“For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.” 2 Timothy 4:6-8 ESV
All of us should desire, more than anything else in the world, to say what Paul says here. Do we? More than paying off a debt, or getting a better job, or a bigger house, or our children…whatever it is we want in this world must not, no matter how noble a thing, be more important to us than faithfulness to the Lord who saves us. This is precisely why Paul has routinely mentioned the Lord’s coming Judgment. You see, we think about death and judgment wrong most of the time. Paul never got over being saved, nor did he miss the fact that all will stand before Him.
The point at hand is sanctification. The Second Coming is not, repeat not, a reason to live lazily right now.
A mistake to clear up, that creeps into the Christian mind for various reasons, is the cancer of spiritual mediocrity. In my own life I’ve seen how easy it is to become trapped in the worry of fixing others “out there” rather than partaking in the work of personal Christian living/discipleship before and under Christ. In an age of such political turmoil many of us read the news more than Scripture and we’re constantly at alarm over the latest leftist advance. Convinced that the world is under demonic assault, and it is of course, our focus shifts. In our minds we become more concerned with the sins out there than those “in here.” I’ve caught myself spending more time reading about “issues” and venting about them with like-minded friends, than praying about them.
I mean, after all, if they’re so serious why am I not praying about them?
Anyway, Paul “fought the good fight” of defending the purity of the gospel of salvation by faith alone, in Christ alone, and the supremacy of the word alone. Not only that, but he applied those lessons first and foremost to himself just as he encourages Timothy to do. In a way of seeing it, the salvation by faith alone, not through works, that Paul experienced on Damascus Road (Acts 9) he continued to live out with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12). True faith shows in the long form of Christian living wherein the battles against personal sin are more and more mop-up actions rather than D-Day conflagrations in the heart. Paul was literally having Christians executed before the Lord saved him (Acts 8:1-3). He was no delicate flower. This was a man who wasn’t afraid to lop off heads, so to speak. And yet this is the one, so fervent a Jew, that God molded into an apostle to the Gentiles.
What can we say? What will we say as our own journey draws near to an end? Or are we lazily tolerating sin in our lives and expecting that death will exonerate us? Do we dare to live out our precious days – these days where the fate of eternity hangs – as though our salvation is so small a deal as to leave us unchanged? What cost Christ his life should compel us to put to death the deeds of the flesh. We are debtors to God (Romans 8:12).
And this is the big problem: thinking that death is our sanctification! No. A thousand times no! The whole point of Paul’s letter to Timothy (and every letter in the New Testament for that matter) is to build the church up into spiritual maturity. Sound doctrine is the central aspect of this. Zero tolerance is to be given to any idea or philosophy that raises itself up against Christ and the central truths of Scripture. The fact that the forces of humanism are advancing and the church is waning is exactly because we’re missing the main point Paul keeps making. We aren’t fighting the “good fight” – we’re fighting, alright, but terribly. We’re like Ali throwing too many hooks with Joe Frazier in 1971, or Sugar Ray brawling with Duran in Montreal. Bad tactics, bad fight.
The principle is that we “fight” for sound doctrine because it’s the gospel that saves. We guard against all errors that will erode the purity and power of salvation by faith alone and the philosophical supremacy of the Scripture.
“We are destroying sophisticated arguments and every exalted and proud thing that sets itself up against the [true] knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought and purpose captive to the obedience of Christ, being ready to punish every act of disobedience, when your own obedience [as a church] is complete.”
2 Corinthians 10:5-6 AMP
The presumption is always that every individual believer is a member of a local church and that the church leaders will mentor the saints under the direction and authority of the Lord. The leaders will fight the good fight of preaching sound doctrine. They will not fight a fight of petty contentions but let the Holy Spirit do His work in the lives of believers through the administration of the ordinary means of grace (worship, prayer, sacraments, and Scripture reading). The “bad fight” is allowing the world’s ideas to dictate to the church rather than the other way around. The Holy One of Israel isn’t playing. He’s not an absentee landlord. Consider what the Lord says to the church in Laodicea:
“‘I know your deeds, that you are neither cold (invigorating, refreshing) nor hot (healing, therapeutic); I wish that you were cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm (spiritually useless), and neither hot nor cold, I will vomit you out of My mouth [rejecting you with disgust]. Because you say, “I am rich, and have prospered and grown wealthy, and have need of nothing,” and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked [without hope and in great need], I counsel you to buy from Me gold that has been heated red hot and refined by fire so that you may become truly rich; and white clothes [representing righteousness] to clothe yourself so that the shame of your nakedness will not be seen; and healing salve to put on your eyes so that you may see. Those whom I [dearly and tenderly] love, I rebuke and discipline [showing them their faults and instructing them]; so be enthusiastic and repent [change your inner self—your old way of thinking, your sinful behavior—seek God’s will]. Behold, I stand at the door [of the church] and continually knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him (restore him), and he with Me. He who overcomes [the world through believing that Jesus is the Son of God], I will grant to him [the privilege] to sit beside Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down beside My Father on His throne. He who has an ear, let him hear and heed what the Spirit says to the churches.’ ””
Revelation 3:15-22 AMP
Does this sound like Jesus is okay with spiritual mediocrity? Does this sound like He doesn’t mind it if we tolerate sin in our personal lives? Do you think He minds much if we fracture the unity of the church over personal squabbles instead of loving each other as He has loved us? The good fight is the strong church! Most of us in America unfortunately don’t know what the real church is anymore. We don’t see it as the central part of life – as it truly is! It’s the bride of Christ and we are part of it. This is all a very good thing to remember. If we are pastors, elders, deacons, teachers, or leaders in our church we must remember the charge: sound doctrine and service in love and truth. If we’re members we must remember the charge: humble submission and joyful membership. Our vocation isn’t more important than the Lord’s church…it’s a part of it, yes, a para-church ministry in some ways, perhaps, but it’s not the church.
The leaders, as Rick Phillips said perfectly, don’t worry about church growth, but church health. That means truth and sound doctrine. Let the Holy Spirit worry about the membership roll. The primary focus is on faithful teaching. And then this will inspire faithful living in the members who will be, by their love, wisdom, and conduct before the rest of the world, shining lights that will light the way to the church’s door (1 Peter 3:15). The church isn’t a corporation; it isn’t a social club; it isn’t something we do on Sunday, as though we’re doing God a favor. It’s His bride! If we want to redeem culture we must repent and obey God. Doing that will shift our focus from Washington and the state capitols to the pulpit and pew. Watch what will happen if we worship together in spirit and truth instead of obsessing about the world rather sound doctrine and faithful living. Watch Psalm 19. It doesn’t say, look at the sins of Joe Biden (or Donald Trump…or whoever). It says, “who can discern his errors? Declare me innocent from hidden faults. Keep back your servant from presumptuous sins and let them not have dominion over me.”
Yes! Amen! Faithful living and a strong church is the good fight. It’s right there but we don’t believe it. We’re too much conformed to this world. But if we repent God will heal us and our land.
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