Learning to Fight Good Fights
When we became Christians and first believed in Jesus, we began a journey of faith. We committed to becoming a disciple of Jesus, who follows His commands, and trusts in Him.
The apostle Paul, in his instructions to Timothy, encourages him to fight the good fight of faith. This implies that the journey of faith will often be difficult. It will sometimes be messy, hard, and harrowing. Paul’s words serve as a reminder that sometimes—faith looks like a fight.
However, rather than a fight against people, this journey of faith is a fight for goodness, beauty, and faithfulness. We are fighting against our own broken natures, but also against God’s enemies within the spiritual realm.
Fighting often looks like making the right decision even if it’s not the easiest decision. It might mean being gentle when we want to be harsh. It might mean choosing love when it would be easier to be selfish.
Fighting well means remaining faithful to Jesus over the course of your life. You were called to a new life in Christ when you came to faith, and you are called to remain faithful over the course of your life.
So how do you remain faithful? One of the ways you can cultivate faithfulness is by reading God’s Word every day. When you regularly spend time with Him, you begin to love what God loves, and hate what He hates.
But as you seek God in this way, it’s also important to have friendships with people who can encourage you. Having two or three people in life who can help keep you accountable is a necessary part of your faith journey. As you consider what next steps you need to take to fight well, remember that you do not fight alone. God is with you—and when you draw near to Him, He will empower you with the strength you need to finish your faith journey well.
Justified by Faith
Paul, the writer of the letter to the church in Rome, covers the details of what is known as “the Gospel message”—a message that was handed down to them. It's packed with deep theological truths that are meant to shape the way Christians live.
One of the central components to the Gospel is that salvation comes through faith alone. That means we are saved by the power of God through believing and trusting in Jesus. Every Christian comes to God through faith—not through good deeds or by trying to earn salvation.
Paul says that we have peace with God by our faith in Jesus. Prior to that, we were considered ungodly and unrighteous—because we would live our lives in our own power, doing our own things. This led to separation from God.
However, by faith in Jesus, we are justified before Him. This means that through Jesus’ own right-living, we are made right before Him. Even though we still make mistakes, we can stand innocent before God because of Jesus.
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