As we rapidly approach the end of the church age, the spiritual battle we are engaged in appears to be growing in intensity. As any soldier would tell you, the fiercer the fight, the quicker they become exhausted. With that in mind, many Christians I speak with all make the same comment – they cannot wait to get home because they are all exhausted. Trust me, I feel the same! But, until that glorious day, allow me to encourage you to keep up the fight as good soldiers of Christ. After all, without encouragement and hope, many view suffering as meaningless. However, because of our position in Christ, we may be resolute. A little saying I like to use is this: we can face the opposition when we are resolute in our position.
When speaking about fighting the good fight, I often like to use four simple words: duty, discipline, detachment and desire. Let’s examine each one independently:-
1. Soldiers have a duty. 2 Timothy 2:3 makes it clear: You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. This simple verse tells us two things. Firstly, it affirms the fact that Christ is Captain of our salvation and, as such, He is the One who issues the orders. If we were giving the orders, we would be inclined to hand out more blessings than battles, but we must recognise that this age is a battleground, not a playground. That leads to my next point – hardship. Many Christians would love to avoid the hardship part of faith but as was once said, a Christian without affliction is only like a soldier on parade. Just as the Roman soldiers suffered temporal hardship for temporal gain in the service of the Emperor, how much more should the Christian soldier be prepared to suffer temporal hardship for eternal gain in service of the King of kings and Lord of lords!
2. Soldiers must learn discipline. This is not simply an attitude but an activity. As somebody once said: “Discipline yourself to prayer. Discipline yourself to the systematic reading of Scripture from Genesis to Revelation over and over and over again. Discipline yourself in your speech. Discipline yourself in the company you keep. Discipline yourself when you go to bed and when you rise up. This is war. Discipline yourself!” Sadly, however, discipline is what lukewarm Christians need the most but want the least! But when learning discipline, be careful not to invite self-righteousness. We desire to become disciplined Christians, not for the glory of self, but for the glory of God.
3. Soldiers must learn detachment. 2 Timothy 2:4 says: No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier. Soldiers who tend to entangle themselves with the affairs of this world have the tendency to go AWOL. However, for the Christian soldier, service involves self-sacrifice, endurance, discipline, vigilance, obedience, enthusiasm and loyalty. In short, to be a good soldier means total commitment! In light of eternity and its rewards, we should be careful not to be entangled with temporal matters which will have relative unimportance to our eternal state.
At this point, it is important to distinguish between “involved” and “entangled”. Naturally, as we live in this world we need to become involved in some aspects of this world. The Greek word for “entangle” (empleko) was often used of a sheep whose wool was caught in thorns. This picture helps to illustrate the difference between being involved and entangled. One is entangled when he is not free to get himself loose! That becomes a problem when we cannot get ourselves loose to fulfil our Captain’s commands.
4. Soldiers must have desire. Our desire should be to fulfil our duty to such an extent that it pleases our Captain. As 2 Corinthians 5:9 says: Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him. But what will please Him most in this battle? Having our armour on (Ephesians 6); obeying His commands; displaying loyalty; exercising faith.
The life of a Christian soldier is not easy. As a soldier of faith, it is likely to be long and very trying. The warfare I am called to engage in may seem relentless at times. But I am strengthened by knowing that He who is in me is greater than he who is in the world (1 John 4:4). Christ, the Captain of my salvation, has gone before me and it is incumbent upon me to follow Him to the end. I dare not set any conditions to my obedience, but simply trust Him to provide the necessary guidance and strength to bring me through the battle.
