Fight the good fight of faith 1 Tim.6:12
This is St. Paul’s advice to his mentee and “spiritual son” Timothy.
The full verse reads:
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.
In case you were labouring under the illusion that a walk with Christ is a walk in the park; everything will be hunky dory once you become a Christian – all illness gone, no more trouble, every distress banished – you have another think coming. Jesus says: “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. Matthew. 16:24
Peter declared boastfully that, “Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death.” But he faltered miserably at the first hurdle. It is no easy business.
As we have noted, Paul depicts a Christian life as fight. The sport of Boxing comes to mind (is it even a sport?) When every muscle in your body cries “it is enough, I can’t take any more”, the trainer in your corner tells you to fight on. Don’t throw in the towel. A little thrust here, a nifty move there and a punch on the solar plexus and victory is ours. We are urged not to give up.
During my college days, I used to be an oarsman. I am not talking about breezy pleasure boating but the real thing – regatta stuff. If you are not physically in top condition, more likely than not you are a candidate for a black-out about 50 yards shy of a 1000 yard race. The coxswain sees your condition and peps you up, lest you bring to naught the valiant effort of your fellow pullers in the boat.
Thinking straight under these conditions is well nigh impossible; somewhat like the “Ziklag” moment of David. You must scrounge and scrape every ounce of energy that is left. Peter cautions us:
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 1 Pet.5:8
In the rowing analogy, there is a finish line. The race will soon be over. There are thousands on the river bank egging you on, urging you along with the coxswain stroke for stroke, to “give it all you’ve got”, “take her home”!
That’s the imagery that comes to my mind from the following Bible verse:
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, ..Heb.12:1
And ah, let us not forget….there is a prize waiting for the winner:
I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Phil. 3:14
24 Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.
Remember, we talked about physical condition. Check out the following verses.
27 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. 1 Cor.9
25 And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.
There is another aspect where rowing and boxing may be compared:
26 I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air:
You might keep up with the stroking rate but if the blade of the oar doesn’t bite into the water, it is all a waste. “Beating the air”; throwing a punch that doesn’t connect.
But pray, who is our opponent in battle?
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Eph.6:12
Quite a handful. Watch and pray !