Sermon Tone Analysis

“Fight the good fight of the faith.

Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.”

[1]

Six commands are issued in the final statements of this vital missive to a young theologue.

“Flee” the actions of the false teachers.

“Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness.”

In a future study, we will witness the Apostle commanding the pastor to “charge” the rich in this present age to turn from haughtiness and to avoid setting their hopes on their wealth.

In the final portion of the Letter, Paul will charge Timothy, “guard the deposit entrusted to you.”

Six commands—together, they summarise what is necessary to ensure a powerful ministry within the congregation where the Master has settled the man of God.

Now, in our study today, we will consider two other imperatives that are essential to a ministry that will honour the Lord Christ—“Fight the good fight of the faith.

Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called.”

The imperatives are essential to a healthy church.

Assuredly, the pastor must take these commands to heart and apply them in his life.

However, the people must know the task with which the elder is charged so that they may encourage him and assist him in fulfilling the necessary tasks.

Also, the people of God need to understand the necessities placed upon the overseer so that they will not rebel against his labours on their behalf.

This understanding will ensure that the command issued by the writer of the Letter to Hebrew Christians is fulfilled.

“Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account.

Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you” [HEBREWS 13:17].

*THE GOOD FIGHT* — “Fight the good fight of the faith.”

As Paul issues multiple commands to Timothy, he urges him to “Fight the good fight of the Faith.”

Many people seeing this imagine that Paul is speaking of warfare.

To be certain, the Apostle uses militaristic imagery on multiple occasions.

However, the concept conveyed in these closing words is that of an athletic contest.

Paul is urging Timothy to excel at personal mastery.

The command is admittedly akin to that which Paul issued as he began this particular letter.

“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, holding faith and a good conscience.

By rejecting this, some have made shipwreck of their faith, among whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme” [1 TIMOTHY 1:18-20].

Clearly, Paul is viewing the work in which Timothy engages as a war and the man of God as a warrior.

Unlike the concept that is popularised among cults, our warfare is not conducted with weapons common to the warriors of this fallen world.

We do not coerce people to become followers of the Christ.

We do not advance the Kingdom of Heaven by sword or gun.

This becomes quite clear in another place where the Apostle has written about the type of struggle we conduct.

Listen as he addresses the matter when writing the Corinthian Christians.

“Though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh.

For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.

We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete” [2 CORINTHIANS 10:3-6].

The statement concerning our warfare and the weapons at our disposal is emphasised as the Apostle discusses the Christian struggle in the Letter to Ephesian Christians.

“Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.

Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.

Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.

In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.

To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak” [EPHESIANS 6:10-20].

This is not to say that the struggle in which we engage is easy or that we are universally loved because we are enlisted in the Master’s cause.

In fact, Paul will invite Timothy to join in experiencing hardship and even suffering.

The Apostle will write, “Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.

No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him” [2 TIMOTHY 2:3, 4].

The warning flows quite naturally out of the cautionary statements of the Master Himself.

“Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.

Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues, and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles.

When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour.

For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death, and you will be hated by all for my name’s sake.

But the one who endures to the end will be saved.

When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next, for truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes” [MATTHEW 10:16-23].

Shortly after giving these stern instructions, Jesus would warn those who wished to follow Him, “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth.

I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.

For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.

And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household.

Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.

Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” [MATTHEW 10:34-39].

Though the Word is quite capable of militaristic language, Paul is not employing such imagery in this instance.

When the Apostle calls Timothy to “Fight the good fight of the faith,” he uses language that is quite precise— aginízou tòn agõna tês písteos (ἀγωνίζου τὸν καλὸν ἀγῶνα τῆς πίστεως).

Literally, Paul says, “Agonise the good agony.”

The language is quite suggestive and highly descriptive.

In the original language, the verb “fight” is present tense, indicating that this action must be repeated continually.

We are not to expect that we do not need to struggle after we come to faith; we can anticipate that we will be challenged to engage continually in this struggle until we are called home.

Ours is not a life that will be free of constant struggle against the evil that fills our fallen world.

The term is translated from the Greek lemma agonízomai.

The word sounds similar to our English word “agonise.”

This particular word conveyed the idea of an athletic contest.

It spoke of competition, of striving with great intensity and effort.

[2] The emphasis is on the effort and not the contest itself.

[3] Understand, therefore, that Paul is speaking of the concentration, discipline and effort required to fulfil the instructions of the Faith.

Again, the noun translated “fight” comes from a Greek term with the same root— agón.

Not surprisingly, the word speaks of a struggle, an exertion or a foot race.

[4] What is important for our understanding in this study is that though the words can refer to a battle, the context will dictate whether we are to understand that the writer is speaking of physical struggling or whether he is speaking of nonphysical contention.

The context makes it clear that Paul is speaking of the struggle for practical application of the Faith in the life of the minister.

[5]

Perhaps, rather than appealing to the portions of his letters that speak of military actions, we would be better advised to appeal to those portions of Paul’s letters that speak of athletic contests.

For instance, “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize?

So run that you may obtain it.

Every athlete exercises self-control in all things.

They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.

So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air.

But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified” [1 CORINTHIANS 9:24-27].

In his final missive to Timothy the aged saint will speak of his life experience in his triumphant assertion, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” [2 TIMOTHY 4:7].

His life was as a race, and now it was nearing the finish.

Anyone who has ever engaged in a race can understand the intensity Paul insinuates.

Runners push themselves to the limit, running until their lungs burn and their feet feel like lead.

Then, when it seems they have no more to give, they somehow reach down into an unseen resource of strength and give one final exertion.

Agonisingly, they seem to increase the pace as the finish line draws into view.

Perhaps we could appeal to the imagery of a boxer who, though battered and repeatedly punched like Rocky Balboa, somehow reaches into an unseen reserve to pull out one final exertion to drive into the opponent.

Somehow, though they struggled to keep their hands up and continue bobbing and weaving, they now find the strength and energy to deliver one last blow to obtain victory over their opponent.

The annals of the Faith are replete with the names of men and women who found such strength to complete their race.

One thinks of Luther at the Diet of Worms and the constant agonies that would follow after he had taken his stand.

Or the child of God could speak of John Calvin and his multiple physical infirmities that he spoke of as a “constant death struggle.”

Undoubtedly one could appeal to Spurgeon and his bouts of depression, opposition from professed brothers who sought to silence his voice for righteousness.

Gresham Machen, founder of Westminster Seminary stood almost alone in the good fight as he witnessed the deviation of his denomination from the sound teaching of the Word.

No less are believers today called to agonise in the good agony.