Fight the Good Fight, Finish Your Race, Keep the Faith

Deep in the crypt of Basilica Sant’Ambrogio, one of the most ancient churches in northern Italy, lay the body of a man who served Christ’s church faithfully during the fourth century. Ambrose of Milan (340-397) was a preacher of the Word, hymn writer, church-planter, defender of orthodoxy, mentor to Augustine, and one of the four “doctors” of the early church. Here in Milan, his embalmed body is visible to the public eye, resting between two Christian martyrs from the second century: Gervasius on one side and Protasius on the other. Whatever we may think of the display, Ambrose’s legacy as a servant of Christ’s church stands as a testimony to one who, by God’s grace, fought the good fight, finished the race, and kept the faith. By no means was he perfect, but, like the apostle Paul some three hundred years earlier, he ran hard and finished well. His body awaits the resurrection, which the Lord Jesus has promised to all who trust in him.

As a missionary and ordained minister of the Word, I want to cross the finish line. I realize that I have not been called to be a giant in the church like Ambrose, but simply to be faithful in my calling, pressing on and persevering to the end. Sadly, however, many ministers never make it. While the statistics of pastors who burnout and leave the ministry vary from one study to another, all of the data reveals an alarming number of ordained men who battle loneliness, discouragement, and depression. A majority feel that they cannot meet their church’s unrealistic expectations, and many frequently doubt their calling. In recent years, there has also been a troubling spike in suicides among pastors. Added to this are the numerous casualties in the ministry due to moral failure and false doctrine. In light of such disconcerting statistics, how can discouraged ministers be encouraged to finish well?

And it is not just pastors who can be tempted to quit running the race. Every Christian can experience certain pressures in life that can tempt him to lose heart and abandon the church. For example, we think of the college student who is suddenly faced with seemingly irrefutable claims against Christianity, or the struggling believer who feels hopeless because she is losing her personal battle against sexual immorality, or disillusioned members of a congregation who have experienced the ugliness and shame of a church-split. Where can such troubled souls find the courage and motivation to fight the good fight and keep the faith?

The apostle Paul knew the answer. Finding the determination to persevere to the end comes only by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, a grace that is sufficient even in the midst of our most painful trials, tormenting doubts, and moments of weakness. It was only by the grace of Christ that Paul found the strength to continue during his thirty years of apostolic ministry and finally say at the end of his life, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 2:7). He did not write these words in a time of comfort and ease. He wrote them while incarcerated in Rome and facing the death penalty. He was lonely, cold, and without the necessary tools to redeem the time. Still, he was full of hope, for he knew that the crown of righteousness was laid up for him (4:8), and that the Lord would bring him safely into his heavenly kingdom (4:18). Convinced that the time of his departure was at hand, Paul penned these verses so that Timothy, a man timid by nature and terrified by opposition, would see a testimony of the sustaining grace of God which is sufficient to strengthen every believer to finish well.

Fight the Good Fight
Paul uses three metaphors to describe how God’s grace had enabled him to fulfill his ministry and complete his mission. The first is, “I have fought the good fight,” an expression that could have either military or athletic connotations. The apostle’s point is that the Christian ministry (as well as the entire Christian life) involves a constant struggle against the spiritual forces of darkness. Earlier in this letter, Paul exhorted Timothy, “Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus” (2:3). In his previous letter, he urged Timothy to “wage the good warfare” (1 Tim. 1:18) and “fight the good fight of faith” (1 Tim. 6:12). It is a good fight because it is fought for the glory of God and his gospel.

Every minister of the Word is called to fight this good fight, armed with the gospel of Jesus Christ. “For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh,” says Paul to the Corinthians, “but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ” (2 Cor. 10:4-5). Pastors can be confident that the gospel is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes (Rom. 1:16-17). It announces the promise of eternal life and brings forth the new creation, inaugurated by Jesus (2 Cor. 5:17).

Fighting the good fight, however, is not limited to preaching the gospel and defending the faith in the spiritual battle of competing truth-claims (4:1-5). There is also the subjective element of the fight in the minister’s ongoing battle against his own indwelling sin (2:22; cf. 1 Tim. 6:11), as well as the three-headed monster of worry, loneliness, and disappointment (4:9-16; cf. 2 Cor. 1:8-9; 11:28). Pastors are often hard on themselves for their own failures, rather than resting in the absolution we receive through Christ’s blood and the acceptance that is ours through his righteousness. They frequently feel isolated by life as a role-model for the flock, having very few friends (if any at all) with whom they can speak honestly. Their families often suffer from controversies in the church and the gossip and misbehavior of some of its members. In other vocations (such as a doctor, lawyer, or President of the United States), moral failure is not an immediate disqualification, but in the Christian ministry, rarely is it not. Seeking to cope with these pressures, some men in the ministry turn to artificial and unhealthy methods of self-medicating, such as pornography, substance abuse, or overeating.

So how can a minister then fight the good fight? To find the answer, we must consider the apostle Paul. What did he do? He continued to find his strength for the fight “by the grace that is in Christ Jesus” (2:1). Delighting in the gospel, he continued to preach the gospel (Rom. 1:14-16; 1 Cor. 9:16). He often felt weak, but he discovered that in his weakness, Christ’s power is made perfect (2 Cor. 12:9). He armed himself with the armor of God so that he could stand against the schemes of the devil (Eph. 6:11). He did not neglect prayer (Acts 16:25; Eph. 6:18-19; 1 Thess. 5:17), nor the comfort of Christian fellowship (Rom. 1:11; 15:24; Phil. 1:8; 1 Thess. 3:6; 2 Tim. 1:4). He was able to rejoice always in Christ (Phil. 4:4), and learned in whatever situation to find his contentment in Him (Phil. 4:11-13; 1 Tim. 6:6).

Finish the Race
Paul’s second description of his fulfilled ministry is “I have finished the race” (v.7). Some years earlier, while he prepared to board a ship on the shores of Miletus that was bound for Jerusalem, Paul addressed the elders of the Ephesian church for the last time in person (Acts 20:17-38). He declared his goal to finish his race:

“But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself. If only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God” (Acts 20:24).

Now, at the end of his life, by the grace of God, he was able to say that he had completed his race. He makes no claim to have won the race; he was simply content to cross the finish line.

So it should be for every Christian pastor. It is often the case that younger men, upon completing seminary and entering the ministry, dream of doing great things for the church. Nowadays, many pastors are tempted to measure their value (as well as that of others) by the size of their congregation, number of published books and podcast listeners, and the possession of a PhD. But we must remember that the race we have been called to run is not a competition. Christ, “the righteous judge” (v.8), is not looking for the runner with the fastest time or most popularity. Recognition by others does not count for anything in this race. Rather, Christ wants runners who will remain faithful to him, dependent on his grace, enduring to the end.

Paul does not tell Timothy: “Go do great things for God.” Instead, he says, “As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry” (v.5). Christ has already won the race. The rest of us are simply called to stay the course and finish without dropping out or becoming disqualified.

Keep the Faith
Paul’s third affirmation about the completion of his service is, “I have kept the faith.” He had faithfully guarded the good deposit entrusted to him, and was now passing the torch to Timothy and the next generation. “The faith” (note the definite article) is a reference to the gospel and essential Christian doctrine. Paul has already warned Timothy in this letter about those who have “swerved from the truth” (2:18) and are “disqualified regarding the faith” (3:8). Now Timothy must live according to the example of his spiritual father and keep the faith to the end. This is in accordance with Paul’s earlier exhortation: “follow the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me” and “guard the good deposit entrusted to you” (1:13, 14).

Sadly, some ministers have failed to finish the race because they embraced false teaching and did not keep the faith. Some have abandoned the faith altogether, kissing Christianity goodbye. The church needs faithful ministers of the Word who will guard the purity of the gospel and apostolic doctrine, bringing it into the next generation.

There is a wider application of verse 7, however, to all believers. The call to fighting the good fight, finishing the race, and keeping the faith is not limited to ordained ministers. In one sense, all believers are called to this. We have a fight to fight. A real spiritual war is being waged, one in which the people of God are engaged. All Christian men and women are to “put on the whole armor of God,” as Paul said to the church at Ephesus, so that we may “be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Eph. 6:11-12). We have a race to run. Hebrews tells us,

“Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God” (Heb. 12:1b-2).

And we have the faith to keep, for which we must contend earnestly (Jude 3). We are to stand together “firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel” (Phil. 1:27). The promise of Jesus is that in doing these things, he will give us rest for our weary souls (Matt. 11:28-30), and reward us in his grace.

An Anticipated Reward
Paul rejoiced in what awaited him. He goes on to say, “Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day” (2 Timothy 4:8). In the Olympic games of the ancient world, wreaths of honor were placed like crowns upon the heads of winners. Here, Paul uses the metaphor the “crown of righteousness” to describe the permanent and perfect state of righteousness that will be ours in glory. This is the righteousness which Christ earned for us through his active obedience to the Father. It has already been imputed to the sinner who trusts in Christ (Rom 3.21-26; 4.5; 5.1; Gal 2.16-21; 3.10-14). Nevertheless, justified believers are not yet glorified. This is the crown of righteousness that Paul says is laid up for him. It is that great inheritance that Peter describes as “imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you” (1 Pet 1.4)

This reward is not for the apostle Paul alone, but for every believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul adds, “and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing” (v.8). The same crown of righteousness that awaited Paul also awaits you, Christian. Do you love the appearing of Christ? Do you rejoice in what he accomplished through his life, death, and resurrection during his first coming? Are you longing for his return when he will destroy death forever, annihilate all evil, and raise our bodies from the dead to live in eternal, glorified life? If so, the crown of righteousness awaits you at the end of your race. Press on! Don’t give up!

It is only because of Jesus that we will receive the crown of righteousness. We are winners of the race because of him. Jesus fought the good fight perfectly, fulfilling all the righteous demands of God’s law through his active obedience to the Father. He loved his neighbor impeccably, resisted temptation unwaveringly, and conquered Satan decisively. At the end of his life he was able to say to the Father, “I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory I had with you before the world existed” (John 17:4-5). The next day, as he hung on the cross and suffered the wrath of God for the sins of those whom the Father gave him, his last words were, “It is finished” (John 19:30). He completed his mission. He won the race for us. The crown of righteousness, therefore, is a gift of grace from beginning to end.

What consolation and encouragement this brings us as those who find ourselves troubled in conscience by the weakness of our faith and our failures in the Christian life. In his life, death, and resurrection, Jesus was our legal representative and earned the merit we needed to be acceptable to God. The victory is ours because of Christ. God accepts us and loves us not because of how well we are fighting the good fight and running the race, but because of how well his Son did. What comfort this brings to those who feel weary in the race! This good news strengthens us to fight the good fight and finish our course, looking always to Jesus. For in him, we are already victorious.

This is the key to finding the motivation and encouragement we need to keep going: look to Christ!  “In Christ,” said Ambrose, “we have everything…If you find yourself oppressed by guilt, he is your righteousness. If you are in need of help, he is your strength. If you are afraid of death, he is the life. If you desire heaven, he is the way. If you need refuge from the darkness, he is the light.”[1]

May God strengthen us by his grace so that we too may run hard and finish well.

Rev. Michael Brown
Milan, Italy

[1] Ambrose, Preghiere, ed. Inos Biffi (Casale Monferrato: Piemme, 1987), 16-17. Translation mine.