Do you see yourself as a soldier in the Lord’s army? The old hymn calls Christian soldiers “onward, marching as to war” and allowing the “cross of Jesus” to be carried “before” us as our banner of identification. That hymn was composed in 1865, and the image of marching into war was keenly understood in that day. 

When Paul wrote his final letter to his protégé, Timothy, he was likely writing from the Mamertine Prison in Rome. Paul had been arrested, had pleaded for the right to be tried in Rome, and was taken to that city and placed under house arrest. He wrote what we call the “Prison Epistles” at that time. But most believe Paul was released from house arrest and freed to do a fourth and final missionary journey, likely in the region of Spain.

Later, Paul would be arrested again, and this time he was sentenced to the Mamertine prison. When Paul was placed there, he knew that, apart from a miracle of the Lord, he was facing death. Paul’s circumstances make his second letter to Timothy a poignant reminder that, for those who serve Christ, sharing the gospel is “marching into war.”

We hear the phrase “culture wars” used fairly often today. American culture often seems to be divided down the middle, with both sides believing they are completely right and that makes the other side completely wrong. If opinion is our only concept of truth, our culture wars will always continue.

Paul gave Timothy some advice that every Christian should consider theirs as well. Paul said, “No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him.” In other words, we know who our commanding officer is and always will be. We are to serve Christ on all sides of the culture wars. As the old hymn states, we are to follow Christ and carry his gospel message into war.

Do we see ourselves as soldiers with Christ as our commanding officer? Do we follow our “orders,” or do we pick and choose which orders we would like to follow?

Our only wise choice in our culture today is to remember Whom we are called to please. The Lord Jesus “enlisted” you when he gave you his Holy Spirit. Now, we are called to be his soldiers, carrying his message of the cross to everyone. The great hymn ends with the words, “This thro’ countless ages men and angels sing.” 

Wisdom is pleasing God. Times have changed, but the wisdom of God is eternal. His wisdom is the banner we should carry into the culture wars today.