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Fighting a Good Fight
11Timothy, you belong to God, so keep away from all these evil things. Try your best to please God and to be like him. Be faithful, loving, dependable, and gentle. 12Fight a good fight for the faith and claim eternal life. God offered it to you when you clearly told about your faith, while so many people listened. 13 Now I ask you to make a promise. Make it in the presence of God, who gives life to all, and in the presence of Christ Jesus, who openly told Pontius Pilate about his faith. 14Promise to obey completely and fully all that you have been told until our Lord Jesus Christ returns.
15 The glorious God
is the only Ruler,
the King of kings
and Lord of lords.
At the time that God
has already decided,
he will send Jesus Christ
back again.
16 Only God lives forever!
And he lives in light
that no one can come near.
No human has ever seen God
or ever can see him.
God will be honored,
and his power
will last forever. Amen.
Reflect
“You belong to God” (v 11). Is there a more fundamental statement? It’s the basis for understanding our identity, our present purpose and our future hope. Paul told the Corinthians, “You are no longer your own, God paid a great price for you. So, use your body to honour God” (1 Cor 6:19-20). Here he draws a similar but negative conclusion: “keep away from these evil things” (v 11).
Who do you owe allegiance to? I’m a proud Scotsman. Woe betide you if you mistake me for an Englishman! Paul recognizes that our true identity will come under challenge. It can be suppressed when the controlling message is “You are what you possess,” illustrated by the thirteen-year-old Indian girl, who took to prostitution because of her obsessive craze for high-end gadgets and mobile phones (http://rzim.org/a-slice-of-infinity/you-are-what-you-possess/).
Timothy must close his mind to any other narrative and be faithful to who he is (v 11). A recent book asks us to understand “Salvation by allegiance alone” (Matthew Bates, Salvation by Allegiance Alone, Baker Academic, 2017), calling for a loyalty to our covenant Lord that takes precedence over every other claim on us. It is our promise of obedience (v 14).
Paul chooses a fight image. Clearly, not the choreographed fighting of TV or movies, which we watch desensitized to the brutality and injury. A real fight up close is horrific. We fight because the opposition, although subtle, will otherwise consume us.
We battle with sin and temptation and hold unswervingly to our identity because the God we belong to is eternal, unique and holy (v 16). He is the giver of eternal life and the coming judge of the world (v 15). That is enough to draw loyalty but this God doesn’t stand aloof in his fear-inducing glory. He entered the fight as a human being, boldly stood in front of threatening powers and remained faithful.
Respond
Our Father, rich in mercy and unfailing in love, thank you for Jesus who endured the cross despite fierce opposition. I belong to your family and want to remain true to you, avoiding sin and boldly confessing you are my Lord. Give me your strength. I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Andy Bathgate
Andy was the CEO of Scripture Union Scotland from 2001-2020 although he will remain a volunteer in retirement. He has been married to Alyson for over 40 years and they have two grownup daughters, a son-in-law and three energetic grandsons. Alyson and Andy live in Edinburgh, Scotland. They serve as elders in their church and in their spare time love visiting art galleries and reading. Andy writes regularly for SU’s Encounter with God and Daily Bread notes.