I Have Fought a Good Fight, 2 Timothy 4:7 Sword and Laurel

What is painted

On the crest of a bare hill, a straight sword has been driven into the ground and left upright, its hilt forming a plain cross against the sky. Two branches of laurel curve up on either side of the blade like an open wreath. Behind it all, a large ochre disc of sun fills the upper half of the picture.

The style borrows from linocut printmaking: flat areas of color, bold outlines, the slightly rough texture of ink pressed from a block. Below the image reads “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith”, with 2 Timothy 4:7.

Paul's last letter

Second Timothy is written as Paul's final message to his young coworker, sent from prison. Just before this verse, Paul says he is “now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand.” Verse 7 looks back on a whole life in three short clauses: a fight, a course, a faith kept.

The images are athletic and military at once. The fight is the contest, the course is the race track, and in verse 8 Paul speaks of “a crown of righteousness” laid up for him. In the Greek games, the victor's crown was a wreath of leaves, which is why laurel frames the sword here. The sword is not raised for battle; it is planted, the fight finished.

Paul does not claim to have won everything. He claims to have stayed faithful to the end, which is a standard anyone can aim for.

For confirmation, Father's Day or a life well lived

This Christian poster suits a young man at confirmation, a graduate, a new pastor at ordination, or a father who has quietly carried a family for years. The bold graphic style fits an office, a study or a man's room better than softer religious wall art, and the verse is often read at the memorial of someone who kept the faith.

Prints are made to order in the United States on thick archival matte paper and ship free within the US. They arrive without a frame, with a paper margin around the design, in sizes from 5x7 to 24x36 as well as metric and A formats. A digital file is also available.

Because the design is graphic and uncluttered, this Christian wall art also looks at home in a locker room, a coach's office or a dorm, anywhere an athlete might need a reminder that finishing well matters as much as starting fast. Paul's comparison with a race makes it a natural gift for runners and team captains too.