We Are Called to Fight
Fight the good fight of faith. Lay hold on eternal life, to which you are called and have professed a good profession before many witnesses.
- 1 Timothy 6:12
Paul’s letters to his protégé, Timothy, were not filled with casual or conversational matter. Paul was preparing the younger man who would be called to succeed Paul in many ways. This verse uses a martial metaphor, which should come as no surprise, since every Christian has been involved in a very real warfare ever since being born again.
Paul tells Timothy, and by extension tells each of us, that we will have to fight. The Greek word used here is agonizomai, from where we get the English word “agonize.” It fittingly describes the concentration, discipline and effort required to live the life of faith.
If the trials we endure in our lives are not enough to convince us that the fight of faith is a serious thing, Paul also reminds us later in the verse that we are called to eternal life with Him - not privately, as we may wish, but in the presence of many witnesses.
We are all in a fight, whether or not we want to admit it. It may not be pleasant to contemplate, but recognizing the fact is the beginning of your journey toward success instead of failure. Some people insist they are not in a fight and refuse to defend themselves. This does not make a bit of difference to a cruel and hateful adversary. Pacifism in this event will only get them pounded into submission, or into oblivion.
Some people don’t understand why the clash between Christianity and all the other “isms” that are prevalent today is so intense. One of the reasons is that so many people on our side have not suited up to fight. The ones who have decided that faith is worth fighting for are in danger of being overwhelmed by sheer numbers.
When David, the young shepherd, showed up to the battle between Israel and the Philistines, he said, “Is there not a cause?” The answer is, yes, there is a cause that is worth fighting for. It is the cause of Christ. It is the knowledge that some ugly Philistine will not be able to defy the army and agenda of the living God with impunity. It is defending spouses, children and others who you love and who love you from the ravages of a merciless and pitiless devil, whose purpose is to steal, kill and destroy by any means possible.
You may not believe it, but you are a person of influence. There are people who look to you to see how to respond. In many ways they’re evaluating whether the faith you express is real to you, or something you proclaim only when it’s convenient. You are fighting not only for yourself and your family, but for them as well. That is why you have been called to fight—not against flesh and blood, but to fight the fight of faith— for the right of others to experience the same salvation that you have received. So I encourage you, as Paul did to Timothy, to fight the fight of faith today, for your own sake as well as for others.
Lord, I pray for wisdom that is peaceable, gentle, and approachable, with lots of mercy and fairness. You said an unlimited supply of wisdom is available to me if I simply ask, so I pray for wisdom to know how to deal with the many people and situations that will cross my path. Amen.
Further Reading
- Hebrews 11
- Hebrews 12:2
- Galatians 2:20
