The Training Routine of a Christian Soldier!

2 Timothy 2:1-4 (NAS95)

The Scripture lesson for today and the theme verse for the 2022 sermon series is found in 2 Timothy 2:1-4:

You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier.

In the first two weeks, I covered the first two verses of this passage to learn how we are called to grow strong in the grace of God and how we are to live with a missional focus as good soldiers of Christ Jesus. These are the first two of four messages that lay a firm foundation for our study of the book of Proverbs. Today, I continue by examining the third verse of our theme passage: “Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.”

We are invited to learn how to train ourselves, according to God’s wisdom, to grow strong in God’s grace so that we can live on mission for God and not be distracted by that which is not God’s priority for our lives. While every book of the Bible can be used in a soldier’s training routine, I have chosen to focus upon the Old Testament book of Proverbs because of its direct approach to laying out the wisdom of God. Proverbs, like an Army field manual, unapologetically seeks to command you to align your thoughts and actions with the Commander’s (God’s) directives. Sid Buzzell explains this overall purpose of Proverbs in The Bible Knowledge Commentary:

Of the several words for wisdom and related synonyms used in Proverbs, the primary and most frequent one is ḥokmâḥ. It occurs 45 times in Proverbs. In the Old Testament ḥokmâh is used of the skill of craftsmen, sailors, singers, mourners, administrators, and counselors. These workers and others, being knowledgeable, experienced, and efficient in their areas of expertise, were considered skillful; they were therefore “wise.” Similarly in the spiritual realm a person who possesses ḥokmâh in reference to God is one who is both knowledgeable and experienced in following God’s way. So in the Bible’s Wisdom literature being wise means being skilled in godly living. Having God’s wisdom means having the ability to cope with life in a God-honoring way. … To be wise in the biblical sense one must begin with a proper relationship to God. To fear the Lord means to respect Him for who He is and to respond to Him in trust, worship, obedience, and service. If God is not honored and His Word not followed, then wisdom, as the Hebrew sages defined it, can never be attained. The purpose of the Book of Proverbs then, is to develop in others, especially the young, a wise, skillful approach to living, which begins with being properly related to the Lord.^[1]

Just like with athletes who must learn the team playbook, soldiers must commit themselves to learning their field manuals. For example, as an infantryman, we had to learn FM 7-8, which covers all the basic doctrine around how to make decisive actions as a member of an infantry squad and platoon. It teaches you what are called battle drills. Army doctrine teaches that battle drills “are the ‘fundamentals’ that must be constantly rehearsed until they are second nature for all Soldiers.”[2]

What are the fundamentals of living a godly life that must be constantly rehearsed so that they are second nature and will be thought and lived decisively regardless of the stress or circumstance? That is the emphasis of our 2022 study of Proverbs – to learn God’s battle drills and train these fundamentals of the faith into our lives so that living on mission is second nature to us as good soldiers of Christ Jesus.

Furthermore, Army doctrine teaches that a “battle drill is a collective action executed by a platoon or smaller element without the application of a deliberate decision-making process.”[3] In other words, the action of both the individual soldier and his or her fellow soldiers must be vigorously trained into every soldier as a collective unit until they know it in their bones. Therefore, both the unit and each soldier must commit to the following training routine:

1) Know the manual.

2) Train together as one unit.

3) Seek the commander’s approval.

4) Live on mission.

Soldiers must participate in a strenuous battle drill training routine so that this all happens without a deliberate decision-making process – it must be trained so that it is a habit of grace! In other words, there are some things that just don’t require a committee meeting or congregational vote: We do these things because the Bible, our manual, commands us and we train them into our lives, our family’s lives, and into our church’s life so that we do what we know we are supposed to do, as individuals and as a unit, every time, regardless of the circumstances. We don’t need to second-guess the manual; we are to live according to the wisdom of God!

“SUFFER HARDSHIP WITH ME”

Just as Paul said in 2 Timothy 2:3, “Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.” As every athlete and soldier has learned, to win the victory and accomplish the mission you must be willing to suffer hardship. Training godliness, as we learned in last year’s sermon series, which capitalized on Paul’s athletic imagery, requires a level of suffering that is commonplace in the life of an athlete, just as it is in the life of a soldier. Paul knew this and that is one of the reasons he leveraged this imagery for being a follower of Jesus. The daily reality of the training routine of both an athlete and a soldier are found in 1 Timothy 4:6-10:

In pointing out these things to the brethren, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, constantly nourished on the words of the faith and of the sound doctrine which you have been following. But have nothing to do with worldly fables fit only for old women. On the other hand, discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness; for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. It is a trustworthy statement deserving full acceptance. For it is for this we labor and strive, because we have fixed our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of believers.

We not only see this in the athletic and military imagery of the Bible, but it is also in the familial imagery that is used so often. Listen to how the author of Hebrews teaches us to submit ourselves to the Father’s discipline in Hebrews 12:7-15a:

It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness. All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness. Therefore, strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble, and make straight paths for your feet, so that the limb which is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather be healed. Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God.

The training routine of a good soldier of Christ Jesus, just like the training regimen of an athlete on a championship team, or a child to a parent to be an effective and fruitful adult, requires suffering alongside of those who partake of the training with you. The form of the Greek word used by Paul in 2 Timothy 2:3 is only used in one other location, 2 Timothy 1:8. It means to partake in suffering together with another person. This is essential to realize as we develop the training routine of a good soldier, because Paul was not Rambo or the Lone Ranger, both of which are American icons that mislead adults in our culture from understanding the biblical view of maturity, which requires a cooperative view of life.[4] Learning to train on mission today means doing so with the other members of the unit. Paul explained this to his protégé in 2 Timothy 1:7-14:

For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline. Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me His prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity, but now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle and a teacher. For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day. Retain the standard of sound words which you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. Guard, through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, the treasure which has been entrusted to you.

Suffering hardship is about living according to a set pattern of life, established by God, and entrusted to His people, to be passed on to others who will then pass it on to others (2 Timothy 2:2). It is living according to the mission of God, which is focused on training others to live on mission as God has established for His people of all nations (Matthew 28:18-20). The example of Moses is leveraged to make this point in Hebrews 11:24-26:

By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, considering the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking to the reward.

The reward for faithful living can only be given by God (the Commander); therefore, every soldier must fix their eyes on that one reward: the Commander’s words, “Well done, good and faithful [soldier]” (Matthew 25:23). It is for this reason you have been enlisted. As the leading lexicon of the Greek New Testament, commonly called BDAG, explains about Paul’s usage of the Greek word for “soldier” in 2 Timothy 2:3, “[it is being used figuratively, but with] the major component of allegiance to a commander in the central [meaning] of ‘soldier’ as [its] defining aspect στ. Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ a soldier of Christ Jesus.”^[5]

“AS A GOOD SOLDIER OF CHRIST JESUS.”

It has become clear from our study of this scripture that both the Church of Jesus Christ and the individual members of the body of Christ, like good soldiers of Christ Jesus, must train to live on mission today according to the same training routine of any good soldier:

1) Know the manual – the Bible (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

2) Train together as one unit – we are members of the one body of Christ (Romans 12:4-5).

3) Seek the Commander’s (God’s) approval – Jesus is the Head of His Church (Colossians 1:18-20).

4) Live on mission – the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20).

It is clear from Paul’s words in Philippians 2:19-22 that Timothy successfully committed himself to this training routine, under Paul’s supervision, to the point that Paul could send Timothy out on mission with full confidence:

But I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you shortly, so that I also may be encouraged when I learn of your condition. For I have no one else of kindred spirit who will genuinely be concerned for your welfare. For they all seek after their own interests, not those of Christ Jesus. But you know of his proven worth, that he served with me in the furtherance of the gospel like a child serving his father.

It is important that we commit ourselves to this same task as Paul and Timothy did, and Paul commanded Timothy to carry on, and through that same command, we are instructed to carry on until the Lord returns or we go Home to Him. The author of Hebrews in Hebrews 12:2-3 exhorts us to do live the mission today:

Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, and we are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is complete.

For to this end also I wrote, so that I might put you to the test, whether you are obedient in all things. But one whom you forgive anything, I forgive also; for indeed what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, I did it for your sakes in the presence of Christ, so that no advantage would be taken of us by Satan, for we are not ignorant of his schemes.

Allow me to finish by praying over you Peter’s words from 1 Peter 5:6-11:

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world. After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you. To Him be dominion forever and ever. Amen.

You can listen to Pastor Jerry’s message here:

You can watch the video by clicking HERE.

FOOTNOTES:

[1] Sid S. Buzzell, “Proverbs,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 902.

[2] “The Importance of Battle Drills” by Risk Management Magazine on January 25, 2019. https://www.army.mil/article/216557/the_importance_of_battle_drills (accessed December 16, 2021).

[3] Ibid.

[4] These cultural icons have also fueled a misunderstanding of masculinity in our culture that has led to a discussion on toxic masculinity and misogynist leadership the American church. This is a popular topic of public discourse, especially with the viral success of Christianity Today’s “The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill” podcasts (https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/podcasts/rise-and-fall-of-mars-hill/).

[5] William Arndt et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 948.