“Fight the good fight of faith.”[1] Paul wrote this command to Timothy over 2,000 years ago. His admonition, however, was not just for Timothy—it was also for you. Are you aware of the battle raging all around you? Are you aware of the war you are fighting and who is going after your children?
There is a reality surrounding Christian families that many remain unaware of. They do not realize that the spiritual realm is all too real. Paul warned about a battle that we and our children enter the moment we are baptized into Christ. At the point of baptism, we are marked as one redeemed and clothed with Christ.[2] The demonic world takes note of this. It is at this moment that you and your children enter the line of fire. You are now under attack.
The Christian family is a particular favorite battleground for Satan. The devil targets the cohesive, God-fearing family unit for a reason. He despises God’s people, and he wants to destroy them. He knows that if he can create a wedge between you and your children, he has a better chance at capturing their young and impressionable souls. As their protector, you are in the way. You strengthen your children through your presence, discipline, and guidance, and by living in harmony with them. The devil knows this, and as Ecclesiastes says, “a three-strand cord is not quickly broken.”[3]When that three-strand cord is you, Christ, and your child, the devil is not going to be able to do a single thing. He must separate that cord so as to weaken it.
The devil fears the solid Christian family unit, for out of it will rise many a steadfast warrior for Christ who will do much damage to the demonic forces of this world. The habits of prayer and self-control that you instill in your child now will remain with them their whole lives. The faith you nurture in them now will be clung to during the times of trial of this life, and Jesus will be shared with many they meet along the way.
And the devil simply cannot allow that. He must wreak as much havoc, disconnect, hatred, and strife as possible in your family because he wants those children for himself. It’s a two-for-one situation: if he can get them, he knows that you, as the loving parent, will battle despair and great sorrow. He knows that your natural love for your children will not allow you to feel ambivalent about their eternal life. You will be tortured if he can capture their hearts, and he loves the idea of that. He may even be able to get you to the point of doubting the mercy and love of God.
How then can you fight in this perilous battle? In Ephesians, Paul writes,
“ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore, put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.”[4]
As the leader of your children, you must recognize the reality and urgency of these spiritual battles. This must be your top priority. Like in war, sacrifices are necessary to achieve victory, and sometimes you need to suppress certain desires to fight effectively. The same principle applies to this battle. We cannot have the same priorities and goals as the rest of the world. Our values for this transitory life are simply not the same as the pagans. Our top priority as parents cannot be our security, our pleasure, or our career. In fact, it cannot even be solely ourselves. Nothing is more important than fighting the good fight of faith and teaching our children to do the same. This is because we understand the reality of the situation. We are not long for this world. This is not our home, and we are in a war. We must arm ourselves and our children with the Word of God, which is our only weapon. Nobody enters a battlefield without a weapon, so with urgency, we must immerse ourselves in the Scriptures, which will equip us for the inevitable oncoming attacks.
Along with a weapon, we need a shield, a helmet, belt, shoes, and a breastplate—all of which come from the Word.[5] In the Word, we find truth. Through the Word, we are granted faith, and with faith, we receive salvation.
“But this all seems so overwhelming!” you may say. Yes, I understand. I, too, find this calling too much to bear sometimes. But take heart, because in the Word you will find so much encouragement to “strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees.[6]” You cannot do this on your own, it is true, but as Paul writes in Philippians, “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.”[7] That same strength is yours. You cannot do this alone, but Christ can, and when he called you through parenthood to this good purpose, he knew what you would need to succeed—namely, Him.
In the end, you know the truth: “If God is for us, who can be against us?”[8] The answer? Nobody who is powerful enough to do you any real harm. You know how this story ends. You know to whom you belong.[9] This story ends with you being allowed to enter the kingdom of heaven, not by your works, lest anyone should boast.[10] You will enter his kingdom on the last day, and while you remain here on this battleground for just a little while, “He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.”[11]
This article was first published in Reformed Dogmatika.
[1] 1 Tim 6:12
[2] Galatians 3:27
[3] Ecclesiastes 4:12
[4] Eph 6:10-18
[5] John 1:14
[6] Heb 12:12
[7] Phil 4:13
[8] Romans 8:31
[9] 1 Cor 3:23
[10] Eph 2:9
[11] Psalm 91:4
