"Thou hast given a banner to them that fear Thee, that it may be displayed because of the truth" (Ps. 60:4).
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
Fighting the Good Fight of Faith

"Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life,
whereunto thou art also called" (I Tim. 6:12).
By Al Stoner

Like many of the exhortations and admonitions given by the Lord and His Apostles, the "how's" and "how to's" are not provided on the way the word is to be fulfilled by the hearer. This is because those in Christ Jesus are new creatures in Him, and their new man possesses a superior wisdom and knowledge that makes it compatible with the world to come. For this reason, exhortations, admonitions, warnings, words of comfort, promises, and other words which proceed out of the mouth of God do not require elaborate explanation. Their new creature very desperately needs these words, but knows how to respond to them for the most part.
    Such is the case with the exhortation to fight the good fight of faith. If one were uninstructed unto the kingdom of God (cf. Mt. 13:52), how would one begin to give themselves to this fight. Would one "put up his dukes", in a manner of speaking, and begin slugging everything that appears to contrary to the will of God? But the Apostle declared that he fought "not as one that beateth the air" (I Cor. 9:26). Those words obviously do not characterize the nature of the good fight of faith. "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places" (Eph. 6:12).
 
In every other kind of warfare men are trained to fight against a foe that is seen, or at least detectable by one means or another. But in the good fight of faith, the enemy is unseen, and imperceptible to the natural man. For the believer in Christ, the enemy is all about him, and even inside of him. The enemy is, nevertheless, real, and must be engaged with weapons, but not those of man's devising. "For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds; casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; and having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when" our "obedience is fulfilled" (II Cor.  10:3-6).
 
Those who are in Christ Jesus through obedience to the gospel are called to engage in battles that would greatly dwarf any conflicts, which men in the realm of the seen (even from the beginning of time) have ever engaged in. We are called to wrestle against "the rulers of the darkness of this world," and "against spiritual wickedness in high places." These are the rulers which often are given of God to stir up the conflicts which occur in the realm of the seen (cf. Dan. 10:13-20). The evidences of this conflict often manifest themselves in things such as seasons of otherwise inexplicably great casting down for the people of God, great woundings of the heart, the foundations of right judgment and thinking among men being either established or destroyed (cf. Ps. 11:3), truth either standing up or being fallen in the street (cf. Isa. 59:14), and the evident effect, or apparent lack of effect, of the word of the truth of the gospel in the hearts of men. Also, things such as eruptions of wickedness, or the successes of righteousness at any given time or place in the world must be attributed to things which are transpiring the the unseen realm.
 
But even though this is the case, the saints of God "do not war after the flesh" (II Cor. 10:3) in any sense of the word. The warfare to which they have been enlisted has for its cause far nobler objectives than earthly conquests or acquisitions, namely that of sitting down with Christ in His throne in an everlasting dominion in the world to come. In Daniel's prophecy it is written, "And the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom" (Dan. 7:22). "The saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever" (Dan. 7:18). But the One to whom we are indebted entirely for this is the Lord Jesus Christ, who "endured the cross, despising the shame, and is" now "set down at the right hand of the throne of God" (Heb. 12:2). After "He had by Himself purged our sins," He "sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high" (Heb. 1:3). And now from that exalted place of victory and dominion He beckons to those who are now engaged in the "good warfare" (I Tim. 1:18) of faith, and are following Him in the narrow and treacherous pathway to eternal glory, and He yet speaks  forth this blessed promise. "To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches" (Rev. 3:21-22).
 
Getting back to the question that was posed at the beginning of this writing, just how do believers enlist into this conflict? It is by letting "that therefore abide in" them, which they "have heard from the beginning." And as the Apostle John declared, "If that which you have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, you also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father" (I Jn. 2:24). It is in this letting, and in this abiding that the warfare of faith is set in full array, as well as maintained. As it is written, "And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ" (Rev. 12:17). Unlike wars that are fought by men in this present evil world, the warfare of faith is an indirect conflict. We are not laboring to inflict harm upon the enemy so much as protecting ourselves and our fellow brethren, yea, and all who are in the sphere of our influence. (It ought to be clear that we are simply no match, in our own persons and strength, for the adversaries, against which we wrestle. It is by abiding in the Son and in the Father, that we are shielded from the deadly blasts that the enemy would inflict upon us, and also to engage in battle against them.
 
And it is by this abiding that we are enabled of God to wrestle against the powers of darkness. It also is by praying "with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints" (Eph. 6:18), as the Apostle Paul declared, that we draw near unto God and summon His help both for ourselves and for our brethren that are yet in the world (cf. I Pet. 5:9). And it is also by opening our mouth boldly (Eph. 6:19), taking the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God, that we are enabled of God to cast "down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ" (II Cor. 10:5). In consideration of these things, then, let us seek grace from the Lord that we may more perfectly please Him who has chosen us to be soldiers (cf. II Tim. 2:4). --Al Stoner

"Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning;  and ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately" (Lk. 12:35-36).