Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses. 1 Timothy 6:12
When was the last time you read Hebrews 11? This is one of the greatest chapters in the Bible. Not only does it contain the records of the great men and women of faith in the Old Testament, but it also gives us some valuable instruction concerning the nature of faith. For example, you and I believe that Jesus Christ rose from the dead. And nothing can ever shake us from that firm conviction. But a man I was recently conversing with declared that he could never understand how anyone could rise from the dead. Of course he can’t! He has no faith. Some things are grasped only by faith, but when faith is present, those things are more real and abiding than the things we can lay our hands on. We rejoice at the truth that faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. It is little wonder, then, that the devil’s most savage attacks on Christians are against our faith. So our text declares that we are to fight the good fight of faith.
If we travel somewhere by bus, our arrival at our destination does not depend on how strongly we believe that the bus will take us there, but on whether we get onto the bus. Faith does not work because of the strength of our faith, but because of the strength of the One in Whom our faith is placed. Fighting the good fight of faith simply means trusting in God and following God’s direction for our lives. It sounds simple. But we make it complicated. We must get back to the simplicity of faith in God before we can appreciate that faith in God is all that we need to win the fight.
When it comes to fighting the good fight of faith, we are not left to ourselves. Around us are Christians who are also involved in the battle. These dear saints encourage us, and we encourage them. We share our experiences and build on each other’s victories. Our support for each other is precious, and our Lord desires that we appreciate it.
One great exhortation for our faith is found in Philippians 4:6,7: ‘Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.’ By laying aside our fears, and by trusting in God, we can actually have peace that sustains us in every situation. That is fighting the good fight of faith, and experiencing victory in the fight. – Jim MacIntosh