Week of Monday November 17 – November 23
Good Fight – Man as Defender
“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. I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ…” - 1 Timothy 6:12-14 ESV
Over 250 years ago, America was headed for a fight. Like Paul did with Timothy, Pastor William Emerson in Concord, Massachusetts prepared his church. As Dr. Kenyn Cureton relates the account in a Washington Stand article, a little more than a month before the “Shot Heard ‘Round the World” on April 19, 1775, Pastor Emerson preached on the text “Behold God is with us for our Captain” from 2 Chronicles 13:12. He exhorted the men in the militia to "put on the whole Armor of God ... It is an additional honor to the best Man, to the brightest Christian, especially in this our Day, that he is a good Soldier…"[1] When the alarm bell rang to warn that “the British are coming,” Rev. Emerson was the first to show up with his musket at the rally point.[2]
At the Old North Bridge, within sight of his home and family, Pastor Emerson and the militia gathered on the far side to take their stand. The sight of hundreds of British soldiers in their bright red uniforms marching, their muskets bristling with bayonets, was intimidating. One young militia member, Harry Gould, began to shrink back. Emerson clapped him on the shoulder, and charged him: “Stand your ground, Harry! Your cause is just, and God will bless you!”[3] Emerson also shouted to all the men: “Let us stand our ground. If we die, let us die here!”[4] They indeed stood their ground and the day turned for the Patriots, beating the British who retreated to Boston. After the battle, Pastor Emerson learned that the British had attempted to set fire to the meeting house and succeeded in burning his pulpit Bible.[5] This was not merely a fight over taxation without representation; it was a fight for the faith.
That story brings me back to what Paul charged Timothy with, which is direct and unmistakably masculine: “Fight the good fight of the faith.” The original Greek points us back to the ancient arena, where gladiators engaged in mortal combat. We get our word “agonize” from the original, so the man who enters this arena does so with a full realization of the cost and consequences. Later in his second letter, Paul will double down on his militant call for Timothy to “endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ” (2 Tim. 2:2).
In a culture that conditions men to be soft and avoid confrontation, Paul summons men to something higher: A noble battle for the faith. But this is no reckless brawl, but a “good fight”—the kind fought for the things that matter most. The fight for the faith involves contending for the truth about Christ, guarding the precepts of the gospel, protecting our families from falsehood, defending against the devil’s deceptions to take us away from following our Commander, and much more.
Then Paul tells Timothy to “take hold” of eternal life and the original Greek can literally mean “to seize.” This is not simply receiving salvation; it is gripping it, owning it, letting eternal realities shape our daily decisions and behavior. A man who knows what is eternal does not waste his life on what is trivial. He lives with purpose. And Paul reminds Timothy he was “called.” We are not accidental believers. We are summoned by God Himself to salvation and then the life of a soldier. Bottom line, what we are talking about is assertive and decisive action when it comes to this calling to eternal life. No “take it or leave it” attitude allowed. The way we “take hold” of it is only by a “good confession” before others who bear witness.
Then Paul brings Timothy before the highest courtroom in the universe, before God, the Giver of life and before Christ, who stood unflinching before Pilate, fully realizing it meant the cross. In front of these unrivaled Divine Authorities, Paul charges Timothy—and every believing man after him—to keep the command “without spot, blameless” until the Lord Jesus returns. So, men, until Jesus comes, let’s fight the good fight of the faith!
- How can you prepare to fight the good fight of the faith? Spending time with the Lord daily in His word and in prayer is a great place to start. Next, put on the armor of God before you take on the temptations and challenges of the day. No effective soldier fights unprepared and unarmed.
- Are you guarding your household? Cover each member with prayer, speaking blessings over them. Lead them by example in spiritual disciplines and participation in God’s family, the church.
- Ask the Lord to strengthen and arm you to fight the good fight of faith.
[1] Amelia Emerson, ed., Diaries and Letters of William Emerson 1743-1776, (Boston: Thomas Todd, 1972), 68.
[2] Aurthur B. Tourtellot, Lexington and Concord: The Beginning of the War of the American Revolution (New York: W.W. Norton & Co., 1959), 151.
[3] Ibid., 73.
[4] Lemuel Shattuck, A History of the Town of Concord; Middlesex County, Massachusetts, From It’s Earliest Settlement to 1832 (Concord: John Stacy, 1835), 104-05.
[5] Emerson, 93.
Good Fight – Man as Defender
“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. I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ…” - 1 Timothy 6:12-14 ESV
Over 250 years ago, America was headed for a fight. Like Paul did with Timothy, Pastor William Emerson in Concord, Massachusetts prepared his church. As Dr. Kenyn Cureton relates the account in a Washington Stand article, a little more than a month before the “Shot Heard ‘Round the World” on April 19, 1775, Pastor Emerson preached on the text “Behold God is with us for our Captain” from 2 Chronicles 13:12. He exhorted the men in the militia to "put on the whole Armor of God ... It is an additional honor to the best Man, to the brightest Christian, especially in this our Day, that he is a good Soldier…"[1] When the alarm bell rang to warn that “the British are coming,” Rev. Emerson was the first to show up with his musket at the rally point.[2]
At the Old North Bridge, within sight of his home and family, Pastor Emerson and the militia gathered on the far side to take their stand. The sight of hundreds of British soldiers in their bright red uniforms marching, their muskets bristling with bayonets, was intimidating. One young militia member, Harry Gould, began to shrink back. Emerson clapped him on the shoulder, and charged him: “Stand your ground, Harry! Your cause is just, and God will bless you!”[3] Emerson also shouted to all the men: “Let us stand our ground. If we die, let us die here!”[4] They indeed stood their ground and the day turned for the Patriots, beating the British who retreated to Boston. After the battle, Pastor Emerson learned that the British had attempted to set fire to the meeting house and succeeded in burning his pulpit Bible.[5] This was not merely a fight over taxation without representation; it was a fight for the faith.
That story brings me back to what Paul charged Timothy with, which is direct and unmistakably masculine: “Fight the good fight of the faith.” The original Greek points us back to the ancient arena, where gladiators engaged in mortal combat. We get our word “agonize” from the original, so the man who enters this arena does so with a full realization of the cost and consequences. Later in his second letter, Paul will double down on his militant call for Timothy to “endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ” (2 Tim. 2:2).
In a culture that conditions men to be soft and avoid confrontation, Paul summons men to something higher: A noble battle for the faith. But this is no reckless brawl, but a “good fight”—the kind fought for the things that matter most. The fight for the faith involves contending for the truth about Christ, guarding the precepts of the gospel, protecting our families from falsehood, defending against the devil’s deceptions to take us away from following our Commander, and much more.
Then Paul tells Timothy to “take hold” of eternal life and the original Greek can literally mean “to seize.” This is not simply receiving salvation; it is gripping it, owning it, letting eternal realities shape our daily decisions and behavior. A man who knows what is eternal does not waste his life on what is trivial. He lives with purpose. And Paul reminds Timothy he was “called.” We are not accidental believers. We are summoned by God Himself to salvation and then the life of a soldier. Bottom line, what we are talking about is assertive and decisive action when it comes to this calling to eternal life. No “take it or leave it” attitude allowed. The way we “take hold” of it is only by a “good confession” before others who bear witness.
Then Paul brings Timothy before the highest courtroom in the universe, before God, the Giver of life and before Christ, who stood unflinching before Pilate, fully realizing it meant the cross. In front of these unrivaled Divine Authorities, Paul charges Timothy—and every believing man after him—to keep the command “without spot, blameless” until the Lord Jesus returns. So, men, until Jesus comes, let’s fight the good fight of the faith!
- How can you prepare to fight the good fight of the faith? Spending time with the Lord daily in His word and in prayer is a great place to start. Next, put on the armor of God before you take on the temptations and challenges of the day. No effective soldier fights unprepared and unarmed.
- Are you guarding your household? Cover each member with prayer, speaking blessings over them. Lead them by example in spiritual disciplines and participation in God’s family, the church.
- Ask the Lord to strengthen and arm you to fight the good fight of faith.
[1] Amelia Emerson, ed., Diaries and Letters of William Emerson 1743-1776, (Boston: Thomas Todd, 1972), 68.
[2] Aurthur B. Tourtellot, Lexington and Concord: The Beginning of the War of the American Revolution (New York: W.W. Norton & Co., 1959), 151.
[3] Ibid., 73.
[4] Lemuel Shattuck, A History of the Town of Concord; Middlesex County, Massachusetts, From It’s Earliest Settlement to 1832 (Concord: John Stacy, 1835), 104-05.
[5] Emerson, 93.