Arguing Well: When and where do you fight?
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On Christmas Eve in 1814, British and American delegates met in Ghent, Belgium, to sign a treaty. The Treaty of Ghent formally ceased hostilities between England and the United States of America, putting an end to the War of 1812. But no one told our soon-to-be seventh President Andrew Jackson nor the British forces sent to capture New Orleans until several weeks later.
On Jan. 8, 1815, the Battle of New Orleans broke out with British soldiers outnumbering Americans by more than 2 to 1. The American victory, however, was decisive. The number of British killed, wounded or captured was 2,034 — about a fifth of the total force. By contrast, only 62 Americans were killed, wounded or missing when the engagement ended on Jan. 18.
We can be thankful for history's sake that Jackson and his American forces prevailed, but please don't lose sight of the fact that for 10 days, the destruction, death and pain wrought in the battle was for a war that was already over. An army whose sovereign had already surrendered was defeated. A few soldiers gave their lives for a cause which was already won.
The struggle set before us is similar.
We know why we fight: for the love of people who can be set free by the truth. We know who our enemy is: Satan and forces of darkness, not the people for whom Jesus died. We know what our weapon is: the word of God. We still lack an ingredient for victory.
Setting is a question of when and where. Four to five hundred years before Jesus, Sun Tzu literally wrote the book on war, The Art of War. Sun Tzu focused much more on pre-engagement strategy than anything else. He said, "He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight," and "Attack (the enemy) where he is unprepared, appear where you are not expected."
Victory depends on when and where we fight. It depends on setting. In many ways, the Battle of New Orleans had two settings: Dec. 24, 1814, in Ghent, Belgium, and Jan. 8-18, 1815, in New Orleans. The same way, our struggle has two settings.
Our first setting is less important. It may be work on Monday. It may be in the line at the grocery store this afternoon. It might have been on the phone with a loved one yesterday. It's the mission trips you take, the moments when you are drawn into someone's life while it's falling apart, the smallest opportunity to draw someone toward the truth of God's love.
The trick is to recognize the when and where our commander has already selected for us. He sets us at the front lines when we're weak so that his strength will be obvious. He puts us in places we would never have expected to have gone. Though we are less numerous — as were the Americans in New Orleans — we can put up an amazing fight because our commander is a wise and strategic thinker.
But like the Battle of New Orleans, our battles have a prior and crucial setting. I had originally intended to give a more detailed discussion on selecting the when and where of our fight. I have only recently discovered the wisdom of letting some fights go, choosing battles carefully and being patient for the sake of the war even if a battle is forfeit. But then I remembered New Orleans. The war is already won.
Just like the enemy surrendered and the war was won before the Battle of New Orleans began, so our war was already won before we enter into any conversation, debate or discussion about the truth of God. The treaty has already been signed in Jesus' blood.
The when is two thousand years ago. The where is a hill outside Jerusalem.
I suppose we cannot tell for sure what would have happened if Jackson and his forces had not defeated the British at New Orleans, but it is hard to imagine that it would have affected the outcome of the war. Other events in Europe (namely Napoleon's escape from exile on Elba) were putting pressure on the British to end the conflict in the New World. The Treaty of Ghent was already signed. The enemy had already surrendered. Victory was already secured.
So, too, our victory is secured. In the end, "every knee will bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Philippians 2:10-11).
Sun Tzu also said, "If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of 100 battles." If we know the enemy is already defeated and we know that we fight for the victorious and coming king, we can represent his truth and his gospel boldly.