Fight the Good Fight

In a sermon on “The Sufficiency of Scripture in Disciple-Making,” delivered at the 2013 conference for the National Center for Family Integrated Churches, Voddie Baucham made and defended this observation: “In modern American Christianity, we will not tolerate biblical, spiritual, and theological maturity in men. . . . Nothing above mediocrity.” What ought to be a normal indication of spiritual life is seen as unacceptable, uncomfortably challenging to the average Christian who will not endure such maturity. He noted that when a young man pursues his faith with unusual zeal, he is told that he should go to seminary because he is evidencing God’s call to ministry. Such maturity will not be allowed anyone not called, for ordinary Christians must settle for modest and sub-normal spirituality.

Paul admonished Timothy, “Fight the good fight of the faith” (1 Timothy 6:12). This charge summarized his previous warning against those who wandered from the faith, suffering many wounds in their aberrant desire for gain (vv. 3–10). Instead, Timothy is urged to “flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness” (v. 11). This quality of spiritual life must characterize every redeemed and ransomed soul.

The enemy works to get Christians to settle for a spiritually mediocre life while pursuing worldly comforts and material gain. Many think that the mere hope of heaven should be enough to mark their faith. Thus, Jesus’ standard for His followers (Luke 9:23) is largely ignored because it is thought to belong only to those who desire a higher but optional level of devotion. This is wrong and betrays the false hearts of mere professors.

Paul closed his letter to the Roman church with a plea: “I appeal to you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together [wrestle] with me in your prayers to God on my behalf” (Romans 15:30). He was calling on them to join his struggle. Pursuing, striving, and fighting takes real effort, the kind of effort that contrasts the mediocrity characterizing the spiritual lives of most Christians. In Ephesians Paul explains that all believers need to prepare themselves fully for the spiritual war directed against them. “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities” (Ephesians 6:12). Wrestle is a synonym for striving in Romans 15:30, involving the same strenuous effort expected of all believers in this gospel age. Praying is one spiritual discipline little exercised today as evidenced by the anemic condition of the church. Prayer is hard work. When Paul exhorts the saints to “to stand” (vv. 11, 13, 14), he does not mean that standing should be passive. The command to “Stand therefore” (v. 14) is modified by the participle “praying” in verse 18. We stand by praying, and praying is wrestling together against spiritual powers working against us. Our success in praying also depends on our pursuing “righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, and gentleness.”

May God grant us grace and enablement to “Fight the good fight of the faith” as we enter a new year and a new decade.