The Good Fight
David Jacobs
Paul writes this letter to Timothy, urging his young disciple to live a devout life, pursuing "righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness" (1 Timothy 6:11). This is a lifelong pursuit, not just a short-term goal that will lead to everlasting life.
What is the path that society leads us towards? Money, sex, consumption, death. These are the false teachers that Paul warns Timothy about in verse 11, telling him to "flee these things." A "man of God" will flee these things. He will flee worldliness and seek the eternal. Imagine life as a race: our time on earth is short, but maintaining a faith in God, rejecting worldly and sinful things, and pursuing a devout and Godly life takes perseverance. Worldly life ends, but a Christian life goes on forever. The short race that we have on earth must be approached patiently so that we get to the finish line that Jesus sacrificed himself for. This is what Paul realizes and tells Timothy.
"Fight the good fight of faith." Paul is not condoning violence against others by saying this. He is talking about an inward battle that every Christian must wage. All Christians will sin, we will stumble and we will sometimes feel that we are losing to temptation and evil. We must fight the good fight, because if we lose, we also lose the chance at salvation. To reject this fight is to reject the ultimate gift given to us in the form of Jesus Christ, our Lord and savior.
The struggle is inside all of us. It is a struggle against deceit and worldly temptations, a struggle with truth. Fortify your hearts and minds and you can win any war against sin and falsities. With time the battles will become more clear: "He who hath become a soldier doth not entangle himself with matters inconsistent with his calling" (2 Timothy 2:4). It will get easier with time, and it would be disgraceful and wrong to hold onto hope for so long and grow weary or give up.
KJV Bible
The Good Fight David Jacobs
Paul writes this letter to Timothy, urging his young disciple to live a devout life, pursuing "righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness" (1 Timothy 6:11). This is a lifelong pursuit, not just a short-term goal that will lead to everlasting life. What is the path that society leads us towards? Money, sex, consumption, death. These are the false teachers that Paul warns Timothy about in verse 11, telling him to "flee these things." A "man of God" will flee these things. He will flee worldliness and seek the eternal. Imagine life as a race: our time on earth is short, but maintaining a faith in God, rejecting worldly and sinful things, and pursuing a devout and Godly life takes perseverance. Worldly life ends, but a Christian life goes on forever. The short race that we have on earth must be approached patiently so that we get to the finish line that Jesus sacrificed himself for. This is what Paul realizes and tells Timothy. "Fight the good fight of faith." Paul is not condoning violence against others by saying this. He is talking about an inward battle that every Christian must wage. All Christians will sin, we will stumble and we will sometimes feel that we are losing to temptation and evil. We must fight the good fight, because if we lose, we also lose the chance at salvation. To reject this fight is to reject the ultimate gift given to us in the form of Jesus Christ, our Lord and savior. The struggle is inside all of us. It is a struggle against deceit and worldly temptations, a struggle with truth. Fortify your hearts and minds and you can win any war against sin and falsities. With time the battles will become more clear: "He who hath become a soldier doth not entangle himself with matters inconsistent with his calling" (2 Timothy 2:4). It will get easier with time, and it would be disgraceful and wrong to hold onto hope for so long and grow weary or give up.
KJV Bible