Making War for the Gospel

The Bible uses many metaphors for the Child of God such as an athlete, a farmer, or a bondservant. One of the more prevalent metaphors is that of a soldier. This is so because the Christian life is a spiritual battle.
In this letter, Paul approaches the concept of the soldier with both positive and negative instruction. In vv. 18 through 19a we are instructed to engage in war, the charge is given to Christians. We are to wage war in accordance with God’s promises focusing especially on the fact that He will never leave us. As we apply the Bible to our lives we separate ourselves from our own depravity, the temptations of the devil, and the corruptness of the world system. This call to war is not given only to the leaders; every individual Christian, every soldier, has the responsibility to engage in battle. To meet the enemy by applying God’s Word we must first know God’s Word, the objective body of truth revealed to mankind. We must know and hold fast to what we believe, knowing and understanding doctrine. Just as there is an objective body of truth, Paul also recognizes the importance of keeping the individual’s subjective conscience in good order. This can only be done by focusing on living rightly because sin wounds the healthy conscience. Care is needing to not consistently fall to sin and darken the conscience making it unreliable.