Victory in Christ signifies the believer's triumph over sin, temptation, and spiritual struggles through the power of Jesus' death and resurrection (Romans 8:37). Christian preaching often portrays this victory as conquering battles or winning a race, emphasizing that through Christ, believers are more than conquerors and share in His ultimate triumph (1 Corinthians 15:57).
Christians conquer internal lusts and worldly challenges through Christ's power.
Alexander the Great subdued the world about him, but he was conquered by his own lusts; he died in a drunken stupor. The Christian conquers his own lusts in order to subdue the world within him. Through Christ, we are more than conquerors (Romans 8:37).
Christians must overcome defeatism and actively influence society as overcomers in Christ.
Christian defeatism grieves God. We must refuse to stand as mere spectators while the godless dismantle our nation. Believers through Christ are to be the overcomers, not the overcome. Have we forgotten how those first century believers, working against even greater odds, "turned the world upside down"? Have we become so mesmerized by the coming "tribulation" that we have forgotten Christ's order to "occupy until I return"? Once again Christians must become the nation's salt, its preservative, and put the reins into the hands of righteous leaders. No longer can be we mere "hearers" but through God "doers," if the nation is to survive.
Christ's sacrifice defeats Satan's temptations, giving believers victory even in suffering.
Dwight L. Moody said that one of the happiest men he ever knew was a man in Dundee, Scotland, who had fallen and broken his back when a boy of fifteen. He had lain on his bed for forty years and could not be moved without a good deal of pain. Probably not a day had passed in all those years without acute suffering. But day after day the grace of God had been granted him, and when Mr. Moody was in his room it seemed as if he was as near heaven as he could get on earth. When Mr. Moody saw him, he thought he must be beyond the reach of the tempter, and he asked him, "Doesn't Satan ever tempt you to doubt God and to think that He is a hard master?" "Oh, yes," he said, "he does try to tempt me. I lie here and see my old schoolmates driving along, and Satan says, 'If God is so good, why has He kept you here all these years? You might have been a rich man, riding in your carriage.' Then I see a man, who was young when I was, walk by in perfect health, and Satan whispers, 'If God loved you, couldn't He have kept you from breaking your back?' " "And what do you do when Satan tempts you?" "Ah, I just take him to Calvary, and I show him Christ, and I point out those wounds in His hands and feet and side, and say, 'Doesn't He love me?' The fact is Satan got such a scare there nineteen hundred years ago that he cannot stand it; he leaves me every time." That bedridden saint of God did not have much trouble with doubts; he was too full of the grace of God.
Christ wins the victory, and believers share in His triumph with joy.
Napoleon said, "Battles are won, not by men, but by a man." He was right in more ways than one. Victories are won, not by Christians but by Christ. It is our privilege and joy to share in His victory. Like the small boy who jumped up and down shouting "We've won, we've won!" at a football game-though he was not a member of the team or of the school represented by the team, we too can rejoice in a victory with which we associate ourselves. We can live in joy and triumph. We can shout, "We've won!" over the victory that was accomplished by our Lord Jesus Christ on Calvary nearly 2,000 years ago.
God continually grants us victory over sin through Christ.
An American admiral had a small card printed and circulated among his subordinates and workers. On it in gray type was this background: "It Can't Be Done," and then, in bold black type across this was printed, "But Here It Is." As we look at sin and realize its strength, defeat would seem to be inevitable were it not for Christ. "But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." The phrase "which giveth us" is a present participle (didonti) in Greek. A better translation would be "who keeps on giving us." This is not just one victory that God gives us but a constant experience of victory through Christ.
Christ will publicly reward faithful believers with crowns and a glorious kingdom forever.
When a noble soldier in a foreign land hath achieved brave designs, won honorable victories, subdued dangerous adversaries, and with worthy chivalry renowned his king and country, home he comes. The king sends for him to court; and there, in open audience of his noble courtiers, gives him words of grace, commendeth, and (which is rarely more) rewardeth his valor, heaps his dignities, preferments, and places of honor on him. So shall Christ at the last day, to all those soldiers that have valiantly combated and conquered his enemies, in the sight of heaven and earth, audience of men and angels, give victorious wreaths, crowns, and garlands, "long white robes," to witness their innocency, and palms in their hands to express their victory; and finally he will give them a glorious kingdom to enjoy for ever and ever. T. Adams.
True victory is faith overcoming the world, beyond earthly conquests.
We read in history of one in departed days who fancied that he had accomplished this hard task. He carried his victorious arms over every region of the then known earth: he subjugated king after king, and brought nation after nation beneath his sway, and then fancied that he had "overcome the world." He felt it sad to think that his heroic task was done, and wept that there were no more worlds to conquer. Oh, far astray, far mistaken! There was one world to conquer yet, to which that conqueror was a slave; a world to overcome which the arms of Alexander were of no avail: for "this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith."
— Rev. A. K. H. Boyd
Christ's complete victory calls Christians to confidently pursue the defeated foe of sin.
Christ Jesus has freely made himself our Great Deliverer; and shall we complain that his work is too gratuitous, and that his deliverance is too complete? What should we feel to hear the soldiers of Prussia say, in reference to Waterloo "It was too easy a victory!" Would we no indignantly reply, "So indeed it was to you our general bore the burden and heat of the day; he gained a hard-fought victory, and gave you a retreating and conquered enemy to pursue"? This reply furnishes us with an illustration of the Christian's position: Jesus, the Captain of our salvation, has conquered sin and death and Satan; he triumphed over them in his cross, and calls us to pursue the conquered foe. The duty of the Christian is to follow in the wake of victory. Dr. Stevenson.
Though death seems victorious, Christ has conquered it, leaving enemies inwardly defeated.
It is related of a German emperor of a former age, that, borne about in his open war-charlot, completely armed, he put a whole hostile army to the rout, even when dying. In the quiet garden, there is even more than this. It is true, that, in the present instance, the adversaries act as if they were the victors; but inwardly they are the vanquished. The slumbering hero of Judah took from them the armor of careless confidence, and filled their souls with a cloud of terrific and oppressive forebodings.
— Krumnacher
Believers must persevere in spiritual battle to share in the certain victory.
Soldier of the cross, the hour is coming when the note of victory shall be proclaimed throughout the world. The battlements of the enemy must soon succumb; the swords of the mighty must soon be given up to the Lord of lords. What! soldier of the cross, in the day of victory wouldst thou have it said that thou didst turn thy back in the day of battle? Dost thou not wish to have a share in the conflict, that thou mayest have a share in the victory? If thou hast even the hottest part of the battle, wilt thou flinch and fly? Thou shalt have the brightest part of the victory if thou art in the fiercest of the conflict. Wilt thou turn, and lose thy laurels? Wilt thou throw down thy sword? Shall it be with thee as when a standard-bearer fainteth? Nay, man, up to arms again! for the victory is certain. Though the conflict be severe, I beseech you, on to it again! On, on, ye lion-hearted men of God, to the battle once more! for ye shall yet be crowned with immortal glory. Spurgeon.
Mr. Venn anticipated death as a triumph through Christ’s victory over evil.
The Rev. T. T. Thomason, who was afterwards a devoted minister of Christ in the East Indies, while at college, paid a visit, in company with two of his young friends, to the excellent Mr. Venn, then languishing in body, but rejoicing in soul, as a strong man to run a race. One of his expressions sunk deep into the mind of Thomason; it was this: "In what a state should I now be, had I only the Socinian's God to trust to!" This extraordinary man did not die like common Christians. The Rev. T. Robinson, of Leicester, visited him in his last illness, and began to speak to him, to use Mr. Robinson's words, "in my poor way." "Oh!" exclaimed Mr. Venn, "that is poor comfort, brother. Here is the passage I build on: 'who hath spoiled principalities and powers, and hath made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it.'" These words he uttered with an energy and animation peculiar to himself. His mind was filled with the contemplation of a triumph, and he anticipated nothing less than soon meeting a victorious Savior, who shall tread all enemies under his feet.
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