But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.

Joshua 24:15

Serving God, now more than during the Old Law era, is a personal commitment. More than a circumcision given to us as children or as a bloodline passed to us by our ancestors, Christianity is about personal commitment. There is no halfway Christian in terms of salvation, either you accept grace through baptism or you don’t.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.

Ephesians 6:10-13

That doesn’t mean that we are enemies of nonbelievers as they were in Joshua’s day. You see, choosing to reject God at that time meant that the power that felled the walls of Jericho and made the sun stand still would be turned against you, and all the faithful army of Israel would stand to face you, backing their God. No, our job is to save the lost from destruction, not fight them. We don’t struggle against flesh and blood, but extend grace knowing we have received the same.

Ethan Kirl