J.S.B. Monsell
Fight the good fight
With all thy might
Christ is thy strength, and Christ thy right
Lay hold on life, and it shall be
Thy Joy and crown eternally
Fight the good fight of faith
(1 Timothy 6 v12)
In Matthew 5:43,44 Jesus said:
Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you
Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you
So if we are called to love our enemies and not to fight against them what was the hymn writer saying?
Well, there is a fight to be fought – but it is a spiritual battle against all that is evil – all that is opposed to God.
And there is an enemy to be defeated – Satan, the enemy of our souls.
An enemy, a fight to be fought and a guaranteed victory.
We need to recognise God as sovereign in our life and rely on Him to lead us into battle and to win the victory for us.
It is a ‘good’ fight – and it is the LORD’S fight!