As Christians, we are urged to fight the good fight of faith. While a good many of us understand what it means, there are some who don't. I hope to offer some insight into it.
What's the Fight About?
In 1 Timothy 6:12, Paul urged young Timothy to "fight the good fight for the true faith." This fight requires that he must "[h]old tightly to the eternal life to which God has called" him.
This is the same fight we are told to endure today.
We know that God has called all of us to eternal life through the death and resurrection of His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. His suffering on the cross and resurrection from the dead paved the way for us to be forgiven of our sins, escape God's death penalty, and be accepted as sons and daughters. And this is what we should be fighting for: to live a life worthy of the call we have received (see Ephesians 4:1-16; Hebrews 4:11).
Fighting the Good Fight of Faith
Fighting the good fight of faith and living a life worthy of our calling doesn't mean that we should strive for our salvation and attempt to earn it. No, we'll never ever earn it. Only Christ's atoning sacrifice is able to provide salvation for us, and satisfy the requirements for our forgiveness. So what does "living a life worthy of the calling" mean?
Does it mean we should think of ourselves highly because we have a "calling"?
Does it mean we are worthy of the calling we received?
No, we shouldn't think of ourselves highly because we have a "calling." We shouldn't even think we are worthy of Christ's atoning sacrifice. Who are we to declare that?
Friends, fighting the good fight of faith simply means that we will not consider Christ's sacrifice as nothing. Fighting the good fight of faith means that we will prize what Christ has given to us higher than any other thing in this universe, even larger than our very lives – and we will fight for it, no matter what.
So What Do We Do?
"But you, Timothy, are a man of God; so run from all these evil things. Pursue righteousness and a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness. Fight the good fight for the true faith. Hold tightly to the eternal life to which God has called you, which you have declared so well before many witnesses." (1 Timothy 6:11-12)
Paul told Timothy to pursue things that worldly and wicked men cannot pursue: righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness. All these things he must pursue as he faithfully holds on to and tells others about what Christ has done for him, and for us, without wavering.
This, my friends, is what we should do: to love God and pursue Him above all, and to spread His love to all men no matter what we face, both in gratefulness to Christ.
