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The Long Defeat

 


The Long Defeat

I recently learned of J. R. R. Tolkien’s concept called “the long defeat.” I have been researching this concept for a couple of weeks. I am, by no means, proficient in the study of philosophy. I often read philosophy and scratch my head, saying, “Those certainly are words.” But the long defeat struck a chord with me. It just made sense. The long defeat stands as a philosophical thought that captures Tolkien’s view of history: a slow, inevitable decline in which evil continually re-emerges, beauty fades, and human efforts inside worldly history ultimately end in loss.

However, this view is far from a message of despair; the long defeat underpins the philosophy of heroic duty, perseverance, and hope. The question arises: in the face of inevitable defeat, we must decide why we fight. We do not fight for immediate victory; we fight for what is good, true, and holy. We stand as bulwarks against the evil of this age, knowing that we may very well be scarred by the battle. We stand assured that Christ is King, Christ is Victorious, and Christ will make all things new.

Evil Appears to Win

It is an evident truth: evil often appears to win. We must reject the idea that doing what is right immediately produces success. In fact, Paul cautioned, “Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary” (Gal 6:9). Doing the right thing often brings immediate resistance—defeats, suffering, loss, and even setbacks. This has been the case since the beginning. Reflecting upon Galatians, Charles Spurgeon declared, “If there are a hundred reasons for giving up your work of faith, there are fifty thousand for going on with it. Though there are many arguments for fainting, there are far more arguments for persevering.”[1]

Faithfulness Matters

Faithfulness matters even when success is unlikely. The proper response to the successful completion of evil is not to abandon the good. We do not simply give up because victory seems unattainable or too far off. We must continue to stand. Even though a gap often exists between faithfulness and outcome, we must choose to fight, build, love, create, preach, and remain steadfast. But to truly stand, we cannot stand in our own power. We desperately need to rest in Christ. Jesus said, “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). Our only hope for consistent, faithful perseverance is wholly dependent upon our dependence upon Him. Faithfulness to Christ is essential to perseverance because it keeps the believer connected to Christ’s strength, anchored in Christ’s identity, aligned with Christ’s purposes, sustained by Christ’s hope, supported by Christ’s people, protected from spiritual drift, and preserved by Christ’s grace.

The Struggle is Long

History is characterized by successive eras in which evil is defeated only to return in another form. Even the greatest victories are often temporary and fade from memory. Evil defeated creates a power vacuum to be filled by the wicked hearts of men. This creates a long, sordid history rife with struggle against evil. When hope seems but a glimmer, the long defeat endures. Jesus declared, “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). Spurgeon attested, “There is a reason for your season of heaviness. Great soldiers are not made without war. Skillful sailors are not trained on the shore. It appears that if you are to become a great believer, you will greatly be tested.”[2]

All Things for Good

Defeat can paradoxically serve good. This is one of the long defeat’s most profoundly Christian insights: that apparent loss is not the end of the story but often the means by which God accomplishes hidden victories. In the economy of grace, setbacks, suffering, and even the collapse of what we hoped to preserve can become instruments of refinement. We may lose everything we thought we were building, yet our faithfulness in the midst of that loss is gathered into a larger narrative we cannot yet see. Tolkien’s “long defeat” reminds us that God’s people often labor in causes that seem doomed, yet their steadfastness participates in a divine plan that stretches beyond their horizon. Thomas Watson captured this paradox when he wrote, “The evil of affliction works for good to the godly.” [3] Affliction does not merely test faith; it becomes the soil in which perseverance, humility, and hope take root. What looks like defeat from our vantage point may, in God’s hands, be the very means by which His purposes advance.

Jesus Wins

God, not humanity, wins in the end. We hold the truth of the resurrection as our ultimate confidence. As Paul wrote, “But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep. For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead” (1 Cor 15:20–21).

The long defeat is therefore not simply heroic optimism, but eschatological hope. We are called to faithfulness in the present while trusting that God will accomplish the ultimate victory. We may not see the victory in this life, but rest assured, we will, when we see Him face to face and hear Him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” We will know.

Ultimately, the long defeat teaches that while we cannot single-handedly fix a broken world, we are responsible for the small corner of time entrusted to us. As Gandalf tells Frodo, “‘So do I,’ said Gandalf, ‘and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.’”[4]


[1] Charles Spurgeon, Galatians, ed. Elliot Ritzema, Spurgeon Commentary Series (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2013).

[2] Charles H. Spurgeon, Beside Still Waters: Words of Comfort for the Soul, ed. Roy H. Clarke (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1999), 28.

[3] Thomas Watson, All Things for Good (Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth Trust, 1963), 21.

[4] J. R. R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring: Being the First Part of The Lord of the Rings (London: Folio Society, 1977), 60.

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