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"Every male from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war"
(Numb. 1: 20, &100:).
"Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the
devil" (I Tim. 3: 6).
Every believer is not necessarily ready to don the armour and take up the sword, any
more than he is necessarily fit to preach or to teach simply because he is a believer.
Instead of this indiscriminate use of the title "soldier", it will be found that the apostle
Paul uses it with great reserve. So also must we if we would be true and well-pleasing to
the Lord. Archippus, and Epaphroditus are honoured with the title "fellow-soldier"
(Philemon 2 and Phil. 1: 25), and from the description given of Epaphroditus we can
gather somewhat of the spiritual maturity that attaches to the title. Yet is it not common,
to meet enthusiastic men and women using the most advanced military phraseology, and
speaking about warfare, victory, &100:, who are the veriest babes in Christian doctrine?
In II Tim. 2: 4 the apostle speaks of some essential characteristics of the soldier of
Christ.
"No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life: that he may
please Him Who hath chosen him to be a soldier" (II Tim. 2: 4).
The word translated "life" in this verse is bios, and means "livelihood" rather than
"life".
"All her living" (Mark 12: 44).
"Spent all her living" (Luke 8: 43).
"Divided unto them his living" (Luke 15: 12).
"The pride of life" (I John 2: 16).
"This world's good" (I John 3: 17).
Here is a prime qualification for the good soldier of Jesus Christ. Not a word about
fighting can be found in the context, except it be the prohibition in II Tim. 2: 24, "The
servant of the Lord must not strive".
It will be found that the apostle is only applying to the soldier of Christ the principles
which regulated the conduct of the soldier in Israel. In Deut. 20: are defined the rules
which were to be observed by Israel in time of battle. The officers were to exempt from
combatant service the man who had not yet dedicated a newly-built house; or had not yet
eaten of a newly-planted vineyard, or had not yet taken to himself a betrothed wife. The
second ground of exemption is to be understood in the light of Lev. 19: 23, 24, where
the fruit tree was considered "uncircumcised" until three years had passed.
The foregoing three grounds of exemption have their spiritual counterpart to-day. The
"soldier" aspect of the teaching of Eph. 6: is reserved for the "Finally" of verse 10,
even as the soldier of Israel must have attained to 20 years of age. No man who has not
"dedicated" his house as Eph. 5: 22 - 6: 9 indicates can hope to overcome in the contest
of the faith. No man whose fruit is not definitely the product of the resurrection ("three
years shall it be as uncircumcised") can stand in this conflict. So in Ephesians, before