Enlisting as a Soldier

On today, we celebrate Memorial Day, which commemorates American soldiers who have died while in military service dating back to the Civil War. On this day, we expect many Americans to visit cemeteries and memorials and typically, a national moment of remembrance takes place in honor for the soldiers who sacrificed and gave their lives for America. One of the titles that many believers do not take seriously is that Christians are also called to be soldiers. Consider the words of Paul:

Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier. 1 Timothy 2:3-4

There are also other passages where he refers to his fellow co-workers as fellow soldiers (cf. Philemon 2, Philippians 2:25). The analogy of the believer as a soldier signifies three important points: (1) believers are actively engaged in some sort of war, (2) believers should prepare and discipline themselves for this war, and (3) older, mature believers should train and disciple younger believers into engaging into this war. So what is this war that we as believers are actively engaged in? We know for certain that we are not warring and battling against fellow believers, nor are we warring against any person. The fact that we see believers fighting against each other over minor issues demonstrates the carnality of many believers and that many believers are distracted from their true calling (cf. James 4:1-2). The war that all believers should be engaged in is the war over sin, Satan, and the world. Paul demonstrates this to the Corinthian church:

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, and we are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is complete. 2 Corinthians 10:3-6

We see here that Paul is warning the Corinthians to stop quarreling with each other and to focus to the task by which they were called. The battles that the Corinthians should fight involves destroying anything in their lives that prevents them from knowing God fully and prevents them from going astray. This point was re-emphasized to the Ephesian church:

Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly place. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything to stand firm, stand firm... Ephesians 5:10-14

The phrase that I would like to emphasis is the last sentence in Ephesians: having done everything to stand firm, stand firm. The implication here is that there is no sense of passiveness in this believer. This is the believer that has given all of his strength and service to God in warring against Satan and the world. However, Paul says that even to this believer who desires to win this war, he will not win unless he is full of faith and full of perseverance (cf. Ephesians 5:14-18). The promise of God is true that anyone who is genuinely born of God overcomes the world (cf. 1 John 5:4), but this promise is realized in our life only through faith and patience (cf. Hebrews 6:12).

It is through this that we understand the definition of patience and endurance. Endurance is not a reference to enduring our sinful nature until we have reached the full redemption of our body that can no longer be tempted. Endurance is a direct reference to our will; endurance refers to our desire to seek God so that we may obtain grace during the time of temptation diligently and consistently. If many believers would be honest with themselves, they will admit that the issue with the sin in their lives is NOT that they cannot ever find victory. Many believers have experienced victory over momentary temptation when they earnestly seek God for it. The real issue is that they grow weary of seeking God and waiting on God for constant victory over sin for their entire lives. The issue that many believers have is NOT that they do not know how to take up their cross and deny themselves; the issue that many believers have is that they grow weary of taking up their cross daily and in the time of weariness, they are overcome by sin. This is why endurance is vitally important to develop and why faith AND endurance is necessary to obtain the promises. Our Father understands how little endurance we have and in order to increase our endurance, He introduces trials in our life so that we learn by training how to endure. It is through suffering and trials that Jesus Himself learned obedience and became perfected (cf. Hebrews 5:8-9). As a soldier of Christ, it is this endurance that we develop that causes us to consistently engage in warfare over our sin, Satan, and the world and causes us to consistently overcome all of these things; without this endurance, we will eventually be defeated.

In the New Testament, the one book that references overcoming more than any other book is Revelation. When Jesus addresses the seven churches, the one phrase that Jesus repeats to all of them is “He who overcomes...”. In the churches at Smyrna and Philadelphia, Jesus has no harsh criticism or message of repentance for them. He simply tells them to remain faithful. At Smyrna, He says

Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life...He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death. Revelation 2:10

And to the church at Philadelphia, he says

Because you have kept the word of My perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell upon the earth. I am coming quickly; hold fast what you have, in order that no one take your crown. He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will not go out from it anymore; and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God and My new name. Revelation 3:10-12

These are the same words that Jesus speaks to us who have engaged as faithful soldiers of Christ. If we remain faithful with endurance through this fight, we will overcome this world and will receive our reward from Christ. If we overcome and endure as soldiers, we will inherit the riches and promises of Christ in all of their fullness (cf. Revelation 21:7). Furthermore, we will see a glorious Church when we disciples others with this understanding. Let us endeavor with faith and endurance to fight this fight, just as the saints of old fought with endurance, and enlist as a soldier of Christ.

This video below shows how the saints of old gave their lives in faith to Christ and endured to the end:

http://www.godlychristianecards.com/cardView.aspx?card=51






http://www.the-emissary.net/