Wage the good warfare

This charge I commit to you, son Timothy, according to the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, having faith and a good conscience, which some having rejected, concerning the faith have suffered shipwreck, - 1 Timothy 1.18-19

There are a lot of different descriptions of the Christian life and a lot of real life situations to illustrate that life. Paul talks about farming and sports and other clear pictures.

But here he talks about warfare. He talks about 'waging the good warfare' or 'fighting the good fight.'

As much as we'd like to soften it sometimes our Christian life is a real battle. It is a battle for the souls of others, and battle with the evil in this world, and a battle with our own flesh. It is a fight against 'powers of darkness in high places.' It is a fight against a roaring lion who stalks about seeking anyone to devour.

There are those who try to tell us that the 'victorious Christian life' is simply a matter of praying a prayer of faith. Then, just like what happened at salvation, we immediately have victory and live holy lives. From that point on all we have to do is get out of the way and let Christ work.

In some regards it can be a matter of semantics, but to say that we never have to do anything ourselves is a bit bothersome. We are told to endurance hardness as good soldiers, run races, box with our flesh, etc. Here Timothy is told that he needs to wage the good warfare with faith and a good conscience.

There is a battle here – it is a warfare that must be waged to the very end. Like Timothy we are called to wage that warfare by faith and with a clear conscience. Our cause is right. The battle is worth it. Our minds must be clear and we must trust God to lead us and give us the ultimate victory.