Fight the Good Fight

The letters of Timothy are broken into two books and were written while he was ministering in Ephesus. Timothy was a man mentored by Paul. They grew close during their missionary journeys. Later, Timothy was sent out on his own, to continue to serve and teach the gospel. These were Paul’s letters to Timothy amidst his ministry. And he wrote with a vibrant message of…

Fight the good fight of the faith.

What does that mean?

Does it mean we need to be militant in defending God?

Or what about a political fight over policy and culture? The charge to maintain the good Christian moral status in our neighborhoods and above all save Christmas?

Is Paul referring to a fight in order to be heard? To have our voices triumph in religious debate? To make the atheist cower?

No, I don’t think that is what he means.

God doesn’t really need us as His “protection detail”. Our Almighty God isn’t obligated to prove Himself. He is the Creator, all powerful, holiest, and most righteous, who does not answer to anyone.

God will bring about in his own time—God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords,

1Timothy 6:15

And yet He is the most loving, sacrificial, and grace giving relationship we can experience. He can handle someone upset with Him. He can handle mocks. He can handle His creation hating Him. His response was to go to the cross.

So this, “fight the good fight”…

This is a different kind of fight.

He does not need us to protect Him but He does invite us to do this kind of fight with Him.