We Few, We Happy Few

We few, we happy few, we band of brother;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne’er so vile
This day shall gentle his condition:
And gentlemen in England, now a-bed
Shall think themselves accurs’d they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin’s day.
-- Henry V 4.3.65-72

I love this passage from Henry V. There's something in it that stirs your soul -- honor, nobility, brotherhood, redemption. Like these men, you want to be shoulder to shoulder with your king. You want to be in the thick of the battle with him and hear him say, "For he to-day that sheds his blood with me / Shall be my brother." It's the kind of call you long to respond to.

In the same way, Christ calls us. For to be a Christian is to be at war. Don't misunderstand me -- I don't mean we ought to be fighting against drunkards, adulterers, homosexuals, murderers, thieves, and idolaters. In fact, we ought to be fighting for them as we fight against the powers/spirits of this world. Because these people are who we were. And while we were them, Jesus died for us. Jesus died for them.

"Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand" (Eph. 6.13, NKJV).