As a theological editor I regularly come across the word “strive” written by Christian authors, writers and teachers.
I’d like to discuss the way it’s used by Christians, because I think it’s used wrongly, most of the time, at least in my limited experience.
This feels picky to me. However, as Christians who believe words are powerful, shouldn’t we be careful with how we use all our words, especially if Scripture uses them in specific ways?
I’m sure you’ve seen what I mean. The word “strive” is often placed inside a sentence that goes something like this: “God doesn’t want you to strive, He wants you to rest in His grace.”
At first glance, that looks pretty good. Ephesians 2 makes it clear that salvation from sin and death is by God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone, not in our anxious striving.
And context matters of course, but even in the right context, that one small helpful qualification I think is necessary: “anxious” or “unhealthy” striving is what we’re to avoid.
The word strive can certainly have a negative connotation, but not usually.
If you look up the word strive in the dictionary it has a good or neutral meaning. Oxford, for example, has as the primary definition of strive: “make great efforts to achieve or obtain something.”
More importantly, every instance in the New Testament that the ESV, for example, translates the Greek into the word “strive,” it is being used in a positive sense, meaning, it is something we’re supposed to do as Christians:
- Luke 13:24: “Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.” [ἀγωνίζομαι (agōnizomai) to struggle]
- Romans 15:30: “I appeal to you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf” [συναγωνίζομαι (agōnizomai) to struggle]
- 1 Corinthians 14:12 “So with yourselves, since you are eager for manifestations of the Spirit, strive to excel in building up the church.” [ζητέω (zēteō) to seek]
- 1 Timothy 4:10 “For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.” [ἀγωνίζομαι (agōnizomai) to struggle]
- Hebrews 4:11 “Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience.” [σπουδάζω (spoudazō) be eager, make every effort, do one’s best]
- Hebrews 12:14 “Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.” [διώκω (diōkō) to pursue, to persecute, to systematically oppress and harass a person or group, as an extended meaning of pursuing a person on foot in a chase; also from the image of the chase comes the meaning of striving and pressing on to a goal with intensity: to press on]
- And in Colossians 1:29, the same Greek word is used, even though there it is translated “struggling:” “For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.” [ἀγωνίζομαι (agōnizomai) to struggle]
Protestants are right to be on guard against a kind of striving that puffs up and causes one to put one’s faith in their striving rather than in Christ. However, it’s also apparent from Scripture that those who God saves by His grace are those who strive. As seen in the above Scriptures we are to strive for holiness, strive in praying, strive in serving our churches, strive to “enter” the rest of heaven, strive in peacemaking, and strive with God who is ultimately the one working in us.
Just like both 1) God’s omniscience of the future and what we will do and 2) our responsibility to always do what is right, are two things that are not opposed to one another, but are actually friends (and coincide with each other in reality) and even though it is sometimes hard understand, we are to strive as Christians in many things, including good works, and in “work[ing] out [our] salvation” (Philippians 2:12) even as we know it is truly God working in us by His grace.
I think if we as God’s Church really took this word to heart we’d see the encouragement in Christian writing that says “don’t strive” corrected to “don’t anxiously strive” or “don’t strive wrongly.”
Perhaps we would be encouraged to have more zeal in this life, to not quit when things get hard, to finish things, to get up early to pray, or work a little later on something, not because it earns us God’s favor but because it’s actually good to strive. It’s good to be zealous in our striving for holiness and good works. It’s good to beat our bodies and make them our slaves in order to receive the prize (1 Corinthians 9). It’s good to run this race of life for Christ like the athlete in a 5k seeks the literal prize, not just of finishing, but of winning!
God’s standard is to “be holy as I am holy” (1 Peter 1) or as Jesus said, “perfect and your heavenly father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48) Jesus wasn’t exaggerating, or speaking tongue in cheek. It’s true, Jesus was perfection for us, in our place. But as in archery, we might not get the bulls eye every time, but that’s still our aim. Our aim is to be like Jesus, knowing that in heaven, we will be. We will no longer sin or desire to sin. Perfection or glorification, to the highest degree of what it means to be human, is our destination. We’re supposed to practice that aim today, even if we know we’ll miss the mark today.
As always, when writing about one side of an issue like this, it’s easy to write off-balance in an attempt to correct the imbalance. Instead, I hope I’ve shown both sides. “It is good that you should take hold of this, and from that withhold not your hand..” (Ecclesiastes 7) It’s good to see the two ditches together that we are to avoid. We can avoid both: 1) trusting in our striving to earn favor with God or others and we can avoid 2) lacking a zealous striving in good works and holiness.
Some are workaholics and need to slow down. And it’s easy to become burdened with the cares of this life and all that is demanded of us. We’re supposed to let God shoulder the weight of the world. God’s grace is something we need to herald loudly: there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ. And we can sleep well at night knowing Christ said “It is finished.” We don’t need anxious striving because the most important work is done. As a sinner, who knows he is a sinner who only deserves just punishment, that can be hard to receive. But we must receive God’s grace as all sufficient if we want to live.
At the same time, the equally hard concept to grasp is that, though we are saved and kept by God’s grace, we are to lift our “drooping hands,” strive with “all our might,” toiling with “all the energy” He works inside us. (Ecclesiastes 9, Colossians 1, Hebrews 12). It’s good to strive.
What do you think? Is this something you’ve considered already? How does this affect the way you live?
Adorn the Gospel 