With the New Year comes the hope of something new, but also the comfort of familiarity. We embrace change in things like New Year’s resolutions, but we do that while also holding fast to that which we know; this is evidenced by the fact that we tend to celebrate in the same way each year—we hold on to certain traditions. We say things like 2024 is going to be better and different…but don’t you dare start the year without black-eyed peas for lunch.
The new and the old.
The fresh start but the familiar sequence.
Faith is somewhat like that. New and old. Fresh . . . but also familiar.
As to the new, we wake up daily with the charge to be people of faith, to seek faith anew. His mercies are new every morning. We live in a New Covenant. We read from the New Testament. And relatively speaking, we participate in a faith that was shut off to our forebears. We participate in a faith in Christ.
However, as to the old, the required human response to God throughout the ages has always been the same. We are to believe Him. We are to trust Him. We are to have faith in God. God’s plan for human existing, for human flourishing, is, was, and always has been a plan for faith. The specific objects of faith have changed throughout the years, but the proper response to God for all of history has always been the response of faith.
The proper response to God for all of history has always been the response of faith.
In the spirit of embracing both the old and the new, I want to look at a familiar passage but draw out a new element.
As a reminder (or to orient those new here), we are in the middle of a series on the oracles of God. Within that series, there are six elementary principles of the oracles of God, and we are looking at principle #2: faith toward God.1In order, all six principles are (1) repentance from dead works, (2) faith toward God, (3) baptisms, (4) laying on of hands, (5) resurrection from the dead, and (6) eternal judgment.
Live by Faith
In Galatians 3, the Apostle Paul writes:
Even so Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness. (Galatians 3:6)
But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, imprisoned, closed off to the faith which was later to be revealed. (Galatians 3:23)2This translation differs slightly from the NASB95, which Pastor Michael usually preaches from. Occasionally, he will supplement from other translations or provide his own.
For context, it’s important to remember that God’s activity is in the realm of faith. The Galatians struggled. Having come to God via faith, they became confused, thinking that they would somehow now complete this journey, somehow earn their salvation, through works—specifically, works of the law. Paul was upset about that. He reminds his audience that God’s activity is in the realm of faith, and to emphasize that, Paul is going to appeal to the father of the Jews, Abraham.
It tended to be Jewish agitators who would come in and say faith isn’t enough—you need to follow the law. But Paul says, Listen, even Abraham believed (“Even so Abraham believed” is the exact wording in Galatians 3:6). And if I can modify it or insert what I think is the emphasis of verses 6 and 23, it’s this (bold and italics are mine):
Even so Abraham (before Jesus) believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.
But before faith (in Jesus) came, we were kept under guard by the law, imprisoned, closed off to the faith (in Jesus) which was later to be revealed.
We now live in the privileged position of living in a time in which Jesus has come and our faith is in the object of Christ. But Paul writes, in Galatians 3, the righteous … live by faith (v. 11). This is not a new concept. Paul is quoting the Old Testament book of Habakkuk, which constructs the statement this way: “the righteous live by faith” (Habakkuk 2:4). And so you need to know that the righteous of the Old Testament—those such as Abraham—lived by faith. The righteous who were waiting upon the advent of Christ, the arrival of the Messiah, lived by faith. And now you and I, who know Jesus, and who await the return of Jesus for His church, we too live by faith.
God’s plan from the dawn of time was a plan of faith. And if that’s God’s plan, I recommend living by it—especially we who have the advantage of the indwelling Spirit of God. If you’re familiar with the argument of Galatians, Paul makes very clear in chapter 2 the advantage of the New Testament believer:
… Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. (Galatians 2:20)
Christ lives in me. That’s the advantage.
The righteous live by faith. It’s a repeated theme in Paul’s significant theological tomes. We see it in Galatians. He quotes the verse also in Romans. And the author of Hebrews (maybe Paul) quotes it.
What does it mean that “the righteous live by faith”? It means two things:
- Through faith we are granted (eternal) life.
- By our faith we maintain our (earthly) lives.
The instruction is clear: We should live by faith. But how do we make that happen? That’s going to be our focus as we conclude this subseries on faith toward God. We’re going to look at three ways to live by faith:
- Seek faith.
- Strengthen faith.
- See with faith.
Our current focus is on the first of these—seeking faith.
Seek Faith
If God’s plan is for faith, and faith results in life, it’s no wonder that Paul focuses on this concept in his letters. And in the letters we have to his young disciple and fellow worker, Timothy, he writes on more than one occasion that Timothy should seek faith and seek the life of faith.
In the opening of Paul’s first letter to Timothy, Paul sets up the important themes for how Timothy is to go about seeking faith:
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus, according to the commandment of God our Savior, and of Christ Jesus, who is our hope, to Timothy, my true child in faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. As I urged you upon my departure for Macedonia, remain on at Ephesus so that you may instruct certain men not to teach strange doctrines, nor to pay attention to myths and endless genealogies, which give rise to mere speculation rather than furthering the administration of God which is by faith. The goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. For some men, straying from these things, have turned aside to fruitless discussion … (1 Timothy 1:1–6)
What is established by this introduction? First, it’s established once again that God’s plan is for faith. We see this in verse 4, in which the NASB translation reads “the administration of God which is by faith.” This is an interesting word—“administration.” It’s where we get the word “economy,” based on the idea of house. So we can say, in the economy of God, He operates according to faith. Other translations of “administration of God” are “arrangement of God” or “plan of God”; it’s the idea of a program of instruction. The word “administration” is also sometimes translated “stewardship” or “dispensation.” The dispensations of God are according to faith; the plan of God is according to faith.
The other thing established by the introduction is that there’s a possibility of deviating from the plan. We can deviate from the plan of God by either never pursuing it or, having begun the pursuit, then abandoning it. There are alternatives. We see that in verse 6, which says some people “straying from these things, have turned aside to fruitless discussion.”
But seekers of faith instead do three things. And these are the three things that Paul will express in his letters to Timothy. There are three verbs that Paul uses that are very easy to remember and live by: flee, pursue, and fight.
Seekers of faith:
- Flee—there are some things that you should run away from.
- Pursue—there are things that you should run toward.
- Fight—there are things, once they are obtained, you should fight to keep.
Flee, pursue, fight. Things to run away from, things to run toward, and things, once obtained, to fight to keep. These are things repeated to Timothy, particularly in these two key passages:
But flee from these things, you man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. (1 Timothy 6:11–12)
Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. (2 Timothy 2:22)
Flee
What is it that we should flee? First Timothy 6:11 starts with, “Flee from these things.” But what are these things? We have to look at the context—the preceding verses:
If anyone advocates a different doctrine and does not agree with sound words, those of the Lord Jesus Christ, and with the doctrine conforming to godliness, he is conceited and understands nothing; he has a sick3The NASB uses the word “morbid” here. interest in controversial questions and disputes about words, out of which arise envy, strife, abusive language, evil suspicions, and constant friction between people of depraved mind and deprived of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. But godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment. For we brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out either. If we have food and covering, with these we should be content. But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money4Take note of the phrasing of this oft-misquoted verse: It’s the love of money, not money itself, that is the root of all kinds of evil. is the root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. (1 Timothy 6:3–10)
So what are the things we should flee from, according to these verses? We should flee:
- Different, unsound, ungodly doctrine
- The conceited failure to understand
- Unhealthy interest in disputes and controversy—which turn into envy, strife, slander, evil suspicions, and constant friction between depraved individuals
- Misunderstandings related to godliness and money (that is, misunderstandings related to godliness combined with money—a perversion of the gospel that says something wrong about godliness and money and how they work together)
Paul is a little more pointed in 2 Timothy, where he says we’re to “flee youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart” (2:22).
Flee youthful lusts. What does Paul mean by this? I’m not a big fan of this translation because of the connotation with the word “lust.” We tend to hear this and think of sexual sin. It can mean that. And while it’s not impossible that this is the instruction to Timothy, to flee sexual sin, it seems more contextually likely that Paul is continuing the theme of telling Timothy to avoid getting caught up in incorrect and counterproductive talk.
Here’s the justification for thinking that this might be the best interpretation. First, the word translated “lust” is a neutral word that just means “desire.” And when we desire good things, how do we know that the desire is of a good thing? The context tells us. And how do we know that the desire is bad? Again, the context tells us. So, in reading this verse, we tend to assume the context is desire toward an improper object, which we call lust. There is improper desire at play here, but the sexual connotations can shade our view of what Paul is saying. Desire can be good. Desire can be bad. Desire can be neutral. But contextually, within this idea of telling Timothy to flee certain things, we get the same sort of things that we saw in 1 Timothy about fleeing: conversations that don’t go anywhere, conversations that involve teaching strange doctrine. Look at the three verses that follow 2 Timothy 2:22:
Refuse foolish and ignorant speculations, knowing that they produce quarrels. The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition … (2 Timothy 2:23–25)
You’ll discover that this was the topic of this entire section. Back up to verse 14:
Remind them of these things, and solemnly charge them in the presence of God not to wrangle about words, which is useless and leads to the ruin of the hearers. Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth. Avoid worldly empty chatter, for it will lead to further ungodliness, and their talk will spread like gangrene. (2 Timothy 2:14–17)
Next, Paul names two men among the Ephesians who have “gone astray from the truth,” Hymenaeus and Philetus (vv. 17–18). How did they go astray? They were “saying that the resurrection has already taken place,” which “upset the faith of some” (v. 18). Paul continues:
Nevertheless, the firm foundation of God stands, having this seal, “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Everyone who names the name of the Lord is to abstain from wickedness.” In a large house, there are not only gold and silver vessels, but also vessels of wood and of earthenware, and some to dishonor. Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from these things, he’ll be a vessel of honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work. (2 Timothy 2:19–21)
And then, Paul says, “Flee from youthful passions” (v. 22). What does that mean? Let’s discuss some possibilities.
Keep in mind, we don’t know exactly how old Timothy is. We’re told before (see 1 Timothy 4:12) he’s not to worry about his young age—to not let that intimidate him; not to be timid on account of his age. It’s possible that, in referring to “youthful passions,” Paul is considering Timothy youthful still. He could’ve been in his 30s, even late 30s—not quite over the hill yet, not quite 40. But we shouldn’t get in our minds that Timothy was a teenager either.
By “youthful passions,” Paul could have been saying that, in our younger years (not so much chronologically speaking but in terms of spiritual maturity), we’re marked by the desire to enter into every conversation of controversy. Paul could be saying, Timothy. I know you’re eager to enter into these conversations. Don’t let them distract you. You’re charged before the Lord. Your calling is great. Don’t get caught up in everything.
Timothy could have felt the need to enter into those discussions, not only to deal with error, but also to defend his own station within Ephesus, because he’s the appointed authority. Paul said, in effect, you need to be there, and you need to tell these men not to teach these (certain) things that are contrary to the gospel. Paul isn’t saying to ignore the issues completely. But he’s already instructed the Ephesians to stop, and perhaps Paul was saying, Timothy, don’t debate them. Just tell them to stop.
It’s also possible that in younger years, we’re more likely to entertain new ideas. It could be that Paul was instructing Timothy by saying, Hey, don’t concern yourself with whether you’ve heard all the latest theological conjecture. You don’t need to be out there on every message board, Timothy. You don’t need to scroll every social media thread and see what the latest debate is. I’ve delivered to you what it is that you need to know. I’ve delivered to you the plan of God, the full measure of faith. Flee the temptation to get distracted by anything else.
How does that apply to us? Here’s how I would summarize that fleeing: Flee things that compete for your proper focus. Pursuit requires focus, and that’s our second verb.
As we shift from fleeing to pursuing, there is an important reminder for us about identity in 1 Timothy 6:11. Being grounded in identity tells us which way to run. Notice the command to flee and the command to pursue are bridged by a reminder of identity: “Flee from these things, you man [person] of God, and [then] pursue … faith …” (italics added). Being grounded in identity helps us to know what it is that we should flee, and what it is that we should pursue.
Pursue
As we pursue faith, it is very helpful to understand some distinctions and nuance. In the past, I’ve discussed how faith is akin to rest—resting in God. That’s a good description of the nature of faith. I’m not talking about vacationing—not that kind of rest. I’m talking about the ceasing of striving to take hold of all things good by means of your own power, by means of relying exclusively on yourself. As we’ll soon see, we are to take hold of all things good, but when we talk about faith toward God for eternal salvation, we cease striving to take hold of all things good by our own power. Faith is a means of rest, but faith itself, a life of faith, is to be pursued.
And here’s where understanding the three basic categories of faith will greatly help:
- Category 1—faith that results in justification and eternal life
- Category 2—faith that results in anything else
- Category 3—the idea of faith as doctrine (something we can hold fast to)
Paul, in addressing Timothy, is addressing a believer, not a nonbeliever, so we automatically know he’s not talking about category 1 faith. He’s talking about pursuing either category 2 or category 3 faith. Contextually, we know category 3 faith is definitely at play. The pursuit of faith includes pursuit of doctrinal integrity. This command is all over the place. Paul is saying don’t let the Ephesians teach these teachings—they’re wrong; it’s false doctrine.
Category 2 faith is also in play. Notice that the command to pursue faith is nestled in actions like pursuing godliness. We are to be people of faith, and our faith is nestled in godliness and perseverance and love and gentleness. In this category, pursuing faith is an ongoing posture toward God. It’s obedience in keeping with the commands of God; it’s diligence in fulfilling the call of God upon your life.
The pursuit of faith is measured in intention, action, and endurance:
- You can’t pursue on accident—intention is involved.
- You can’t pursue passively—action is required.
- You can’t pursue sporadically—endurance is essential.
We’ll say more in the next part in this series about how to intentionally strengthen your faith. For now, know this: The fact that faith is to be pursued should tell us that faith or faithfulness is not the default position. If we have to pursue it, it’s not the default position. We’re not asked to sit around and just wait for faith to take hold. It won’t. We are to take hold of something. And this brings us to our last verb.
Faith is not the default position. We have to pursue it.
Fight
This third verb, “fight,” is in both Paul’s opening and closing arguments to Timothy. I’ve told you before that bookends are important; this is the case whether you’re reading literature, a letter, or the Bible. The author opens and closes with great intentionality, often introducing his themes and repeated areas of focus.
Look at 1 Timothy 1:18–19:
This command I entrust to you, Timothy, my son, in accordance with the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you fight the good fight, keeping faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and suffered shipwreck in regard to their faith.
And then as he closes his letter, he reminds Timothy, in case he forgets:
Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. (1 Timothy 6:12)
There is a level of fight that Timothy could expect. And let me just say, if you ever are going to be in ministry leadership, you have to become a fighter. Now, there’s a big asterisk here. I’m not saying that you need to be a good fighter. Rather, I’m saying that you need to be a fighter for the good. Why? Because there are a lot of good fighters; you have to come up against them when you’re fighting for the good.
I’m not saying that you need to be a good fighter. Rather, you need to be a fighter for the good.
You have to know when to fight and how to fight. You have to—as oddly as it sounds—be a fighter and gentle. You have to deal with the distractions that Paul warned would beset Timothy. You have to deal with the distractions and not give up. You have to fight for proper doctrine and practice, and you have to fight whatever comes against those things. You have to know how to do all of this while not losing sight of serving fellow saints.
You also have to know that the shepherd is called to wear armor, the armor of God (see Ephesians 6:10–18). Christian service consists of graced opportunity and great opposition. Leadership is necessary and important. We should pray for our ministry leaders. There’s always opportunity for dissension and wrangling over words, and when we talk about operating the Church of God, we have to remember we have an Enemy.
If at this point you’re thinking, I’m not a ministry leader and I’m not planning on going into ministry, so I’m off the hook. … No! This command to fight (for the good) is not just for the ministry lead; it’s for all members of the body of Christ. All of us face the temptation to give ourselves over to easier doctrine.
I get tickled sometimes because, in theological discussions, there’s appeal to the early writings and the Church fathers. And it’s not that there’s no use in that; it’s good, and it’s at least good for history. But this idea that because a doctrine or practice came early, and it was so close to the founding of the Church, that it must be true, is simply not correct. Most of the New Testament was written because the people closest to the early Church were getting it wrong. Some of them were denying the resurrection! How much worse can it get? But those sorts of doctrinal compromises are tempting. You know how easy life becomes if there’s no resurrection? If this is it—if life on earth is all there is—then do what you want (that’s the logical conclusion). It will be over quickly. No repercussions: no resurrection of the good, no resurrection of the bad.
We are all in this fight against sin. We all fight the fight of faith against sin. In case no one told you, sin is fun. It is! That’s why we’re tempted toward it. It’s not good. It’s not ultimately to your benefit. It’s not fun in the long run. But when it presents itself, it’s appealing. In the Garden of Eden, Eve “saw that the [fruit of] the tree was good for” some things (see Genesis 3:6). We have to fight against those things.
Paul writes, “Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called” (1 Timothy 6:12). Now let’s be clear: Paul does not say we’re to fight to earn eternal life. He says fight the good fight of faith. Then, there’s a complete stop—that idea is over. And then he asks the question, What does that look like to fight the good fight of faith? It looks like holding on to the good. It looks like taking hold of the eternal life to which we were called. That’s an aspect of fighting.
Paul does not say we’re to fight to earn eternal life. … We’re to fight the good fight of faith … holding on to the good.
Remember, there are things to run away from, there are things to run toward, and there are things that, once they are obtained, we should fight to keep. Be careful. We’re not to fight to remain moral so we can stay saved. Paul is not saying fight, so you can keep eternal life. This expression “take hold” is much like the off-quoted carpe diem (“seize the day”). It’s the language of fulfilling your purpose. We need to remember that eternal life is more than a future promise tied to a place (heaven). It’s a quality of life to be experienced in the present.
If you’re a believer, you are called to an abundant life. Take hold of that life. Fight to hold on to it.
The last observation on how we seek faith by fighting is that we’re to fight together. We’re not to fight against one another but alongside each other.
We’re not to fight against one another but alongside each other.
Paul reminds Timothy not only of his confession, but also of his commitment in the presence of others:
… you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. (1 Timothy 6:12b).
We’re to fight next to one another as believers, to remind one another of our common confession.
Conclusion: Hold On to the Good
What a close Paul has to this first letter to Timothy—you almost hear his heart in his words:
O Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you, avoiding worldly and empty chatter and the opposing arguments of what is falsely called “knowledge”—which some have professed and thus gone astray from the faith. Grace be with you. (1 Timothy 6:20–21)
And grace be with you to seek faith. Flee. Pursue. Fight. And whatever you do, do not get the objects confused. Do not confuse what you are to flee from with what you are to pursue. Don’t flee simply because you’re not comfortable. We’re not called simply to flee discomfort. Don’t get caught up in childish passions, pursuing the things that you want and make you feel good, the things that keep you comfortable in your station. We are to pursue faith.
The Bible calls faith a shield (cf. Ephesians 6:16). And we need a shield of faith because we are in a spiritual war. And that’s why the Scriptures instruct us to fight. To hold on to that which is good. Do not hold on to the world. Let the world slip through your fingers. Because whether you know it or not, it is slipping through your fingers anyway. Instead, hold on to the good. Hold on to your calling. Hold on to the gospel of Christ and what it has enabled you to do. Hold on to it tightly this year, and for the rest of your lives.