The Fight (Reading) — J.C. Ryle

The Spiritual Warfare Every Christian Must Fight

From the book Holiness by J .C. Ryle, Its Nature, Hindrances, Difficulties, and Roots. Chapter 4, The Fight. Fight the good fight of faith, 1st Timothy 6 12. It is a curious fact that there is no subject about which most people feel such deep interest as fighting.

Young men and maidens, old men and little children, high and low, rich and poor, learned and unlearned, all feel a deep interest in wars, battles, and fighting. This is a simple fact, whatever way we may try to explain it.

We should call that Englishman a dull fellow who cared nothing about the story of Waterloo, or Anchorman, or Balaclava, or Lucknow. We should think that heart cold and stupid which was not moved and thrilled by the struggles at Sedan, and Strasbourg, and Metz, and Paris, during the war between France and Germany.

But there is another warfare of far greater importance than any war that was ever waged by man. It is a warfare which concerns not two or three nations only, but every Christian man and woman born into the world.

Spiritual Warfare and Eternal Consequences

The warfare I speak of is a spiritual warfare, it is the fight which everyone who would be saved must fight about his soul. This warfare, I am aware, is a thing of which many know nothing. Talk to them about it, and they are ready to set you down as a madman, an enthusiast, or a fool.

And yet it is as real and true as any war the world has ever seen. It has its hand-to-hand conflicts and its wounds, it has its watchings and fatigues, it has its sieges and assaults, it has its victories and its defeats.

Above all, it has its consequences which are awful, tremendous, and most peculiar. In earthly warfare, the consequences to nations are often temporary and remedial. In a spiritual warfare, it is very different.

Of that warfare, the consequences, when the fight is over, are unchangeable and eternal. It is of this warfare that Paul spoke to Timothy when he wrote those burning words. Fight a good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life.

It is of this warfare that I propose to speak in this paper. I hold the subject to be closely connected with that of sanctification and holiness. He that would understand the nature of true holiness must know that the Christian is a man of war.

If we would be holy, we must fight. 1. The first thing I have to say is this. True Christianity is a fight. True Christianity, let us mind that word true. There is a vast quantity of religion current in the world which is not true, genuine Christianity.

It passes muster, it satisfies sleepy consciences, but it is not good money. It is not the real thing which was called Christianity 1800 years ago. There are thousands of men and women who go to churches and chapels every Sunday and call themselves Christians.

Their names are in the baptismal register. They are reckoned Christians while they live. They are married with a Christian marriage service. They mean to be buried as Christians when they die. But you never see any fight about their religion.

Of spiritual strife and exertion and conflict and self-denial and watching and worrying. They know literally nothing at all. Such Christianity may satisfy man. Those who say anything against it may be thought very hard and uncharitable.

But it is certainly not the Christianity of the Bible. It is not the religion which the Lord Jesus founded and his apostles preached. It is not the religion which produces real holiness. True Christianity is a fight.

The true Christian is called to be a soldier and must behave as such from the day of his conversion to the day of his death. He is not meant to live a life of religious ease, indolence and security. He must never imagine for a moment that he can sleep and doze along the way to heaven.

Like one traveling in an easy carriage. If he takes a standard of Christianity from the children of this world He may be content with such notions. But he will find no countenance for them in the word of God.

The Christian’s Enemies: The World, the Flesh, and the Devil

If the Bible is a rule of his faith and practice He will find his course laid down very plainly in this matter. He must fight. With whom is a Christian soldier meant to fight? Not with other Christians.

Wretched indeed is that man's idea of religion. Who fancies that it consists in perpetual controversy. He who is never satisfied Unless he is engaged in some strife between church and church. Chapel and chapel Sect and sect Faction and faction Party and party.

Knows nothing yet as he ought to know. No doubt it may be absolutely needful sometimes to appeal to law courts In order to ascertain the right interpretation of a church's articles and rubrics and formularies.

But as a general rule The cause of sin is never so much helped As when Christians waste their strength in quarreling with one another And spend their time in petty squabbles. No indeed. The principal fight of the Christian is with the world, the flesh and the devil.

These are his never dying foes. These are the three chief enemies against whom he must wage war. Unless he gets the victory over these three All other victories are useless and vain. If he had a nature like an angel and were not a fallen creature The warfare would not be so essential.

But with a corrupt heart A busy devil In an ensnaring world He must either fight or be lost. He must fight the flesh. Even after conversion He carries within him a nature prone to evil And a heart weak and unstable as water.

That heart will never be free from imperfection in this world. And it is miserable delusion to expect it To keep that heart from going astray. The Lord Jesus bids us watch and pray. The spirit may be ready But the flesh is weak.

There is need of a daily struggle And a daily wrestling in prayer. I keep under my body Christ Paul And bring it into subjection. I see a law in my members Warring against the law of my mind And bringing me into captivity.

O wretched man that I am Who shall deliver me from the body of this death? These that are Christ's Have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. Mortify your members which are upon the earth.

Mark 14 38 1 Corinthians 9 27 Romans 7 23 and 24 Galatians 5 24 And Colossians 3 5. He must fight the world. The subtle influence of that mighty enemy Must be daily resisted And without a daily battle can never be overcome.

The love of the world's good things The fear of the world's laughter or blame The secret desire to keep in with the world The secret wish to do as others in the world do And not to run into extremes. All these are spiritual foes Which beset the Christian continually on his way to heaven And must be conquered.

The friendship of the world is enmity with God. Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world Is the enemy of God. If any man love the world The love of the Father is not in him. The world is crucified to me And I unto the world.

Whosoever is born of God Overcometh the world. Be not conformed to this world. James 4 4 1 John 2 15 Galatians 6 14 1 John 5 4 Romans 12 2. He must fight the devil. That old enemy of mankind is not dead.

Ever since the fall of Adam and Eve He has been going to and fro in the earth And walking up and down in it And striving to compass one great end. The ruin of man's soul Never slumbering and never sleeping.

He is always going about as a lion Seeking whom he may devour. An unseen enemy. He is always near us About our path and about our bed And spying out all our ways. A murderer and a liar. From the beginning He labors night and day To cast us down to hell Sometimes by leading into superstition Sometimes by suggesting infidelity Sometimes by one kind of tactics And sometimes by another.

He is always carrying on A campaign against our souls. Satan has desired to have you That he may sift you as wheat. This mighty adversary Must be daily resisted If we wish to be saved. But this kind goeth not out But by watching and praying And fighting And putting on the whole armor of God.

The strong man armed Will never be kept out of our hearts Without a daily battle. Job 1 7 1 Peter 5 8 John 8 44 Luke 22 31 Ephesians 6 11. Some men may think these statements too strong. You fancy that I am going too far And laying on the colors too thickly.

You are secretly saying to yourself That men and women in England May surely get to heaven Without all this trouble And warfare and fighting. Listen to me for a few minutes And I will show you That I have something to say On God's behalf.

Remember the maxim of the wisest general That ever lived in England In time of war. It is a worst mistake To underrate your enemy And try to make a little war. This Christian warfare Is no light manner.

Scriptural Commands to Fight the Good Fight

Give me your attention And consider what I say. What saith the scripture. Fight the good fight of faith. Lay hold on eternal life. Endure hardness As a good soldier of Jesus Christ. Put on the whole armor of God That you may be able to stand Against the wiles of the devil.

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood But against principalities Against powers Against the rulers of the darkness of this world Against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you The whole armor of God That you may be able to withstand In the evil day In having done all to stand.

Strive to enter in at the straight gate Labor for the meat that endureth Unto everlasting life. Think not that I came to send peace On the earth. I came not to send peace but a sword. He that has no sword Let him sell his garment and buy one.

Watch ye Stand fast in the faith Which you like men be strong. War a good warfare Holding faith in a good conscience. 1st Timothy 6 .12. 2nd Timothy 2 .3. Ephesians 6 .11 -13. Luke 13 .24. John 6 .27.

Matthew 10 .34. Luke 22 .36. 1st Corinthians 16 .13. 1st Timothy 1 .18 -19. 1st Timothy 1 .18 -19. Words such as these Appear to me clear, plain, And unmistakable. They all teach one and the same great lesson If we are willing to receive it.

That lesson is That true Christianity is a struggle, A fight, and a warfare. He that pretends To condemn fighting And teaches that we ought to sit still And yield ourselves to God Appears to me to misunderstand his Bible And to make a great mistake.

What says the baptismal service Of the Church of England? No doubt that service is uninspired, And like every uninspired composition Has its defects. But to the millions of people all over the globe Who profess and call themselves English churchmen, His voice ought to speak with some weight.

And what does it say? It tells us that over every new member Who is admitted into the Church of England The following words are used. I baptize thee In the name of the Father, The Son, and the Holy Ghost.

I sign this child with the sign of the cross And token that hereafter he shall not be ashamed To confess the face of Christ Crucified, and manfully to fight Under his banner against sin, The world, and the devil, And to continue Christ's faithful soldier And servant unto life's end.

Of course we all know that in myriads of cases Baptism is a mere form, And that parents bring their children To the font without faith or prayer or thought, And consequently receive no blessing. The man who supposes a baptism In such cases Acts mechanically like a medicine, And that godly and ungodly praying And prayerless parents all alike Get the same benefit for their children Must be in a strange state of mind.

But one thing at any rate is very certain. Every baptized churchman Is by his profession a soldier of Jesus Christ, And is pledged to fight Under his banner against sin, The world, and the devil. He that doubts it had better take up his prayer book, And read, mark, and learn its contents.

The worst thing about Many very zealous churchmen Is their total ignorance of what their own prayer book contains. Whether we are churchmen or not, One thing is certain. This Christian warfare is a great reality, And a subject of vast importance.

It is not a matter like church government And ceremonial, About which men may differ, And yet reach heaven at last. Necessity is laid upon us. We must fight. There are no promises in the Lord Jesus Christ Epistles to the seven churches, Except to those who overcome.

Where there is grace, There will be conflict. The believer is a soldier. There is no holiness without a warfare. Saved souls will always be found To have fought a fight. It is a fight of absolute necessity.

The Universal and Perpetual Necessity of the Fight

Let us not think that in this war We can remain neutral and sit still. Such a line of action may be possible In the strife of nations, But it is utterly impossible In that conflict which concerns the soul.

The boasted policy of noninterference, The masterly inactivity Which pleases so many statesmen, The plan of keeping quiet And letting things alone, All this will never do in this Christian warfare. Here, at any rate, No one can escape serving under the plea That he is a man of peace.

To be at peace with the world of flesh and the devil Is to be at enmity with God And in the broad way that leadeth to destruction. We have no choice or option. We must either fight Or be lost. It is a fight of universal necessity.

No rank or class Or age can plead exemption Or escape the battle. Ministers and people, Preachers and hearers, Old and young, High and low, Rich and poor, Gentle and simple, Kings and subjects, Landlords and tenants, Learned and unlearned, All alike must carry arms And go to war.

All have by nature A heart full of pride And belief, Sloth, worldliness, and sin. All are living in a world Beset with snares, traps, And pitfalls for the soul. All have near them a busy, Restless, malicious devil.

All from the queen in her palace Down to the pauper in the workhouse All must fight if they would be saved. It is a fight of Perpetual necessity. It admits of no breathing time, No armistice, no truce.

On weekdays, as well as on Sundays, In private as well as in public, At home by the family fireside, As well as abroad, In little things, like management of tongue and temper, As well as in great ones, Like the government of kingdoms, The Christian's warfare must unceasingly go on.

The foe we have to do with Keeps no holidays, Never slumbers, and never sleeps. So long as we have breath in our bodies, We must keep on our armor, And remember we are on an enemy's ground. Even on the brink of Jordan, Said the dying saint, I find Satan nibbling at my heels.

We must all fight till we die. Let us consider well These propositions. Let us take care that our own personal religion Is real, genuine, and true. The saddest symptom About so many so-called Christians Is the utter absence of anything like Conflict and fight in their Christianity.

They eat, they drink, They dress, they work, They amuse themselves, They get money, they spend money, They go through a scanty round Of formal religious services Once or twice every week. But the great spiritual warfare, Its watchings and strugglings, Its agonies and anxieties, Its battles and contests, All of this they appear to know nothing at all.

Let us take care that this case Is not our own. The worst state of soul Is when the strongman arm Keeps the house, and his goods are at peace. When he leads men and women Captive at his will, And they make no resistance, The worst chains are those Which are neither felt nor seen By the prisoner.

Luke 11 .21, 2 Timothy 2 .26. We may take comfort about our souls If we know anything of an inward Fight and conflict. It is the invariable companion Of genuine Christian holiness. It is not everything, I am well aware, But it is something.

Do we find in our heart of hearts A spiritual struggle? Do we feel anything of the flesh Lusting against the Spirit, and the Spirit Against the flesh, so that we cannot Do the things that we would? Galatians 5 .17.

Are we conscious of two principles Within us contending for the mastery? Do we feel anything Of war in our inward man? Well, let us thank God for it. It is a good sign. It is strongly probable evidence Of the great work of sanctification.

All true saints are soldiers. Anything is better than Apathy, stagnation, deadness, And indifference. We are in a better state than many. The most part of so-called Christians Have no feeling at all.

We are evidently no friends of Satan. Like the kings of this world, He wars not against his own subjects. The very fact that he assaults us Should fill our minds with hope. I say again, let us take comfort.

The child of God Has two great marks about him, And of these two we have one. He may be known by his Inward warfare, as well as By his inward peace. Section 2. I pass on to the second thing, which I have to say In handling my subject.

Faith as the Means of Victory

True Christianity is a Fight of faith. In its respect, the Christian warfare is Utterly unlike the conflicts of this world. It does not depend On the strong arm, the quick eye, Or the swift foot. It is not waged with carnal weapons, But with spiritual.

Faith is a hinge on which victory turns. Success depends entirely On believing. A general faith in the truth Of God's written word is a primary Foundation of the Christian soldier's character. He is what he is, Does what he does, Thinks as he thinks, Acts as he acts, hopes as he hopes, Behaves as he behaves, For one simple reason.

He believes certain propositions revealed And laid down in Holy Scripture. He that comes to God must believe that he is, And that he is a rewarder of them That diligently seek him. Hebrews 11 .5. A religion without doctrine or dogma Is a thing which many are fond of talking of In the present day.

It sounds very fine at first, It looks very purty at a distance, But the moment we sit down to examine And consider it, we shall find it a simple Impossibility. We might as well talk of a body without Bones and sinews.

No man will ever be anything or do anything In religion unless he believes something. Even those Who profess to hold the miserable and uncomfortable Views of the deists Are obliged to confess that they believe Something.

With all their bitter sneers against dogmatic Theology and Christian credulity, As they call it, they themselves have a kind Of faith. As for true Christians, faith is the very backbone Of their spiritual existence.

No one ever fights earnestly Against the world, the flesh, and the devil Unless he has engraven on his heart Certain great principles which he believes. What they are, he may hardly Know, and may certainly not be able To define or write down.

But they are there, and consciously Or unconsciously, they form the Roots of his religion. Wherever you see a man, whether rich or poor, Learned or unlearned, or wrestling Manfully with sin and trying to overcome it, You may be sure that there are certain Great principles which that man Believes.

The poet who wrote the famous lines, For modes of faith let graceless zealots Fight, he can't be wrong Whose life is in the right, Was a clever man, but a poor divine. There is no such thing as right Living without faith and believing.

Faith in Christ’s Person and Finished Work

A special faith in our Lord Jesus Christ's person, Work and office is a life-hardened Mainspring of the Christian soldier's Character. He sees by faith An unseen Savior who loved him, Gave himself for him, paid his Debts for him, bore his Sins, carried his transgressions, Rose again for him, And appears in heaven for him as his Advocate at the right hand of God.

He sees Jesus and clings To him. Seeing the Savior And trusting in him, he feels Peace and hope, and willingly does Battle against the foes of the soul. He sees his own many sins, His weak heart, A tempting world, A busy devil, and if you looked Only at them, he might well despair.

But he sees also a mighty Savior, An interceding Savior, A sympathizing Savior, His blood, his righteousness, His everlasting priesthood. And he believes that all this Is his own. He sees Jesus and casts his whole weight On him.

Seeing him, he Cheerfully fights on with full confidence That he will prove more than conqueror Through him that loved him. Romans 8, 37 Habitually lively Faith in Christ's presence And readiness to help is the secret Of the Christian soldier fighting Successfully.

It must not be forgotten That faith admits other degrees. O men, do not believe alike, and even the same Person has his ebbs and flows Of faith, and believes more heartily At one time than another. According to the degree of his faith, The Christian fights well or ill, Wins victories or suffers occasional Repulses, comes off Triumphant or loses a battle.

He that has most faith Will always be the happiest and most Comfortable soldier. Nothing makes the anxieties of warfare Sit so lightly on a man as the assurance Of Christ's love and continual Protection.

Nothing Enables him to bear the fatigue of Watching, struggling, and wrestling Against sin, like the indwelling Confidence that Christ is on his side And success assure. It is The shield of faith which quenches all The fiery darts of the wicked one.

It is a man who can say, I know whom I have believed, Who can say in time of Suffering, I am not ashamed. He who wrote those Glowing words we faint not, Our light affliction which endures But for a moment worketh in us a far More exceeding and eternal weight of glory, Was a man who wrote with the same Pen, we look not at the things which Are seen, but at the things which are not Seen.

For the things which are Seen are temporal, but the things Which are not seen are eternal. It is a man who said, I live by the Faith of the Son of God, who said in the Same epistle, The world is Crucified unto me, and I into the world.

It is a man who said, to me To live is Christ, who said in the same Epistle, I have learned in whatsoever State I am therewith to be Content. I can do all things through Christ. The more faith, the more Victory.

The more faith, the more inward Peace. Ephesians 6 .16. I think it is Impossible to overrate the value And importance of faith. Well, may The Apostle Peter call it precious. 2 Peter 1 .1. Time would fail me if I tried To recount a hundredth part of the Victories which by faith Christian Soldiers have obtained.

Faith’s Witness in Hebrews and Church History

Let us take down our Bibles and read with Attention the eleventh chapter of the Epistle to the Hebrews. Let us mark The long list of worthies, whose Names are thus recorded, from Abel down To Moses, even before Christ Was born of the Virgin Mary, and Brought life and immortality into Full light by the Gospel.

Let us note well what battles They won against the world, the flesh, and The devil, and then let us remember That believing did it all. These men looked forward to the promised Messiah. They saw him that Is invisible.

By Faith the elders obtained a good Report. Hebrews 11 .2 -27. Hebrews 11 .2 -27. Let us turn to the pages of early church History. Let us see how the primitive Christians held fast their religion Even unto death, and were not shaken By the fiercest persecutions Of heathen emperors.

For centuries there were never wanting Men like Polycarp and Ignatius Who were ready to die rather than deny Christ. Fines and prisons And torture and fire and sword Were unable to crush the spirit of the Noble army of martyrs, the whole Power of imperial Rome.

The mistress of the world proved Unable to stamp out the religion, Which began with a few fishermen and Publicans in Palestine. And then let us remember that believing In an unseen Jesus was the church's Strength.

They won their victory By faith. Let us examine The story of the Protestant Reformation. Let us study the lives of its leading Champions, Wycliffe and Huss And Luther and Ridley and Latimer and Hooper.

Let us Mark how these gallant soldiers of Christ stood firm against a host of Adversaries, and were ready to die For their principles. What Battles they fought, what Controversies they maintained, what Contradiction they endured, What tenacity of purpose They exhibited against a world in arms.

And then let us remember That believing in an unseen Jesus Was the secret of their strength. They overcame by faith. Let us consider the men who have Made the greatest marks in church history In the last hundred years.

Let us Observe how men like Wesley and Whitefield and Venn and Romaine stood Alone in their day and generation and Revived English religion in the face Of opposition from men high In office, and in the face of Slander, ridicule, and persecution From nine-tenths of professing Christians in our land.

Let us observe how men like William Wilberforce and Havelock and Hedley Vickers have witnessed for Christ in the most difficult positions And displayed a banner for Christ Even at the regimental mess table Or on the floor of the House of Commons.

Let us mark how These noble witnesses never flinched To the end, and won the respect Even of their worst adversaries. And then let us remember that Believing in an unseen Christ Is the key to all their characters.

By faith they lived and walked And stood and overcame. Would anyone live the life of a Christian Soldier? Let him pray for faith. It is the gift of God And a gift which those who ask Shall never ask for in vain.

You must believe Before you do. If men do nothing In religion, it is because they do Not believe. Faith is the First step toward heaven. Would anyone fight the fight of a Christian soldier successfully and Prosperously?

Let him pray for A continual increase of faith. Let him abide in Christ. Get closer to Christ. Tighten his hold on Christ every day that he Lives. Let his daily prayer Be that of the disciples. Lord, increase my faith.

Luke 17 5 Watch jealously Over your faith, if you have any. It is the citadel of the Christian character on which the safety Of the whole fortress depends. It is a point which Satan loves To assail. All lies at his Mercy if faith is overthrown.

Here, if we love life, we must Especially stand on our guard. The last thing I have to say Is this. True Christianity Is a good fight. Good is a curious word to apply To any warfare. A worldly War is more or less evil.

Why the Christian Fight Is a Good Fight

No doubt it is an absolute necessity In many cases to procure The liberty of nations, to prevent The weak from being trampled down By the strong, but still it Is an evil. It entails An awful amount of bloodshed and suffering.

It hurries into eternity Myriads who are completely unprepared For their change. It calls forth the worst passions Of man. It causes enormous Waste and destruction of property. It fuels peaceful homes With mourning widows and orphans.

It spreads far and wide poverty, Taxation, and national distress. It disarranges all the Order of society. It interrupts the work of the gospel And the growth of Christian missions. In short, war is an immense And incalculable evil, and every Praying man should cry night and day, Give peace in our time.

Yet there is one warfare Which is emphatically good. And one fight in which there is no evil. That warfare Is the Christian warfare. That fight is the fight of the soul. Now what are the reasons Why the Christian fight is a good fight?

What are the points in which his Warfare is superior to the warfare Of this world? Let me examine This matter and open it out In order. I dare not pass The subject and leave it unnoticed. I want no one to begin the life of a Christian soldier without counting The cost.

I would not keep Back from anyone that if he would be holy And see the Lord, he must fight. That the Christian fight, Though spiritual, is real and severe. It needs courage, boldness, And perseverance.

But I want my Readers to know that there is abundant Encouragement if they will only Begin the battle. The scripture does Not call the Christian fight a good fight Without reason and cause. Let me try to show what I mean.

A. The Christian Fight is good because fought under The best of generals. The leader And commander of all believers is our Divine Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Savior of perfect Wisdom, infinite love, and almighty Power.

The captain of Our salvation never fails to lead His soldiers to victory. He Never makes any useful movements, Never errs in judgment, never Commits any mistake. His eye is on all his followers, From the greatest of them even to The least.

The humblest servants In his army is not forgotten. The weakest and most sickly Is cared for, remembered, and kept Unto salvation. The souls Whom he has purchased and redeemed with His own blood are far too precious To be wasted and thrown away.

Surely this is good. B. The Christian's fight Is good because fought with the best Of helps. Weak as each believer Is in himself, the Holy Spirit Dwells in him, and his body is the Temple of the Holy Ghost.

Chosen by God the Father, Washed in the blood of the Son, Renewed by the Spirit, he does not Go a warfare at his own charges And is never alone. God The Holy Ghost daily teaches, leads, Guides, and directs him.

God the Father guards him by his almighty Power. God the Son Intercedes for him every moment Like Moses on the mount While he is fighting in the valley below. A three-forged cord Like this can never be broken.

His daily Provisions and supplies never fail. His commiserate Is never defective. His bread and His water are sure. Weak as he seems In himself, like a worm he is Strong in the Lord to do great exploits.

Surely this is good. C. The Christian's Fight is a good fight because fought With the best of promises. To every believer belong exceeding Great and precious promises. All yea and amen in Christ. Promises sure to be Fulfilled because made by one Who cannot lie and has power as Well as will to keep his word.

Sin shall not have dominion over You. The God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. He that has begun a good work Will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. When thou passeth Through the waters, I will be With thee, and through the floods they Shall not overflow thee.

My sheep shall never perish, Neither shall anyone pluck them out Of my hand. Him that cometh Unto me I will in no wise cast Out. I will never leave thee, Nor forsake thee. I am Persuaded that neither death nor Life, nor things present, nor Things to come, shall be able To separate us from the love of God Which is in Christ Jesus.