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The Gospel and Militance

by Richard J. Boone

Edward Gibbon, in his classic work The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, discussed several reasons why the Roman Empire fell. One of them was the increased laxity in the discipline and training of the army: "It is the just and important observation of Vegetius that the infantry was invariably covered with defensive armor, from the foundation of the city to the reign of the emperor Gratian. The relaxation of discipline and the disuse of the exercise rendered the soldiers less able, and less willing, to support the fatigues of service; they complained of the weight of the armor, which they seldom wore: and they successively obtained the permission of laying aside both their cuirasses and their helmets. The heavy weapons of their ancestors, the short sword and the formidable pilum, which had subdued the world, insensibly dropped from their feeble hands….The loss of armies, the destruction of cities, and the dishonor of the Roman name, ineffectually solicited the successors of Gratian to restore the helmets and cuirasses of the infantry. The enervated soldiers abandoned their own, and the public defense; and the pusilanimous indolence may be considered as the immediate downfall of the empire" (III:271-272). 

In short, the military lost its militance! Several applications could be made of this principle of relaxation of efforts. Among them would be national, local, family and personal lessons. However, I want to focus solely on spiritual applications, especially in light of our times. 

The Christian - A Soldier In Battle

Of all passages which so speak of the Christian, Ephesians 6:10-20 is the most familiar and complete. Ours is not a physical battle, but it is a battle nonetheless. In this battle we wrestle "against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places" (v. 12). Therefore we must stand, arrayed in "the whole armor of God" (v. 13). 

This armor, though powerful, is not carnal (2 Cor. 10:3-5). It is, by nature, two-fold: (1) defensive - breastplate of righteousness, shield of faith, helmet of salvation, and prayer and supplications (requests to God for one's own needs); and (2) offensive - feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace, sword of the Spirit, boldness in making known the mystery of God. Is this just equipment to have just for the sake of having it, or is there some greater purpose and use for it? 

The purpose for this armor is to proclaim with boldness the gospel, speaking it as we ought to speak (vv. 19-20). God has not provided the armor and the charge for vanity's sake; it is a responsibility of every member to take on the challenge and don the armor (Acts 8:4)! 

Militance: Key To Growth

Before proceeding, it is helpful to define this term as I am using it. One definition suggests fighting and being combative. This leaves an impression of contentiousness; this is not what we seek. Another aspect of militance includes aggressive action, especially for a cause in which one believes. This is what I speak of here - being aggressive in our work in preaching and teaching the gospel. This has been a factor in every era in which God's cause among men has grown, whether we refer to defending God's cause among those who are His people, or in persuading those who are not God's children to become so. 

Some of the greatest, most admired characters of the Old Testament evidenced great militance in their lives. Who could deny that about Elijah in his challenge and chastisement of the prophets of Baal (1 Kgs. 18:17-40)? This began with his plain-spoken rebuke of and challenge to Ahab (1 Kgs. 18:17-18). Similarly, Ezra the priest met the challenges of his day, regardless of the source from whence they came - from the heathens (Ezra 4:1-6) or among God's people (Ezra 4:24; Ezra 5:1-2; Ezra 6:14-15). 

As we turn attention to the New Testament, John the Baptist captures our attention as he proclaimed the coming kingdom and repentance to all classes of the people (Lk. 3:1-20). Jesus was militant, especially as He recognized the need of the spiritually sick to be healed (Mt. 9:12). That was the driving force of His life. The apostles militantly followed his lead, which is why the kingdom spread so far, so fast in the first century (Acts 2:40-41; Acts 4:4; Acts 5:28,42; Acts 6:7; Acts 8:4; Acts 11:19-20; Acts 17:2-3,6,16; Acts 18:9-10; 2 Tim. 4:2; etc.). 

The greatest periods of expansion in the Restoration Movement have been those times when militance for truth and the lost was great. The early years of this movement in our country - 1800-1840 - saw an explosion of those who committed themselves to the Scriptures only. From 1930-1965, religious historians recognized churches of Christ as one of the fastest growing religious bodies in this country. Why? There was a passion for spreading the truth to edify the weak and reach the lost? The question we must answer about ourselves is whether we have that passion now, or are we content just to, as is frequently said, "keep house for the Lord." 

Recovering Militance

The fact that I mention recovering militance implies it has been lost. I don't suggest that every Christian in every place has, but it must be admitted that in many places among many Christians, the fervor for the gospel to have free course (2 Thes. 3:1) has waned from past times. As our society has become more politically correct, we have become more spiritually relaxed. Our society has gotten to the point now, it seems, that the only ones who are religiously militant are those who stand against those who are militantly religious. What can we do to change that? I offer four suggestions. 

First, we must regain a clear view of the majesty, authority, mercy and severity of God. This key is found in every Bible example of acceptable militance, and has been present in every period of proper growth in post- apostolic times. 

Second, we must have an unwavering commitment to proclaim and uphold all truth. No one would deny this, but in practice we fail. Many times, it is the truth only on basics or less controversial subjects, or in certain methods, or by certain people. Such approaches have never produced real growth! Only when we spread all of the truth as far and wide as possible will "the growth that is from God" (Col. 2:19) occur. 

Third, we must maintain/recover sincere love for the spiritual well-being of people. It matters little if they are of the same race, social status and background we are. What is important is, "What about their soul?" Of equal importance, in light of our responsibilities in spreading the gospel, is "What about my soul?" if we are not as active as we should be! 

Finally, we must disregard any temporal consequences of believing, practicing and preaching truth. We are not the first, nor will we be the last, to face them. We must care less and less about consequences, and more and more about opportunities and souls. 

It is not until all of these are present that we will be as militant about the gospel and spiritual matters as we ought to be. Without these no sustained efforts or results will occur. One reason the Roman Empire fell was its laxity in training, discipline and work. It lost its militance. For the same reasons, churches today don't grow as they can/should. As a result, they die on the vine. Such realities bring us face to face with this question: Are we militant about the gospel, the power of God to save all men (Rom. 1:16)? Think about it. 

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