which is the content of the scriptures, the principles, precepts, mandates, and so forth which God teaches us. This is the sum of your functional life or the heart action of doctrine pumping through your soul.
Salvation, or hope of salvation, is your confidence that your life will continue into eternity and in heaven with God. The helmet is Gods promise and protection of eternal security.
Therefore, Bible doctrine is the sum total protection of your life. It is the correct orientation to life. It is the perfect protection from all assaults that this world, and evil and temptation can throw against you.
With doctrine, your life is secure and balanced, and oriented, and protected.
Without doctrine your life is insecure, unbalanced, and disoriented, and unprotected, and exposed to the threats of this world and life.
You just have to decide if you are really going to adopt Gods word into your life, or if you are going to go find something better (which does not exist).
