It is an overused cliché in many period war movies, but it manages to be inspiring enough to endure common reuse. “Hold the line!” barks the military commander as weary soldiers stand shoulder to shoulder and the tenacious enemy surges forward. In the ancient world, holding the line was survival. A breach in the line soon turned into a devastating route.

When Christ tells His disciples at the end of John 16 to “take courage,” He uses a word that means “to be firm or resolute in the face of danger or adverse circumstances.” Resolute to what end? Is this a call to arms? Is this the command to charge the enemy and take the hill? Such offensive action certainly requires a great measure of courage, but that is not the action Jesus is calling us to. The hill has already been taken. The enemy has already been rendered defeated. As Jesus put it, He has already “overcome the world.” What remains then for us is the discipline of living consistently, resolutely, in the reality of that victory. We need to “hold the line,” that Jesus has battled to gain. Ephesians 6 introduces the spiritual armor of the believer by calling Christians four times to stand firm and resist the enemy. As Christians, we don’t need to be antsy and desperate, we need to be “steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord.” (1 Cor 15:58)

A key insight into how this should look practically comes from the realization that the line we are working primarily to hold is internal, not external. Our courage is needed to rely upon the work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts. Having been shown the truth, we must not lie. Having been given the commandments of Christ, we must not compromise. Having been made witnesses of the Gospel, we must not be silent. Having been brought into fellowship with the Father, through the Son, by the Spirit, we must not worship any idol. Or even bow to them.

Celebrate the good. Do not celebrate evil. Teach the truth. Do not repeat falsehoods. Worship Jesus. Do not make excuses for the flesh.

Do this, and the wrath of a fallen world being run by the schemes of Satan will descend upon us. It is the wrath, however, of a defeated realm. It has no power over the soul, and no hope for the future. If we stand firm in a culture of peace and comfort – we win. If we stand firm in a country of violence and opposition – we still win. Overwhelmingly. We win because Jesus won.

The martyrs of the early church were rarely persecuted for what they had done, but for what they would not do. Escape from horrific suffering was often only a small concession, a tiny act of cultural compromise, a simple political symbol away. But they took courage and endured to the point of complete victory. The tactics haven’t changed, but the battle lines have shifted over the centuries. Today it is our turn to take courage, and to hold the line.