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A few weeks ago, I wrote in my blog that as believers, we fight from a place of victory. As I continued to reflect on that truth, a question came to mind. How many Christians truly know the victory they already have in Christ?
This is an important question, because many believers know Jesus saved them, but they do not always live with the confidence of what His finished work has fully accomplished. The cross was not a partial triumph. The burial was not a pause in God’s plan. The resurrection was not only a miracle to admire. Together, they declare Christ’s complete victory.
Let me remind you of what Jesus accomplished through His cross, His burial, and the power of His resurrection.
Jesus defeated sin. On the cross, He bore our sin and broke its power over those who belong to Him. What we could never overcome in our own strength, Christ overcame through His sacrifice. He did what the law could not do, and through Him we are no longer enslaved to sin’s dominion. (Romans 8:3–4; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 2:24)
Jesus defeated death. By His resurrection, He conquered death itself. Death is still an enemy we experience physically, but for the believer, it no longer has the final word. Because Christ rose, those who belong to Him have the assurance that death has been swallowed up in victory. (1 Corinthians 15:54–57; Hebrews 2:14–15)
Jesus defeated Satan. The enemy is real, but he is not ultimate. Through the cross, Jesus disarmed the powers of darkness and exposed the devil as a defeated foe. Christ came to destroy the works of the devil, and in His triumph, Satan’s authority over the believer has been broken. (Colossians 2:15; 1 John 3:8)
Jesus defeated the world system. He overcame this fallen order of values, desires, and structures that constantly seeks to draw people away from God. This world system promotes pride, rebellion, lust, self-exaltation, and everything contrary to Christ. It is the spirit of antichrist at work in the earth. Yet Jesus declared that He has overcome the world, and through Him we are not bound to its influence. (John 16:33; Galatians 1:4)
Jesus defeated the grave. The tomb could not hold Him. The grave, which appears to be the final chapter for all humanity, could not keep the Son of God in its grip. His resurrection stands as undeniable proof that His victory is complete and eternal.
Jesus defeated the curse and condemnation of the law. Christ took the curse upon Himself so that those who trust in Him could be redeemed, justified, and made free from condemnation. The law exposed our guilt, but Christ bore our judgment. Because of Him, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
So then, what does it mean to live this Christian life from a place of victory?
It means that we take these foundational truths and stand on them when temptation comes. We stand on them in trials. We stand on them in adversity. We stand on them in suffering. We stand on them even in the face of death. We do not live trying to earn a victory that Christ has already secured. We live by faith in the victory He has already won.
To live from victory means that when sin tries to rise up, you remember that its power has been broken through Christ. When the enemy whispers lies, you remember he is already defeated. When the world pressures you to compromise, you remember that Jesus has overcome the world. When fear of death creeps in, you remember that Christ conquered the grave. When guilt and condemnation try to suffocate your soul, you remember that Jesus became a curse for you so that you could stand justified before God.
This is where victory becomes visible. It becomes evident when your faith is tested. It is one thing to say you believe these truths when life is calm. It is another thing to stand on them when the fire gets hot. Your victory is revealed when your faith is tried and you still choose to believe God. When hardship comes and you still trust Him. When temptation comes and you still obey Him. When sorrow comes and you still worship Him. When opposition rises and you still stand firm in Christ.
Child of God, do not live as though you are defeated when Christ has already triumphed. Do not think like one abandoned, bound, or powerless. Jesus has won the victory, and all who are in Him share in that victory. Stand in it. Walk in it. Believe it. And when your faith is tested, let your life testify that Jesus Christ is still the victorious King.
May you experience His victory daily in your life!
Pastor Lu |