Thursday, October 26, 2006
1 Timothy 6:12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called.
FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT OF FAITH
It has become politically correct to call the false religion of Islam a religion of peace. In point of fact, it is not. The Koran speaks often of killing the 'infidel' and 'Christians' if they do not convert to Islam.
Did the Lord Jesus tell Timothy to be militant? Yes, but only in one sense. The only weapon that Timothy was to take up -- as both an offensive and defensive weapon -- was His Word. We are to fight the good fight of faith. We are to keep straining every muscle to defend the Gospel of Christ, keeping the final prize of eternal life in sight.
Martin Luther fought the good fight of faith. He stood up for the Truth that Christ has saved us without our help or goodness as payment. He pointed people to Jesus' life and death as the only complete payment for human sin. He stood firm on the Gospel and drew his confidence from it, not from himself. He said: "In the first place, I have not pushed myself forward at all. If I could follow my own inclinations, I would always prefer to crawl back into my own little corner. My opponents draw me out again and again in order to acquire credit and honor by attacking me. Now . . . my ambition is supposed to be the cause of everything. . . . Even if they were right and I had really set myself up as a teacher, could God not have called and raised me up for this purpose? I do not say that I am a prophet. If I am not a prophet, I am at least sure of this, that the Word of God is with me, and not with them, for I have the Scriptures on my side while they have only their teachings. This is what gives me courage; the more they despise and persecute me, the less I fear them."
We are also called upon by the Lord Jesus to do the same. This is the goal. We are to stand up for Him, not stay quiet. We are to direct people to His living and dying for salvation and away from their own perceived goodness and light. It isn't an easy task! Human beings have a deep-seated desire to 'do it themselves' and to take credit for salvation in one way or another. We are to confess the truth, to speak of what Christ has done, and rejoice in the majesty of God.
