Serving Our True Commanding Officer

Do the Church and the military have anything in common? Of course they do! The Bible uses military metaphors in several places, like the Book of Psalms. Paul described his brothers and sisters in Christ as “fellow soldiers” (Philippians 2:25, Philemon 1:2), and wrote to Timothy: “Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer” (2 Timothy 2:3-4). In the well-known verses found in Ephesians 6:10-17, Paul reminded Christians to put on the “full armor of God” to fight the darkest powers of evil in every realm.

We also have Christian hymns and songs that sing of “marching onward” and “His truth is marching on.”

Moreover, in both the military and the Church, men and women are called to serve with others from all different walks of life. And following in the examples of their commanding officer and many others who have gone before, they are willing to lay down their lives for the good of all.

Consider these words from a Marine chaplain at a funeral service for several soldiers after the Battle of Iwo Jima: “Here lie officers and men, blacks and whites, rich and poor . . . together. Here no man prefers another because of his faith or despises him because of his color. Here there are no quotas of how many from each group are admitted or allowed. Among these men, there is no discrimination. No prejudices. No hatred. Theirs is the highest and purest democracy.”

If this is possible among battalions of soldiers serving their country, it should be even more true in the Body of Christ as we are called to serve shoulder to shoulder for the glory of Christ’s Kingdom. On this Veterans Day weekend, may we give thanks for the many who have served and fought for our freedom, and as God’s people may we do our very best in all things to live worthy of our true Commanding Officer!