“But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. 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 Timothy 6:11-12.
Many of the messages contained in Paul's letters to Timothy are focused toward ministers of the gospel rather than Christians sitting in pews; but not the words found in “verse 12” of 1 Timothy 6. When Paul opens the verse by declaring, “Fight the good fight of faith,” we can be sure he is offering words of wisdom that are not for pastors only.
You see, Timothy - alone in the great city of Ephesus - is given a challenge to serve in a church…in a difficult ministry…in a city of great evil…where the pressure to compromise and surrender is very real. In reflecting upon the words of Paul, “Fight the good fight of faith”, I’d ask that you step back and consider how it felt to be alone – burdened by the yoke of great responsibility on your shoulders - weighed down by the enormous weight of issues deep within. If you can grasp the meaning of being all alone with no one to turn too - you can understand how Timothy must have felt as he walked the streets of Ephesus.
While we know the opening words in verse 12 apply not only to Timothy but to “everyone” in the church, how can we know Paul’s words in second part of verse 12 will apply to “all” people of faith? My friends, the final words in verse 12 represent the “KEY” to this passage; for the ultimate goal of all Christians is to: “take hold of the eternal life to which you were called.”
The Christian life is without doubt a battleground, but life is also a battleground. For that reason, it would be nice if our earthly troubles would sort of just disappear….at the very moment we accepted Jesus, the Christ as our personal savior. Unfortunately, life does not work that way. God may grant us times of peace and joy that we thank Him for, but we’re always going to be in the fight of our lives. With that fundamental reality in front of us, we cannot and we must not forget that we are in a “fight” against sin!
Here in 1 Timothy 6 - the word “fight” in Greek is “agonizou” which is where our word “agony” comes from. The Greeks spoke of a wrestler who would “agonize” during the struggle against his adversary, as they both pursued victory. As men and women dedicated to the principles of Jesus Christ, “we too agonize in the good agony of faith.”
Paul encourages Timothy, fight the good fight of faith – endure its agony, but keep going - keep pushing forward and take hold of the “eternal life” to which you were called…that’s the victory…that’s the prize! Clearly it’s worth it, “to take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.”
But, why does the Apostle Paul call this battle, a good fight? How do we go about engaging in this fight effectively? In what way is our fight, a fight of faith? As I look at the context of Paul's command to fight the good “fight of faith”, I look toward gaining understanding and insight into what he means by the term “fight of faith.”
Another way to understand what Paul meant by the tern “fight of faith” would be this: “Since our faith is often threatened by fear, doubt and unbelief we must fight to maintain and hold on to our grasp upon faith.” Fighting the fight of faith, finishing the race, and keeping faith, all mean the same thing: “Fighting the fight of faith is the struggle to keep the faith.” And it's a struggle that a Christian never abandons until he attains the crown of righteousness from the Lord.
In 2 Timothy 4:7-8, the Apostle Paul says at the very end of his life, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.”
“I’m gonna stay on the battlefield…
I’m gonna stay on the battlefield…
I’m gonna stay on the battlefield, till I [rise]”
“I’m gonna treat everybody right…
I’m gonna treat everybody right…
I’m gonna treat everybody right, till I [rise].”
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