CHRISTIAN FIGHT or BATTLE
“And all this assembly
shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the Lord's, and he will give you into our hands.”
(as we enter into battle) 1 Sam. 17:47
There seems to be the idea that
Christians are not to fight for what they believe or are involved in a battle.
A better question would be to say how are we to engage in the fight or battle
that we find ourselves within. This has always been His battle as well as His
fight as the OT passage states. If we
follow Him as He always has asked His disciples, we are to use His methods and
engage in the battle with Him. Paul has verses which clear up many issues.
First in 1 Cor. 9:16 he states that he is engaged in this battle. “I therefore
so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: But I
keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when
I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.”
Many
say that Christ did not want His disciples to engage in fighting telling Peter
to put away the sword. But He specifically limited the disciples fight to not
include stopping His being delivered to the Jews in John 18:36. He resolutely set His face to go to Jerusalem and that
included being delivered to the Jews. “Jesus
answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world,
then would my servants fight, that I
should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.”
Don’t engage in fighting to stop that from being done, it was part of the plan
of God.
We are told to fight the good fight
of faith in 1 Tim. 6:12. “Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on
eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession
before many witnesses.” Faith is not just some kind of passive belief. It
involves a lifelong “fight of faith.” There is also the “work of faith” (1 Thess. 1:3), and the “shield of faith” (Eph. 6:16) as well as the “breastplate
of faith” (1 Thess. 5:8), and
finally the “word of faith, which we
preach” (Rom. 10:8). This faith
is taking stands for the doctrines that Christ and His apostles all stood for
and taught us. Paul did this to his end of days here on earth in 2 Tim. 4:7. “I
have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.”
And the crown of righteousness is awarded to all the fighters for Christ and
His word who look for His return to end the fight. “Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the
Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but
unto all them also that love his appearing.”
We are called to fight against
afflictions coming from Satan and his warriors who distort truth. This will
continue until Christ comes back to finish this war with this mastermind. Heb. 10:34 says “But call to remembrance the former days, in which, after ye were
illuminated, ye endured a great fight of afflictions.” Israel has been
under his attack from their beginning.
Heb. 11:34-39 says there has been valiant warriors since the
beginning of the battle back in Genesis. “Quenched
the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made
strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. Women
received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not
accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: And others
had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and
imprisonment: They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were
slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being
destitute, afflicted, tormented; (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they
wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. And
these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the
promise.”
Prayer is a part of the fighting
tools in James 4:2. “Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire
to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask
not.” Many battles are won this way.” Knowing what to ask is made clear
through scripture.
Rev. 2:16 states that the mouth is the sword but it needs to have
the right words coming from within. “Repent;
or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the
sword of my mouth.”
We have other arraignment that we
need to use as Eph. 6:11, 13 states. “Put
on the whole armor of God that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the
devil. Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God that ye may be able to
withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”
These words suggest assured victory
and that which was as taught in the opening verses of the Ephesian letter as the
predetermined plan of God. The context is seen as you read the Apostles words
as he commences by saying, "Finally,
be strong in the Lord and the strength of His might." Having those
words in your memory now read "Having
done all, to stand." They now suggest an absolute and an assured
victory. All the enemies are recognized--"against
the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this
darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in heavenly places."
Remember from the first part of the Ephesian letter that we are to be a revelation and
living spectacle of the wisdom and strength of the grace of God. The equipment
of the soldier is described, the loins girded with truth, the breastplate of
righteousness, the feet shod with the readiness of the gospel of peace, the
shield of faith, the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, with
prayer and supplication. The clash of the conflict is plainly heard and the
outcome is known by the words, "Having
done all, to stand." there is no quiver in the voice. The victory is
not hypothetical. The outcome is not for one single moment uncertain. The
soldier is "to
stand...withstand...and having done all, to stand." He is to recognize
the fact that he is not playing at battle. He is to "put on the whole armor of God" and "to take up the whole armor of God." To "put on" may be for military
parade. To "take up" is for
actual conflict. What is the outcome? "Having
done all, to stand." That is the perfect picture of absolute victory.
These words were addressed to the FAITHFUL in Christ Jesus. That does not mean
those who are absolutely true and loyal necessarily; but it does mean those who
are living on the principle of faith in Christ Jesus. This letter was written to the soldier saints,
those who wrestle and enter into conflict. He has been praying for those who
give evidence of the life of Christ in them that they may know His will
perfectly. There are those who know of the conflict but know little of the
strenuousness of it. Also the ultimate meaning of life the apostle shows not to
be discovered in the present life, that it does not lie in the realm of earthly
things. By argument and teaching, declarative and illuminative statement, he
proves the ultimate meaning of Christian life lies far beyond the present age,
in those measureless ages that are to come. There the saints are to fulfill
their ultimate work as they become the messengers to angels and ages of the
grace and wisdom of God. These soldier saints in this world are only in
preparation for higher, larger, nobler and fuller service. This life is only
preparatory. The life of the saint is not a delicate softness. It is rather a
stern conflict, for the men and women who share the mystic and mighty life of
Christ, and are called to an ultimate work of strange and wonderful greatness,
have present responsibilities, and these create the conflict. Thereby through the conflict and fight we learn the joy, peace of God submitting to the Leader and become messengers for Him in the ages to come.
I pray you are engaged in this
fight. For those who don’t like to fight, you need to understand this life with
Christ is a battle and certainly not for those who refuse to take a stand. It
is not for the faint-hearted who like to sit in the background. Put on the
armor and join in the daily battle which Christ has handed to us as He left
this earth. The apostles understood this and many went to their death taking
their stand.
I finish this article with Eph. 6:19-20. “And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my
mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel, For which I am an
ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.”
