My good friend, The Traveller, sent me an email recently after I solicited him for some help with creating discussion group questions for an upcoming men’s retreat I’m leading on Fighting the Good Fight of Faith. Here’s his response to me:

I am listening to John Piper’s extended sermon series on Romans. I’ve taken in three sermons so far this morning on my headphones (at work) while I crank away on some documentation. Piper has my mind buzzing with scripture, and it’s given me a thought or two.

After reviewing the questions, one thing strikes me as missing. It is probably something that you will automatically include yourself as a matter of course in your teaching and preaching over the course of the seminar, but I think maybe it should be added to the questions as well. And that is, the Gospel.

I never worked in the essential truth of the importance of the Gospel into the last segment of the questions. After such an in depth discussion about the battle and tactics, truly a tactical lesson, I think that in the end we would want to draw everyone back to a higher altitude and see the strategic view – the view of the cross and our salvation. Digging this deep should be an excellent platform to re-introduce the gospel to the group, and zero in on just how sweet, how perfectly *sweet* like honey, the gospel of Grace is to we poor men in the infantry, wounded and struggling, often tired, and often so ashamed of our personal fight.

This brings to mind a difference in the warfare analogy that never hit me before… (warning… I am rambling now, and going stream of consciousness!!). In war, the infantry goes out and every soldier knows that he might get hurt, or even killed, but holds out hope that he will be good enough – or blessed enough – to come through the fight unscathed. And many do, returning home unharmed and thankful.

But in our war, the war against our indwelling sin, closely supported by its Axis powers of the world and the devil, do any of us go through life uninjured? I say no. Every single one of us is going to take a bullet or two in this battle… many of us LOTS of bullets. And some schrapnel. And the occasional up-close-and-personal bayonet to the ribs. Is it reasonable to expect to go through life untouched by this battle? Not likely. I think only Christ himself pulled that off. This should be all at once very sobering, a little frightening, and totally encouraging.

So again, how sweet is the gospel of Grace?? Amazing. Not by works, brother… not by works. We must fight our battles in the power of the Spirit, through faith in Him who has already proclaimed us victors, and keep our eyes fixed on our General.

So anyway… not sure how to add this, but perhaps just add an open-ended question at the end of the whole deal to the effect of “How does the truth of your indwelling sin affect your thoughts about the Gospel, and of Grace?” You never appreciate grace so intensely as when you become truly aware of the depth of your sin. I think we have both been living this truth for years now!