How to Fight Your Battle:
"…that by them you may wage the good warfare." 1 Timothy 1:18
In 1 Timothy 1:18-20, Paul tells young Pastor Timothy, his protégé in the faith, three critical things if he is to wage a good warfare:
- Remember his calling
- Cling to his faith
- Keep his conscience clear
Paul warns that some have walked away from the gospel, having deliberately violated their consciences and shipwrecked their faith.
There is no question that professing believers can fall and fall radically. We might think of men like Peter, for example, who denied Jesus. But the fact that he was restored shows that not every professing believer who falls has fallen past the point of no return.
R.C. Sproul writes, "At this point, we should distinguish a serious and radical fall from a total and final fall. Theologians have noted that the Bible is full of examples of true believers who fall into gross sin and even protracted periods of impenitence. So, Christians do fall and they fall radically. What could be more serious than Peter’s public denial of Jesus Christ?" He continues, "We know that God glorifies all whom He justifies (Rom. 8:29–30). If a person has true saving faith and is justified, God will preserve that person."
God will not let a truly born-again believer permanently walk away from the faith. If you struggle with assurance of salvation, I remind you to consider what I said yesterday during the sermon: If you love Jesus because you can’t imagine life without Him—Rest! Rest in Christ even as you battle against the world, the flesh, and the devil. You can rest because you know that your success in the individual battles does not earn your salvation or bring moral merit to you.
But you also battle because of who you are! You are in Christ! Christ is in you (Colossians 1:24)! For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3). Not only do all of these verses speak of your security in Christ, but they also define you!
Christ is working in and through you. Fight the good fight today!
Yesterday's Application:
