I never liked to fight. I loved to watch movies like “Rocky”.(Yo Adrian) But I never had a propensity toward conflict. I was actually very timid.
BUT GOD…
When God saved me and called me into the ministry, I became a fighter, a fighter for the truth. By the power of the Holy Spirit, I was emboldened to fight, for the truth of the Gospel and the truth of His Word.
In his first pastoral letter to Timothy, the apostle Paul wrote:
Fight the good fight of the faith
1 Timothy 6:12
It is important to note some truths from this text.
First of all, it is an imperative. To fight is a command, not an option. The only response is obedience. Paul is not telling Timothy to consider whether or not he should engage in the good fight. Paul is clearly stating that engaging in the good fight is his call as a pastor.
Secondly, the word “fight”, both times, first in the verb form and then in the noun form, is a translation of the Greek term “ἀγῶνα”, which is where we get our term “agony”. Back then it was a reference to the games, where the Greeks would gather to see their fellow countrymen battle it out. Like the athletes of old, we are to go through grueling preparation, sweat, and strenuous effort. Paul here was highlighting that to fight is to contend with adversaries because the fight is, after all, a struggle. Any takers?
Furthermore, we are called to fight the “good” fight. It is the only fight that is truly good and worth fighting for.
Also, it is the good fight of “the faith”. What is “the faith” a reference to? Paul means a body of truth, the body of doctrine contained in Scripture, the content of the gospel message. This is what Timothy as a pastor was entrusted to guard, protect and defend!
And last, but surely not least, did I mention that the term “fight” is not only an imperative, but it is a present imperative. That means there is continuous and repeated action in the future. So what Paul is telling Timothy is to keep on continually fighting because the battle wages on. Don’t stop fighting!
Despite this clear injunction in Scripture, today not many Christians, or pastors for that matter, are engaged in the good fight. Rather, they are going into a corner with their tails between their legs while the gospel and sound doctrine are trampled by savage wolves, false teachers. And their excuse, “We want to be loving and united”. But what they fail to realize is that love rejoices with the truth(1 Cor. 13:6) and that there can be no unity apart from doctrinal unity(Eph. 4:13-14).
This charge I entrust to you, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies previously made about you, that by them you may wage the good warfare
1 Timothy 1:18
