All Quiet on the Front

1 Timothy 1:18 ESV

This charge I entrust to you, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies previously made about you, that by them you may wage the good warfare,

Of late, the last couple decades, it has been a brutal and bitter culture war, in these United States. Of late States have started working against each other in this culture war, with the Governor of California even using campaign funds to advertise for abortions. It is a disservice to the war that is being waged when it is referenced as a “culture war” because this is not what it is at its heart. Or maybe it is better said that Christians are not fighting a “culture” war. Christians are at war but not with culture, culture is merely one of the tools that Christians use in THE war. Yes, THE war, because there is only one. Many other wars take place but those are but skirmishes in THE war that has been waged since Adam failed to protect his wife, and then failed to offer himself up for her.

Timothy was charged by his mentor and father in the faith to persist in the war that was set before him. To “wage the good warfare” by holding to the faith with a clean conscience. Paul also warns of those that have gone before Timothy and fallen in the war, noting two, in particular, that made shipwreck of their lives, by their failure to hold the battle line of their faith. This was merely the introduction to the battle plan that Paul wishes to remind Timothy of, listing both the consequence of failure and the plan for attack.

Chapter two begins with “First of all”, moving to some of the particular nature of this war that the Christian becomes aware of when his eyes are open to the reality of Christ’s sacrifice, orders are given. First of all pray. Pray with supplications, intercessions, and thanksgiving. For Kings and those in authority over you. At this point it starts to get hard, or maybe starts to bring my life into question. Why are we to pray for these people? It is the toddler question that always hounds me, “Why”? God faithfully answers this but, as with small children, Christians don’t understand and so skip over that part and run off to do something else. Here God tells us why Christians are to be praying for their leaders and authorities, and it isn’t to win the culture war, even if that is good, nor is it to save any from poverty, even though that is noble and good. What then is the reason given in 1 Timothy 2:2?

“That we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.”

It is hard to live quiet and peaceful lives when marijuana dispensaries are making slaves of children, when grandchildren are in danger as they grow in their mother’s womb, or as children are indoctrinated into the latest social theories. The goal of prayer and of the victory is that Christians can live a peaceful and quiet life, defined as godly and dignified.

When at war you need to know what victory looks like and what failure is. Over the last few decades as THE war has taken shape centered around culture, many do not realize that this is not a war of fronts but of gorilla actions. The enemy has pressed churches and schools into his service early on not by theology or theory but by practicality, pressing activity onto communities. The peace and quiet that was once “coming home”, has given way to another church program, sports game, dance night, … with “too busy” to read my bible, pray, catechize, meditate, or simply rest being hallmarks of the modern family.  

Paul continues by telling us that the “peaceful and quiet life” is “good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God.” We train our children and ourselves to think that value and enjoyment is found in doing, rather than being. The greatest barrage you can fire in this “culture war” might be canceling that activity and living fundamentally different than your neighbor. Living a “peaceful and quiet life” is an act of war against the wickedness of our enemy. Live at war.

Coram Deo