There is a lot of battle and warfare language in the New Testament. 

For example, we are to “take up the whole armour of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm” (Ephesians 6:13). In Romans 13:12 we are told to put on the “armour of light.” In 1 Timothy 1:18 Paul’s young protégé is encouraged to “wage the good warfare…”

Further, when Jesus speaks about the coming “kingdom of God” there is clearly an implication of conflict—with dark forces, with hypocrisy, and with hate.

I hope that today’s devotional is a help for those who are sometimes uncomfortable with some of this language. 

G.K. Chesterton has said: “The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him.”*

This is a very helpful perspective. It shifts the focus from fighting in a general sense, to who we are fighting for.

Think about the people you care about. When we wage the kind of battles that are described in the New Testament, we are engaging in acts of love. When we do so, people are helped, good news is shared, lives are built up, the oppressed become liberated, victims are given assistance, and men and women who are despairing find new reasons to hope.

The point isn’t the battle. The point is taking back territory from the kingdom of darkness, advancing the kingdom of God, and sharing God’s love with people who are made in his image, including the people you care about most. 

Marching we will go into battle!—with prayer, with truth, with grace, with hope.

“The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him.”

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Notes:

-*I have seen this online and attributed to Chesterton in the Illustrated London News from December 31, 1910.
-Bible quotes are from the ESV.