The Christian Fight. What it means to Fight the Good Fight of Faith.

Where there is grace, there will be conflict. The believer is a soldier. There is no holiness without warfare. Saved souls will always be found to have fought a fight. - J.C Ryle.

Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.1 tim 6:12

This week as we are reading Holiness by J.C Ryle in our book club, we are finding ourselves in a chapter called The Fight. And let me tell you, I have never been so riled up (the best incidental pun this year…) after reading 27 pages. 

True christians are in 'a fight’ Ryle explains. 

One that is of most significance & deeply spiritual. Christians are called to be soldiers. Enlisted and enrolled in spiritual warfare that we ought to be more aware of. And as I read spiritual warfare my mind wandered to Ephesians 6. 

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 6:13-15

That there are some fighting words. In light of this we likely view our fight in this world as one with the Devil. And rightly so.

Not our only enemy

However Ryle does well to broaden our understanding of the spiritual battle we are in and helps us realise it's not just the supernatural forces of evil we are victoriously battling, but our own flesh and the world. 

Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak Matthew 26:41

But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified. 1 Corinthians 9:27

Don't you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. James 4:4

This all being the truth. It begs the question, have we forgotten to fight? 

I know I have. It's unbelievably easy to cruise through life. Going through the motions and growing accustomed to the sinful habits we have allowed in our lives. Yet, as Ryle states,

The saddest symptom about many so-called Christians is the utter absence of anything like conflict and fight in their Christianity. They eat, they drink, they dress, they work, they amuse themselves, they get money, they spend money, they go through a scanty round of formal religious services once or twice every week. But the great spiritual warfare - its watchings and strugglings, its agonies and anxieties, its battles and contests - of all this they appear to know nothing at all. Let us take care that this case is not our own. The worst state of soul is “when the strong man armed keepeth the house, and his goods are at peace” - when he leads men and women “captive at his will” and they make no resistance. The worst chains are those that are felt nor seen by the prisoner (Luke 11:21, 2 Tim 2:26). 

As the late Voddie Baucham would say,  if you can’t say Amen you gotta say Ouch? 

A battle for our attention and ultimately our souls

We live in a world that is fighting for your attention. It wants to enslave you to the desires of your heart, the standards of the world and the deception of the enemy. Should we not, at the very least, match its fight with a fight for holiness. May we be marked as followers of Christ that go to war daily. Of spiritual strife, and exertion, and conflict, and self-denial, and watching, and warring. 

How to prepare for the fight

As a soldier prepares for war, he equips himself. You have the weaponry in your very hands. 

For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Hebrews 4:12.

Do not neglect the very sword you have been given. If you are unsure what battle of the flesh you are needing to wage war on, then go to the Word. If you are unsure how the world has slowly won you over, then go pick up that sword and see what it reveals. If the enemy feels like he is trying his hardest, then start using that sword!

There is no doubt that the Christian who is fighting the good fight is the one that is dressed for war. Paul in Ephesians 6 gives a clear image of the believer in Christ. One that stands alongside other soldiers and is victorious in Christ. We can tend to read this part of scripture with an individual mindset, yet I think it speaks more into the beauty of the Church when it's working together. It’s impenetrable, steadfast and immovable. It's the very Church that Jesus Christ told Peter about in Matthew 16:17 and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

Not fighting alone

Not only have we been given weapons for warfare but we have also been given each other. A soldier is best when he has his unit with him. Let us not neglect the fight for our faith alongside each other. It’s the loving rebuke, the prayer of others and the carrying of burdens that ensure we continue the fight. Jesus didn’t leave you alone in this fight, he brought you brothers and sisters to come alongside and strengthen. 

And lastly, a good soldier knows his commander. 

It is without a doubt we can be fighting the good fight, but all in vain. How foolishly we have wrestled with temptation, fear, doubt and a long list of sins only to be beaten and left utterly devastated. No, may we be the christians that hold fast to the promised work of Jesus Christ. May we not be dismayed, but rather hope filled and satisfied in the mighty Saviour that is Jesus Christ. Eyes on Christ, may the christian soldier ‘cheerfully fight on, with a full confidence that he will prove ‘more than conqueror through him that loved him’ (Rom 8:37).’

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ.

Will you armour up and fight the good fight with me?

Will we not grow weary of doing good, pray without ceasing and be bearers of God’s word? 

I leave you with these words from Ryle. May they give you the resolution you need to continue advancing in this war we find ourselves in.

Let us settle it in our minds that the Christian fight is a good fight - really good, truly good, emphatically good. We see only part of it as yet. We see the struggle, but not the end, we see the campaign, but not the reward, we see the cross, but not the crown. We see a few humble, broken-spirited, penitent, praying people, enduring hardships, and despised by the world, but we see not the hand of God over them, the face of God smiling on them, the kingdom of glory prepared for them. These things are yet to be revealed. Let us not judge by appearances. There are more good things about the Christian warfare than we see.

Finally, let us remember that the time is short, and the coming of the Lord draws nigh. A few more battles and the last trumpet shall sound, and the Prince of Peace shall come to reign on a renewed earth. A few more struggles and conflicts, and then we shall bid an external good-bye to warfare, and to sin, to sorrow and to death. Then let us fight on to the last, and never surrender. Thus says the Caption of our salvation - “He that has overcome shall inherit all things, and I will be his God, and he shall be my son” (Rev 21:7).