THE GOOD FIGHT OF FAITH

“FIGHT the GOOD FIGHT of FAITH, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also CALLED…” – 1 Timothy 6:12a

The Believer in Christ is called to fight the GOOD FIGHT of FAITH: “Fight the GOOD FIGHT of FAITH, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also CALLED and have confessed the GOOD confession in the presence of many witnesses” (1 Tim.6:12). We have all we need in God and His Word, to overcome every snare and trap of the enemy. We are fortified to prevail over all demonic and worldly weapons: “No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgement You shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is from Me” says the Lord” (Isa.54:17).

What we are called to is the GOOD FIGHT because the outcome of the fight had been pre-ordained in our favour before the fight began. We have been declared Winners and Overcomers prior to fighting! We are perpetually on the Winning Side! We were never meant to be failures or to be defeated. We have overcome because the Greater One lives in us: “You are of God, little children, and HAVE OVERCOME them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world” (1Jh.4:4).

What we are called to is a GOOD FIGHT because we’re meant to be GOOD SOLDIERS: “You must therefore must endure hardship as a GOOD SOLDIER of Jesus Christ. No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier” (2Tim.2:1). When we’re available to be equipped and made ready to fight as good soldiers of Christ, the Master will cause us to triumph: “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil” (Eph.6:12). These are our responsibilities in Faith!

We have the Victory in Christ: “But thanks be to God, who gives us the Victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1Cor.15:57). But Satan tries to wrest it from our hands. We must fight the Good Fight to secure our settled Victory: “For whatsoever is born of God overcomes the world: and this is the Victory that has overcome the world, even our Faith (1Jh.5:4). We’re empowered to always prevail: “They will fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you. For I am with you” (Jer.1:19a); “Now thanks be to God who ALWAYS leads us in TRIUMPH in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place” (2Cor.2:14).

In Christ, Victory is guaranteed, but we must Fight the Good Fight of Faith. To actualize the Victory already obtained in Christ, we must watch, pray, be obedient to divine instructions, deny ourselves, and persevere until we prevail. Our Fight involves both FLEEING and PURSUING: “But you, O man of God, FLEE these things and PURSUE righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness” (v.11). For example, God’s Word teaches contentment and warns against covetousness and greed:

“And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into TEMPTATION and a SNARE, and into many foolish and HARMFUL LUSTS which DROWN men in destruction and perdition. For the LOVE of MONEY is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have STRAYED from the FAITH in their greediness, and PIERCED themselves through with MANY SORROWS” (vv.8-10). Therefore, our Fight is not only against external demonic attacks; it entails overcoming subtle, internal works of the flesh: temptations, snares, foolish and harmful lusts, and the love of money, all of which cause men to “drown,” “stray from the faith” or be “pierced...with many sorrows”!

The Fight of Faith is not an end in itself; it is for us to “lay hold on eternal Life” and be found “without spot, blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ’s appearing” (v.14b). We must also realize that ours is not a Fight of Fear or a fleshly fight (2 Cor.10:3-4; Eph.6:12).