Be Prepared. 1st Thessalonians 5:8 A sober life is free from drunkenness and attentive to spiritual matters that are appropriate, given the coming of the Lord. Someone who is sober and self-controlled is like a soldier preparing for battle. To be armed with faith, love, and the hope of salvation means being well prepared for spiritual warfare. We are called to defend the faith through righteous living and to show love toward God’s people and those to whom we preach the Gospel. With our intellect, our thinking aligns with our confidence and compassionate concern for others. The hope of salvation encourages us to look forward to the imminent return of our Lord.
Faith and love serve as a shield for our essential life practices, just as a breastplate protects the body. Faith is our confidence in the Lord, in what He is doing and what He will do. We understand that whatever the purpose of God's dealings with mankind, it is right. That faith in Him fosters love toward others, which keeps us from compromise and sin because love desires the best for others.
The principles of cause and effect (faith and love) and hope help us resist the influence of the ungodly that seeks to control our thoughts and choices. The "hope of salvation" as a helmet doesn’t refer to our salvation from hell but from the power and presence of sin in this life. Hope keeps us looking forward. Instead of being asleep, we stay alert to spiritual matters. We are mentally aware of everything happening so we won’t be sidetracked or compromised for the sake of peace and safety that can deceive people. The sober, steady people of faith and love also need the helmet of hope because the wrath that is sure to come will not overtake us. We have been saved from that wrath because we have been bought with the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.