“Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.” 1 Timothies 6:12
As believers, we are called to be a part of a race in this life. We have been saved by grace and we must respond to that with faith. The Word of God says, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith…” (Ephesians 2:8). It is clear that there are two elements involved in our salvation: grace and faith. Grace is God’s part and faith is our part, and it is a form of our response to the grace God has given us.
Apostle Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 4:7 “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” The word “kept” originated from the Greek word tēreō, which means: to keep from losing and to guard properly with caution. Apostle Paul never pushed aside faith and emphasized grace alone.
A Guide to Abundant Life Bible that is put together by Professor French Arrington, Ph.D gives three explanations about keeping the faith. First, Paul sees the Christian life as a battle. He fights against: the devil (2 Corinthians 12:7; Ephesians 6:12), the wickedness of the Jews and nonbelievers (2 Timothy 3:1-5; Romans 1:21-32), the immorality in the church and false prophets (Acts 20:28-31; Galatians 1:6-12), worldliness (Romans 12:2; 2 Corinthians 10:5) and sin (Romans 6:1-23; 1 Corinthians 9:24-27).
Second, Paul has finished the good fight. In the midst of tests and trials, he stayed faithful in his Lord and Savior throughout his life (2 Timothy 4:7; Hebrews 10:23). Third, Paul has kept the faith. When he faced great trials and difficulties, and was in great despair (when he was attacked by false prophets and was left behind by a good friend), Paul held fast onto his faith (2 Timothy 1:13-14, 2 Timothy 2:2).
These three things are what Apostle Paul did in keeping his faith. Keeping our faith is a fight. That is why there are many attacks toward our faith, among them are: the devil, false prophets, lawlessness, deceivers, worldliness and sin. Therefore, let us not stop in fighting and keeping our faith. Keep moving forward and finish our race of faith well. God bless.
Article taken from GBI Gatot Subroto, Jakarta