Where the Battle Rages

by

Charlie Rodriguez

     The leader of the Protestant Reformation, Martin Luther, once wrote:"If I profess with the loudest voice and the clearest exposition every portion of the truth of God except precisely that little point which the world and the devil are at the moment attacking, I am not confessing Christ, however boldly I maybe professing Christ. Where the battle rages, there the loyalty of the soldier is proved; and to be steady on all the battle field besides, is mere flight and disgrace if he flinches at that point."

     To profess something is to take a particular viewpoint. To confess something is to give evidence of something you believe in, which is quite different. Luther understood this difference, and perhaps was influenced by Matthew, the gospel writer of the first book of the New Testament, who wrote about those saints who are forcefully laying hold of God's forcefully advancing kingdom in Matthew 11. Since all of Scripture is God-breathed, what must we understand from this chapter?

     First, we must understand that the kingdom of Satan--and it is a kingdom--is not forcefully advancing. It may appear to be, but it is not. Luther wrote in his famous hymn, A Mighty Fortress, that "one little word shall fell him," Who is Luther referring to? Why the Devil himself. And what "little word" shall stop the work of Satan? Why it is Christ himself. When we encounter the work of Satan, and then call upon the name of Christ, the work of Satan will stop. My friends, evil does exist. Never forget that. Evil is also territorial. It does not have absolute control or power. But evil, nevertheless, is powerful--mighty powerful; but not more powerful than God who has absolute power and control. 

     Second, we must understand from Matthew's gospel that it is only the Kingdom of God which is forcefully advancing, and forceful people are laying hold of it. This most certainly applies to salvation, but it is equally applicable--in the words of Martin Luther--to the raging battles in every age which, for good or evil, shape our culture. The question for us today, and for Luther in his day, is where we stand on these issues which are raging in our culture: are we standing with God or are we standing with the opposition? For Luther it was: "Here I stand, I can do no other."  But Luther wasn't alone in his stance. He had the whole Old and New Testament, the very word of God, to stand on. Other commentators, as well as Luther, have also written on this subject matter. Just listen to their voices:

     "It takes men and women who have great endeavor, energy and exertion to do God's will. These people, Jesus says, are taking possession of the forcefully advancing kingdom of God and they are doing it with spiritual force. It takes vigorous men and women who are eager to fight and conquer, to overcome Satan and to take possession of the kingdom and to receive all the blessings of Salvation. The Kingdom of God is not for weaklings, waverers, or compromisers. It is not a kingdom for the Balaams or Rich Young Rulers or the Pilates of this world. It is not won by deferred prayers, unfulfilled promises, broken resolutions, and hesitant testimonies."

     No, the Kingdom of God is for strong men and women like: Joseph, who triumphed over the evil plans of his brothers; and Nathan, who rebuked the King of Israel for his adultery and murder; and Elijah, who confronted the prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmel; and Daniel and his friends, who showed extraordinary bravery and faith in captivity; and Mordecai, who did not fear the wicked Haman; and Peter and Stephen, who feared God more than man; and Paul, who gave us theological understanding and a passion for serving Christ; and Ruth, who showed us that the most important thing in life is to follow and serve God; and Esther, who feared God and saved her people from Haman's plot; and Lydia, whose home became the first church in Phillipi.

     Like these strong believers, we too must be strong and lay hold of God's kingdom, especially in the church, the home, and society; for "where the battle rages, there the loyalty of the soldier is proved." The battle rages today over abortion, over the sanctity of marriage, and over the creation of life in order to destroy it and harvest human parts. Yes, there are other moral and ethical issues, but these are the worst, these are national sins sanctioned, or about to be sanctioned, by our government. In another day in our nation the battle raged over the sin of slavery and of segregation. Will you be a loyal soldier in this battle? Like Luther, do you understand the importance of the raging battles of the day? Will you speak out against these national sins through your vote; in your preaching, teaching, parenting and any other God-ordained means? Pundits on both sides are still analyzing the presidential election of 2004. Europeans do not know what to make of it. Through the eyes of Scripture, though,  it is quite obvious what happened: God's people in America prayed and then they  took action. Let us not stop with the election of 2004 in our fight against our national sins of abortion, gay marriage, and the creation of human life in order to destroy this life and and harvest its parts. This is where the battle rages.