FINISHING WELL
(5-minute read)
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” These words from 2 Timothy 4:7 were penned by the apostle Paul when he was facing his own imminent demise. In the preceding verse, he wrote, “and the time for my departure is near.” (v6). Here, the word ‘departure’ depicts a boat due to set out from the harbor; or soldiers breaking camp ready to be deployed somewhere for battle and possibly not return ever.
Christian families like to use these verses as memorial inscriptions for their loved ones, hoping others will have a favorable impression of the deceased. To Paul, however, these are weighty words that took a lifetime to live out. Also, it is important to note that he said these words while he was still alive. He had the right to protect his own life and escape suffering, but he never did. How many of us would voluntarily stay put in any given hardship for the purpose of proving that the Word of God will prevail in the situations that we are facing?
Paul knew that his days were numbered and that he might not even get to finish this last letter to his younger disciple, Timothy. But how exactly did Paul fight the good fight, finish the race and keep the faith? What lessons can we glean from his life for making ours count?
“I HAVE FOUGHT THE GOOD FIGHT”
Paul drew a parallel between fighting and the combat sport of Greco-Roman wrestling. He was addressing an audience that loved sports and he argued that, in the face of conflict, one must stay resilient and fight to the end.
What kind of combat was Paul involved in? They included fierce accusations from the Jews, Gentiles and even religious leaders who distanced themselves from him. Being imprisoned more frequently than any disciples, flogged more severely, gone cold and naked in prison, and suffering extreme depravity without food and water. All of them involved fierce human opponents determined to take him down.
Yet, through it all, he understood that he was not fighting natural battles “against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:12). Therefore, he didn’t care about public opinion or let himself get sucked into endless quarrels and arguments. He was incisively clear about His mission and goal: to stand firm on the Word of God.
These were his convictions: that “We don’t fight natural battles and we don’t use physical weapons but spiritual weapons that have divine power to demolish strongholds.” (2 Corinthians 10:4). “Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist on the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.” (Ephesians 6:10 NASB).
Our circumstances and situations create the conditions and platform for our fight to overcome adversities with the Word of God. But there is no fight if we keep running away instead of standing on God’s Word.
“I HAVE FINISHED THE RACE”
In keeping with the sports theme, Paul analogized his faith to a runner because people could see that all successful athletes had to abandon everything that encumbered them mentally, emotionally and physically in order to commit themselves to achieving their performance goals. It may take only a moment to touch the finish line but it takes arduous preparations and an indomitable spirit to arrive before the game is over.
Indeed, it was once said that no matter how fast you run, you can’t be the winner if you don’t finish (Israelmore Ayivor). To be sure, some of us have a better head start in life than others, but whatever social realities or family background we are born into, and whatever success we have achieved in life later - they do not determine how well we will finish.
Paul was committed to finish the race set out for him. “I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me - the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.” (Acts 20:24).
Humanly speaking, there are a number of ever-present hindrances that can keep us from completing our own race. We can be side-tracked when we over-intellectualize realities, when we trust realities more than we trust God, when we prefer agreeability with others more than standing alone on the Word of God, and when we are taken in by popular opinion (even among believers) - we have given up the competition.
“I HAVE KEPT THE FAITH”
It is not enough to say that we have fought the good fight and finished the race without at the same time examining if we have let our faith fall by the wayside over time. That could happen if we are easily swayed by people on the ringside, or if we run around aimlessly treating everything we do as a ‘calling’.
Recognising his own fallibility and the human susceptibility to be trapped by fallacies, Paul held onto two key convictions that kept him focused on the goal:
“Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.” (1 Corinthians 9:26-27).
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.” (Hebrews 12:1-2).
Paul held up the Lord Himself as a model we should emulate: “Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” (Hebrews 12:3)
Indeed, Jesus showed us what it meant to keep the faith. He has since passed the baton to us. It is our individual responsibility to stand firm on the Word of God and not only focus on our own race, but also encourage others to persevere in theirs. The race is not a sprint, and there is no pause button for living purposefully. It is not over until the end of our lives.
This is a summary and reflection based on a virtual BIR Session held on 03 December 2022.
