Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air (1 Cor 9:26, emphasis added).
Fight the good fight of faith… (1 Tim 6:12, emphasis added).
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing (2 Tim 4:7-8, emphasis added).
From 776 BC until 393 AD, the ancient Olympic Games were held every four years in Olympia, Greece. Corinth had its athletic competition, called the Isthmian Games. They were held every two years on the Isthmus of Corinth. Some of the sports were running, wrestling, and boxing. Paul used the illustrations of running and fighting to call his readers to persevere in the faith so that Christ might approve them at the Judgment Seat of Christ (1 Cor 9:27; compare 2 Tim 4:7-8).
But why did Paul compare the Christian life to a fight? Doesn’t Christ live the Christian life for us?
The teaching of sanctification has two extremes. One is a passive approach: Let go and let God. Don’t try; rely. The other is that it is all up to us: We live the Christian life through dedication, commitment, and hard work. The truth lies somewhere in between.
Effort is required. Paul spoke of “the hardworking farmer” as a model for Christian living (2 Tim 2:6). But it isn’t all up to us. We are empowered by the Holy Spirit (Rom 15:16; Gal 2:20; 2 Pet 1:3). Apart from Christ, we can do nothing (John 15:5).
Transformation does not come through dedication, commitment, and hard work. It comes through renewing our minds through the Word of God (Rom 12:2; 2 Cor 3:18). However, the Word of God does not magically take root in us. We must long for it (1 Pet 2:2). We must attend church and be attentive (Heb 10:23-25). We must submit ourselves to God’s teachings (1 John 1:9). When persecution comes, we must hang in there and not shrink back (1 Cor 15:58; Col 1:21-23; 1 Pet 5:9).
We fight against the world, the flesh, and the devil (Eph 2:2-3). God is with us. He empowers us. But He does not force us to obey. We have the freedom to succeed or to fail.
Find the balance. You will if you abide in His Word (John 8:32; 1 John 2:24, 28; 3:6; 2 John 9).
If we follow the example of our Lord Jesus Christ (Heb 12:2) and the Apostle Paul (2 Tim 4:6-8), we will fight the good fight until the Rapture or our death. And if we do, then we too will receive the crown of righteousness at the Judgment Seat of Christ.i
Keep grace in focus.
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iAll who believe in the Lord Jesus for everlasting life are eternally secure (John 3:16). But eternal rewards are a different matter. Crowns, rulership, and Christ’s praise and approval are all conditioned upon our enduring in the faith (2 Tim 2:12; Rev 2:26).
