... endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ' (2 Tim. 2:1-3).

A crown is in view and reigning with Christ (2:4-12).

This recurs in

chapter 4, where Paul speaking of himself says:

`I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the

faith: henceforth there is laid up for me a crown' (2 Tim. 4:7,8).

Yet further, it is in the parallel epistle of the Prize, namely

Philippians, that Paul calls Epaphroditus a `fellowsoldier'.  We feel therefore,

with these passages before us, that every believer is not necessarily numbered

among the ranks of those able to go forth to war.

There are three things, which either separately or together, make for

No armour, or armour that is untrustworthy.

A consciousness that the fight is unrighteous.

An ignorance of the object of the fight.

Blessed be God, the first two things are assured by the Word.  The third

is more directly connected with the believer.  Let us ask ourselves as before

God, What should we be fighting for?  How many of us can give a consistent,

Scriptural answer?  Is our inheritance in jeopardy?  Can we lose our membership

in the One Body?  Neither of these possessions can be lost.  What then can we

gain or lose?  The answer is, a crown and a prize.

Immediately following 2 Timothy 2 which speaks of the soldier, are the

`If a man also strive for masteries, yet is he not crowned, except he

strive lawfully' (2 Tim. 2:5).

Immediately following Paul's personal declaration, `I have fought a good

fight,' are the words, `Henceforth a crown'.

`Let no man beguile you of your reward' (Col. 2:18).

Satan cannot rob you of your calling, but he may rob you of your crown.

This fact enables us to appreciate better the reference in Numbers 14, for those

who perished in the wilderness were not types of the unsaved, but of those who,

being saved, did not go on unto perfection (Heb. 3 and 4).

The words of Ephesians 6:13 `having done all', are a translation of

katergazomai, elsewhere translated `to work out' (Phil. 2:12 and 2 Cor. 4:17).

The structure of the epistle as a whole compels us to translate the word

accurately.  It is the `working out' of the mighty power that was `wrought in'

Christ; the only possible power that can counter the `in working' of the prince

of the power of the air (Eph. 2:2).

Another important fact is that no military terms are used in Ephesians 6,

so far as the conflict is concerned.  We are exhorted to `stand', to `withstand'

and to `wrestle'.  Even apart from inspiration, no one of Paul's calibre would

speak of wrestling in armour without previously explaining the armour in such a

way as to avoid incongruity.  It is common knowledge that the Greeks wrestled