<p>5:8 <i>But let us, since we are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet, the hope of salvation</i>- &quot;We are of the day&quot; means that we are living the Kingdom life now- see on :5. This means that we shall be &quot;sober&quot;, aware, perceptive and watching for the things of the Lord. Peter three times uses the word in appealing for us to be &quot;sober&quot; in the light of the Lord's imminent return (1 Pet. 1:13; 4:7; 5:8). The armour listed here is defensive- against the temptation to be unready for the Lord's return. The Thessalonian converts had once been synagogue attendees, and would have appreciated that it was only the High Priest who put on the breastplate. No ordinary Israelite would ever have had the ambition to dream of wearing it. But as often, Paul calls the believers to the heights of spiritual ambition. They were not mere spectators at a show, but participants, the priestly tribe, called to do even the work of the High Priest on earth. The helmet guards the head, the mind, the thinking, which Paul presents as the essence of Christianity. If really we are persuaded that we shall eternally live the spiritual life, we shall not give in to petty temptation now. But we must clothe ourselves with that as a helmet, just as we must of our own volition clothe ourselves with Christ in baptism. &quot;Hope&quot;, <i>elpis</i>, doesn't mean 'hoping for the best', but rather a solid confidence that we shall be saved. This shall guard our thinking, and keep us ready and eager for the Lord's return.</p>