Sabine Baring-Gould has been described as an “eclectic scholar.” He was a minister, historian, amateur archeologist, and even song-writer.
He was one of the first to excavate and write about some of the ancient burial mounds in England.
His grandson William Baring-Gould wrote a “biography” of the fictional character Sherlock Holmes. I read it years ago and had to keep reminding myself, “this isn’t real.” Though his book was fiction, William claimed his grandfather was Sherlock’s godfather.
I’m mentioning this rather colorful character because in 1864 Sabine Baring-Gould wrote a song as a processional hymn for the children in his parish in Yorkshire. You know it as “Onward Christian Soldiers.” In the 1871, Arthur Sullivan (of Gilbert and Sullivan fame) wrote a new tune for it and that’s how we know it.
For over a century, many Sunday school children have learned the words:
Onward Christian soldiers,
Marching as to war,
With the cross of Jesus
Going on before!
Christ, the royal Master,
Leads against the foe;
Forward into battle,
See His banner go![1]
That old hymn has fallen on hard times. There’s a different attitude in the church today. Just a few years ago, in the UK there was an effort to have the hymn banned. If they had their way, the hymn couldn’t be played or sung in public. It was, the critics claimed, too militant. Some American denominations have taken it from their hymnals.
The hymn’s defenders point out that the military images are metaphors but concede that the forces of political correctness might not get that. Apparently the hymn hasn’t been officially banned in the UK although a few vicars have forbidden its use in their parishes. And the Constitution would probably get in the way of its being banned here. Of course, Americans being Americans, banning it might mean some congregations would make a point of singing it every Sunday.
All the fuss over a hymn written in the mid-nineteenth century shouldn’t keep us from realizing that the picture of Christians as soldiers goes all the way back to the New Testament.
Christians are pictured as soldiers in several places in the New Testament.
Paul encouraged Timothy to live a life of discipline, sacrifice, and purpose, like that of a faithful soldier.“Share in suffering like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving in the army gets entangled in everyday affairs; the soldier’s aim is to please the enlisting officer.” [2] The level of commitment expected of the Roman soldier was exacting. The soldier’s term of service was usually twenty years, during which time he was not allowed to marry. Of course, Christian service does not demand celibacy but Paul—who may have been facing death—wanted Timothy to continue the commitment he had already displayed.
He saw his co-worker Epaphroditus as a “… fellow soldier.”[3] We can imagine Paul the prisoner looking at the Roman soldiers standing guard over him and thinking, “Epaphroditus and I are very much like these soldiers. We risk our lives to carry out our mission.” They had fought together in the trenches; Paul understood they were engaged in a common battle.
The lengthiest picture of Christians as soldiers is this passage in Ephesians 6:10-17. Let’s review what Paul has to say. [Please note, this sermon was previously posted with a different title in 2012; I have reposted it here for the sake of continuity.]
As Christian soldiers we need to know our enemy.
Paul takes a moment to make sure we understand who the enemy isn’t. Our warfare isn’t against those men and women who may oppose us. We forget this from time to time. This is why, when we speak of Christian soldiers, some think of the Crusaders or that strange band of soldier-monks the Knights Templar.
Even though Paul expressly states our warfare is not against “flesh and blood” it is still easy to imagine that those who oppose us or disagree with us are God’s enemies. That thinking is not only arrogant it is counter-productive. Treating those who may disagree with us as enemies forecloses any opportunity to win them over, to persuade them to our viewpoint.
More important, casting our opponents as God’s enemies may prompt us to act in ways that will belie our claim to be like the Master.
What does this mean practically?
I don’t think the Christian soldier would bomb an abortion clinic or shoot an abortion provider. These are actions of those who have forgotten the power of God’s love.
Of course, you don’t have to plant bombs at Planned Parenthood to be suffering from such amnesia. It seems we are so intent of making abortion illegal we forget that through the gospel we have the opportunity to make it unthinkable.
Don’t misunderstand. Just because the illustrations I’ve just used seem to focus on what might be perceived as ultra-right wing behaviors, it doesn’t mean the Christian soldier who is on the left of the political spectrum is free to forget Jesus’ example. That Christian soldier should stand ready to chide that candidate who mocks things held precious to fellow believers. That Christian soldier should be guided by a code higher than the canons of political correctness.
Ultimately, the problem is not just on one side.
Here in the US elections have become volatile. Our elections have always been lively but recently your morality, decency, and compassion have been judged by how you vote. The left demonizes the right; the right demonizes the left. It’s true the left and the right are sharply divided over crucial issues, divided in ways Democrats and Republicans have never before been divided in history, but a new element has been introduced. I no longer see my candidate as right and your candidate as mistaken; I see your candidate as evil and my candidate as messianic.
All of this makes us confused about who the enemy is.
Paul helps clear up that confusion when he says, “We wrestle…against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” He helps but maybe doesn’t completely clear it up.
Good Christians disagree about what he is saying. Certainly, Paul seems to be suggesting that there are sinister forces at work in the world. Some commentators believe Paul is talking about demons and have sometimes written books on the hierarchies of these hoards from hell, others believe he is talking about political and economic forces in the world and have sometimes used this to justify revolutions. There is an element of truth at the core of both perspectives. Paul seems to be saying Christian soldiers face powerful evil forces that have influence over every aspect of human experience. As a consequence, the Christian soldier knows that much evil in the world can only be explained by pointing to a malevolent being that is more than human, has his own spiritual forces at his command but doesn’t hesitate to use humans in his work.
Don’t let me lose you here. When Paul mentions “the devil’s schemes” it’s clear he is talking about Satan. Before you relegate such ideas to the pre-modern world, remember Verbal’s words in The Usual Suspects, “The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist.”
When the Bible speaks of Satan, it doesn’t speak of a being with horns and a pitchfork. It pictures a “master strategist” who uses fear, hate, pride, disunity, and ambition to trip-up men and women. Often his schemes involve twisting the good into something evil. His schemes are subtle and crafty.
A pastor once slipped into the sanctuary to pray. Not long afterwards, the music director stepped into the sanctuary and heard the pastor pray, “O Lord, I know I am nothing.” He prayed like this for a while and inspired the music director to join him and he began to pray, “Lord, I know I am nothing.” This went on until the janitor came into the sanctuary to clean and he heard both men continuing to tell the Lord they were nothing. Moved by their humility he joined them and prayed, “Lord, I know I am nothing.” At this point, the music director whispered to the pastor, “Now, look who thinks he’s nothing.”
This enemy can be very effective.
As Christian soldiers we need the resources God has made available to us.
Several times in recent years, we’ve heard reports that our troops in war zones have not had proper body armor. Because of this lives were lost. Let’s hope that is never again true.
Paul calls on us to “put on the full armor of God.” The phrase is repeated to underscore its importance. The word “panoplia” is the source of the English word “panoply” which refers to “a complete set of arms or suit of armor.”
Paul wanted his readers to know the armor of God protects in whatever way we need protection.
* We can testify to the effectiveness of the breastplate. It protects the heart. We need such protection because the battlefield is a place of temptation. The righteousness that protects in this battle is not seen simply in what we do, it is part of who we are. Not only are we to do right, we are to be right. This righteousness is ours through Christ.
* We can testify to the effectiveness of the boots which give sure footing. The Roman boot had heavy, studded soles. It gave mobility yet prevented the foot from sliding on the battlefield’s rough terrain. This is a multifaceted image. In linking the boots to the “gospel of peace,” Paul is telling us that we can have a peace that allows us to face the most terrifying battles. At the same time, remember the Greek words translated “the devil” means “the Accuser” and the Revelation calls him “the accuser of the Christians,” a reminder that he constantly wants to undermine our confidence. The gospel allows us to negate his charges. Finally, at peace in their own hearts, those “boots” allow the Christian soldier to carry that message of peace to the wider world.
* We can testify to the effectiveness of the shield that protects from the enemy’s assault. The Roman shield could protect an individual and used to create a solid wall when standing with others. The Christian warrior has a shield to extinguish the flaming arrows of the enemy, keeping those arrows from spreading wildfires of doubt, depression, dread, and despair. That shield is our faith.
* We can testify to the effectiveness of “the belt of truth.” The heavy belt worn by the Roman soldier held all his body armor together. Paul’s idea seems to be that it guards our integrity. If we claim to serve the Lord but live without integrity we won’t be very effective Christian soldiers.
* We can testify to the effectiveness of the helmet. Paul may be thinking of the need for a sense of security in the midst of battle. We have that in the full salvation Christ provides.
Until this point, we’ve been talking about protective armor. But Paul also mentions a weapon for the Christian soldier.
As Christian soldiers we need an effective weapon.
The Roman soldier carried other weapons but Paul mentions only one weapon for the Christian soldier. It is “the Sword of the Spirit which is the word of God.” The term he uses refers to the short, two-edged, cut and thrust sword used in close combat. Some of the imagery can be found in Hebrews.
For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow….
Generally we equate “the Sword of the Spirit” with the Bible. I think that’s appropriate. Wherever the church has been truest to the Bible it has been most effective in transforming society. The Bible allows us to show light to the misled, offer hope to the despairing, present salvation to the unbeliever, and reveal Christ to the curious.
Still, I think we might be able to offer a broader meaning to the phrase “word of God.” Without granting any of these things the authority of the Bible, I think the “word of God” can be conveyed through the preaching of the church, the singing of the congregation, an evangelistic letter from a shut-in believer, and the verbal witness of the individual Christian.
The passage from Revelation I mentioned earlier seems to underscore the power of the church’s witness. John depicts Satan being cast from heaven. The account explains.
This victory is linked to the death of Christ—the Lamb—who died for our sins. When the Christian soldier testifies to this truth, the accuser is silenced.
As Christian soldiers we need to know we do not enter the battle alone.
In Baring-Gould’s song there is a great line that says, “We are not divided, all one body we, one in hope and doctrine, one in charity.” Who was he kidding? What church was he talking about?
At the time he wrote, the English church was divided between the established church and the free churches, the evangelicals and the Anglo-Catholics, and the evangelicals were divided between the Calvinists and the Arminians. “Not divided,” indeed.
One of the saddest realities of church history is that Christian soldiers have long had a tendency to fight in the barracks. We readily wound each other before we ever set foot onto the real battlefield. It’s time we discovered where agree and stress our common ground, while learning how to disagree christianly.
If we do not, we cheat ourselves of fellowship and support from our larger Christian family. The Lord’s Supper testifies to this larger fellowship, one that transcends our differences.
Note that Paul uses the word “We” when he speaks of our involvement in the spiritual battle. All around us are fellow Christian soldiers—in the work place, at school, in the neighborhood. All across the world there are Christians engaged in the battle: In North Korea where Christians are fearful of the future, in the inner cities where storefront churches try to counter the impact of poverty, crime, and anger, on the campus where naturalism rules and short-circuits the call to consider God’s claims, in the suburbs where materialism makes us think having it all is all there is.
Wherever Christian soldiers strive, the war is one war. World War II was fought in several theaters, but it was one war. Paul is calling Christian soldiers to engage in this one war and to know we do not fight alone.
Nor is our Commander remote. This passage begins “be strong in the Lord.” The Revised English Bible renders it this way “find your strength in the Lord.” That’s only possible as we stay near him. When we Christian soldiers struggle against temptation, injustice, indifference, doubt, impiety, materialism, racism or anything else that would impede God’s Kingdom our Commander is with us.
Conclusion
In the mid-seventeenth century William Gurnall wrote a two volume study of this passage. I haven’t touched on all he talked about.
But I’ve been successful if you go away appreciating your identity as a Christian soldier. My purpose has not been to instill you with Christian jingoism that causes you to run roughshod over those who do not share your faith.
I want you to know that you stand in a long tradition of men and women who have found an eternal purpose.
[1] Logos Hymnal. 1995 (1st edition.). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
[2] The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version. 1989 (2 Ti 2:3–4). Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers.
[3] The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version. 1989 (Php 2:25). Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers.
