There is an old preacher’s story that tells of a brave flag bearer who continued to march into the thick of the battle. The timid captain, having allowed his troops to move away from where they should have been, cried out, “Bring the Standard bearer to the troops!” At which point the standard bearer cried back, “No, bring the troops to the standard bearer!”
Jude, in the third verse of his book, informs us that he planned to write “about the salvation we all share together,” but instead he turned his pen to call the saints to battle. “But I felt the need,” he continued, “to write to you about something else: I want to encourage you to fight hard for the faith that God gave his holy people” (Jude 3 ERV).
Our common salvation is indeed the most beautiful and uplifting subject on earth. There are not enough books on earth to contain the wonders and the impact of the Christ and his gospel message. Jude would have preferred to write of such things, but he knew that the immediate need was to remind the church that they are in a war for the soul.
“God gave this faith once, and it is good for all time,” Jude concludes. This is the faith that brought us salvation, and this is the faith that overcomes the world. It is complete in its message, and it is complete in its power to defeat Satan. We are assured that God’s Word will do what He wants it to do. All that you and I have to do is to “fight the good fight!”
The thick of battle is not for the fainthearted. It is where the souls of men choose to live or die, and it is where God wants us to be. Yes, it is a place where we will see the evils of Satan. But it is also the place where we will see the goodness of God.
In the thick of the battle is where you and I thrive as believers.
John Staiger
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