Now, I was in the very last year of seminary, several decades ago, when the government had a lottery system for those who had to go to the army and I also had to go to the army. After the army I was still in the reserves and I kept going to meetings, because I could be called back. The day I came out of the army, there was a sergeant, it was my boss, and he said to me, if they ever call you back, that you have to fight in a war, I want you to remember three things: I want you to remember how the war should go. You have been trained. You know how to do it. I want you to remember how the war does go. The real war does never go the way it should go. Wars are bloody, they are messy, they are always problematic. And then I want you to remember the end goal. The end goal is you are fighting for Uncle Sam, you are fighting for the US flag. You are fighting for the ultimate freedom of the American people. Later on, I thought, that is a beautiful definition of a Christian soldier in the experiential warfare of sin. To preach experientially is to preach how matters should go; how the holy war should go (Romans 8:1–39). It is how the holy war does go that we find in Romans 7:1–25. And it is the end goal that God will bring his people beyond war to that holy place of communion with him in heaven, because they are really fighting for King Jesus, the Captain of their salvation. And one day they will be united with him forever; in the sin-free Immanuel’s land. So you see, Romans 7:1–25 and Romans 8:1–39 belong together. They are one seamless experience in the life of the children of God.¹

Joel Beeke