by Joe R. Price
Synopsis: Disciples of Christ stand fast, not by standing still, but by fighting the good fight of faith; let us, therefore, resist evil and defend what is good.
Jesus Christ used clear language to describe the high cost of discipleship: "If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple" (Luke 14:26-27). To be faithful disciples, we must love Christ first and preeminently. Only then can we "watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong" (1 Cor. 16:13).
With ready, responsive resolve the apostle Paul crucified himself to live by faith. "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me" (Gal. 2:20). Like Paul, we must resolve to stand fast, live by faith, and pay the price of discipleship.
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand (Eph. 6:10-13).
The deceitful schemes of the devil are designed to distract, discourage, and destroy souls. The ability to stand against his devices comes from the strength of God's power, not the power of our personal prowess. The whole armor of God gives us the protection and power we need to do all, and thus, "to stand" (Eph. 6:13-17).
Standing against the schemes of the devil demands fighting with the sword of the Spirit, the word of God (Eph. 6:17). We cannot stand if we will not fight. We are in a spiritual battle, wrestling against forces of evil and wickedness. The progress of the gospel of Christ is onward and upward, fighting the good fight of faith to lay hold on eternal life (1 Tim. 6:12; 2 Tim. 4:7-8). We will falter in defeat when we resist and refuse the combative nature of the gospel. Discipleship cannot be passive, for our adversary, the devil, is always on the prowl to attack (1 Pet. 5:8). We must engage the enemy with full faith that the word of God accomplishes God's purposes as we trust and obey (Isa. 55:10-11; Phil. 2:12-13).
The rejection of absolute truth must be opposed. Satan's schemes are too numerous to catalog, but this particular scheme drives to the heart of many others. The gospel, God's power to save the lost and protect the saved, is planted into hearts by hearing it (Luke 8:11-15). When divine truth is planted in the heart, it convicts the sinner, corrects the sin, and converts the life (Rom. 1:16-17; 12:1-2; John 16:8; Acts 2:37-41; 2 Tim. 3:16-17). So, when the devil convinces people that truth is relative, fluid, ever-changing, unknowable and unattainable, he effectively hardens hearts from hearing and receiving the implanted word that is able to save their souls (Jas. 1:21).
We must resolve to oppose this false view of truth in order to stand fast in the faith. Consider some of the evidence that calls us to battle. For one, the Bible is viewed as mythology by many. It is rejected as the verbally-inspired word of God by most religionists. God's word is viewed as a dead letter instead of the living oracles of God (2 Tim. 3:16-17; 1 Cor. 14:37; Eph. 3:3-5; Heb. 4:12; 1 Pet. 2:20-21).
Furthermore, God's absolute standard of morality is being cast aside while immoral diversity is glamorized and glorified. As in Isaiah's day, evil is called good and good is called evil (Isa. 5:20). Marriage is dishonored by divorce and perverted by ungodly definitions and sinful conduct, such as same-sex marriage, adulterous remarriage, and polygamous unions (Heb. 13:4). God is redefined, as the creatures attempt to remake the Creator after the likeness of their futile imaginations (Rom. 1:21-23). Christians must resolve to stand fast and fight against such godless redefinitions of God, truth, morality, and holiness.
Additionally, God's absolute standard of authority is held up to derision by those who profess to know Him, but whose works deny Him (Titus 1:16). These enemies of the cross reject Bible patterns and establishing and applying Bible authority by commands, approved examples, and necessary inferences. They disparage and mock "CENI" as of human origin, even though the Holy Spirit guided apostolic use of them to teach truth in Acts 15:6-21. Christians must resolve to stand fast and fight against the innovations of human wisdom that pervert the gospel of Christ and turn the grace of our God into lewdness (Gal. 1:6-10; 2 John 9-11; Jude 3-4).
Resolve to stand in truth demands that we oppose distortions of it and attacks upon it. True disciples abide in the word of Christ and in the freedom from sin it affords (John 8:31-32).
The resolve to stand for Christ also requires us to defend what is good, right, and true. Like Paul, we must not yield in submission to false teachers and their false teachings even for an hour, so the truth of the gospel will continue with us (Gal. 2:5). Standing for truth requires faith in its strength to topple the strongholds of sin and to triumph through obedience: "For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ" (2 Cor. 10:3-5). Truth overthrows the bulwarks of prideful human logic, ignorance, error, and sin. Therefore, to effectively stand and defend truth we must:
The preeminent authority of Christ in the heart prepares us to answer in defense of our hope. When Christ rules our hearts, His word will rule our words and our actions (Col. 3:16-17).
Let us scrutinize every attitude, word, and deed by the standard of apostolic truth (1 John 4:1, 6). Then, we can "hold fast what is good" and "abstain from every form of evil."
Only the inspired word of God is profitable for "doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness" (2 Tim. 3:16). Today's pulpits do not need the "excellence of speech" and "persuasive words of human wisdom"; rather, they need Bible preaching in "weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling" (1 Cor. 2:3, 1-5; Acts 20:27; 1 Thess. 2:1-6, 13).
To defend what is right we must intensely agonize for the faith without compromise, fear or favor (Jer. 8:4-12; Eph. 4:1-3; Gal. 4:16). May our love "abound still more and more in knowledge and all spiritual discernment" so that we may "approve the things that are excellent" and be "without offense" until Christ returns (Phil. 1:9-11).
We must stand for Christ everywhere and always. Let us resolve to stand in our homes, at our schools, on the job, and at play. Let us resolve to stand in our congregations and our communities. Resolve to stand fast in the faith in every relationship and every endeavor (1 Cor. 16:13; Phil. 4:1).
A resolution is not a wish; it is a purpose of heart to pursue a definite course of action. God said, "So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one" (Ezek. 22:30). Will you resolve to stand in the gap on behalf of the Lord for His will? If not you, then who? If not now, then when?
Author Bio: Joe has preached for the past twenty-two years for the Mt. Baker church of Christ, Bellingham, WA. His Bible study websites are bibleanswer.com and swordtips1.wordpress.com. He can be reached at joerprice@mail.com.
