Tonight we looked at another metaphor for God’s people: soldiers of Christ Jesus. In 2 Tim 2:1-4, Paul urges Timothy to be a ‘good soldier of Christ Jesus’, reminding us that this is a collective description. A soldier is one who serves in an army, which is defined as ‘an organised military force equipped for fighting on land.’ Whilst an individual soldier may make an invaluable contribution to a battle, it is the collective force of an army which ultimately makes the real difference. We are not called to individual Christianity but to be soldiers alongside our brothers and sisters.
Soldiers are called to serve and to obey, and all Christians must be servants of God and obedient, as Mary was (see Luke 1:38). Suffering is also a part of the soldier’s life and must be of the Christian’s (‘join me in suffering’, Paul writes.) Whole-hearted focus is also needed; the aim of the soldier is to please his commanding officer and not to get ‘entangled in civilian affairs.’ Life has many pressing demands on us, but our first focus must be on God (see Matt 6:33)
Eph 6:10-20 reminds us that spiritual armour and spirtiual weapons are needed in life, for we live in a world that is hostile to God. There are only two kingdoms and we are called to stand firm against the devil’s schemes. This requires protection for the heart and mind and to overcome, we must use spiritual weapons (prayer and the word of God.) 2 Cor 10:3-5 reminds us that the spiritual battle cannot be won by the world’s methods, though many have tried to do so. We can only win as we take captive every thought to Christ and withstand temptation as Christ did in the wilderness by standing on the word of God (Matt 4:1-14).
All of us are called to be good soldiers of Christ Jesus, serving collectively with other believers, seeking to bring honour and glory to the name of Jesus. We are called to obedience and humility, to service and suffering. We are called to ‘fight the good fight of the faith.’ (1 Tim 6:12) This is a spiritual battle, requiring spiritual weapons and spiritual armour, but God has not left us ill-equipped. He has given us all we need to be more than conquerors in Him. (Rom 8:37)