(based on Rev. 3:21 and the Greek word nike)
CALLED TO BE VICTORS
Jesus closed His letters to the seven churches with theses words: “Overcome and be victorious, just as I have!” (Rev. 3:21). Now I ask, is this admonition, from the lips of Christ, any less powerful than the words “be ye perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect”? (Matt. 5:48) Or is it any less of a divine command than “Go! In my power, teach and baptize!”? (Matt. 28:18, 19) Clearly, Jesus’ admonition to “Conquer and be victorious!” should deserve the serious attention of everyone who professes to follow Christ.
Think about the following questions. Why do so many Christians downplay statements in the Bible about total victory over sin? Is our salvation dependent on overcoming temptation? (Rev. 21:7) Were Jesus’ words “Go, and sin no more!” nothing more than an ethereal statement, an unreachable goal? Were Jesus’ statements about our lack of faith designed to lay a guilt-trip on us, in order that we might work harder at being “religious”? (Matt. 6:30; 14:31; Luke 18:8) Am I truly a “witness” of Christ’s gospel if I’m not experiencing ongoing victories in Him? (Luke 24:48)
It would be easy to brush these questions—and the entire subject—aside. Many have. But I believe that every one who professes that Jesus Christ is their Lord ought to know for her or him self what biblical victory actually is and how to achieve it.
Let’s start at the beginning.
VICTORY IS…
The theme of victory permeates the entire book of Revelation. The word victory is translated from the Greek nikao, or nike (which is why the popular shoe company selected this name). Depending on your version of the Bible, nike may be translated as “overcome,” “prevail,” “conquer,” “triumph” or “victory.”
Nike is also as a militant term—victory implies challenge, conflict or warfare. It’s no wonder that John mentions the word often in Revelation. In the great cosmic war, Christ is the Conqueror and Chief Commander (Rev. 6:2; 12:7-10; 17:14; 19:11-16). And the church is His vast army, that wears the “whole armor of God” (Eph. 6:11-18; Rev. 2-3; 12:11; 15:2). The Christian rally call may be best expressed in the following lyrics:
Onward, Christian soldiers, marching as to war, with the cross of Jesus going on before.
Christ, the royal Master, leads against the foe; Forward into battle see His banners go!
Indeed, time is marching Christ’s church closer to “the battle of that great day of God Almighty…Armageddon” (Rev. 16:14, 16).
VICTORY THROUGH FAITH
The question that we all ask at some point is “How do I overcome?” I offer two simple steps.
First, like a powerless addict, I—the carnal-minded sinner—must confess that I alone cannot overcome (1 Jn. 4:14, 15; Jam. 5:16). My nature—my thoughts and desires—is sin prone. At my core, my being is in disagreement with God’s holy nature and character (Col. 1:21; Rom. 5:10), and His moral law (1 Jn. 3:4). And through God’s Word I have come to realize that I do not “wrestle” with my “flesh” alone, but “against spiritual forces of evil” (Eph. 6:12); a battle that I could never win.
But it is precisely because of our sinful nature that “God gives us the victory through [His Son] Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 15:57). Jesus overcame Satan in our “flesh” (1 Tim. 3:16), through His self-less, self-sacrificing life (Rev. 5:5). And it is His own triumphant power that He now extends to you and me in order that we may also overcome (3:21).
Think about that for a moment. That’s powerful!
Second, after acknowledging my powerless condition, I must claim—by faith—Christ’s power as my own: “The victory that overcomes the things of this world is our faith [in Christ]!” (1 John 5:4; Heb. 10:38; Rom. 1:17) True faith in Jesus—who He really is, what He has accomplished through His life, death, and resurrection, and what He can perform in me—will give me victory! (Rom. 1:17) One Bible commentator expressed it this way: in order to grow in faith and live the victorious life, we must continually talk faith, live faith and act out our faith!
Paul summarized the life of faith when, at the end of his own life, he exclaimed: “I have fought the good fight of faith” (1 Tim. 6:12). We echo his words when we sing the hymn “Faith is the victory!”
SURRENDER SELF
I have already demonstrated that the “four horsemen of the Apocalypse” are symbolic portrayals of Christ’s ministry and His relationship to His Church (Rev. 6:1-8). The first horseman represents Christ’s victory; He has “overcome the world” (Jn. 16:33). He extends His victorious power to us so that we may also overcome Satan’s temptations. The second horseman represents Christ’s sacrifice and priesthood. He bids us to also accept the path of the “cross” also, by surrendering our will—our hopes, desires, and plans—“daily” (Luke 9:23). In return, I accept His will for my life and experience ongoing victories through His power.
Being more specific, the cross represents the death of self—the self-centered nature that ruled my heart until I invited Christ to come in and reign over my life (Rev. 3:21). I’m not referring to the self-denial of certain pleasures, as if to appease God through my “works,” but rather to the act of letting go of self and permitting Christ’s Spirit to dwell within my heart (Eph. 4:30). Naturally, self abhors submission, and it would gladly co-rule the throne of the heart. But this could never be. God cannot accept a “patchwork” religion, composed of self-trust and faith-trust. If self is not completely dispelled, it will ambush total spiritual victory.
Believing in God’s power in my life, I must now live—talking faith, living faith and acting out my faith—as if self were truly “dead” and gone! (Rom. 6:11) That’s real faith at work!
Self is the greatest foe we well ever battle. My sinful, rebellious nature is always seeking an opportunity to rise back up and regain control, so I can return to living my life “my” way. But by dying at the foot of Jesus’ Cross daily, surrendering my entire life to Him, self will remain dead and buried, by His power! (Rom. 12:1)
WILL POWER VS WILL
As unpleasant as this may sound, many Christians have never reached the point of totally surrendering their will to Christ. Consequently, they are still trying to fend off Satan’s temptations through their own efforts. Not only is sheer willpower futile, but by their actions they “deny [Christ’s] power” to overcome for them (2 Tim. 3:5).
After assuming our human nature, Jesus overcome by committing His will entirely to the Father’s (Matt. 6:9, 10: 26:42), even to the point of death (Rev. 5:5). In this, He is our example. If we will surrender our will to God, He will mold and fashion it according to His own. But this requires a deep trust, demonstrating that we whole-heartedly believe that 1) His will is the best for my life, 2) that He does indeed have the power to take care of me, 3) and that He will! That takes faith!
For those of us who like to have things spelled out, W.W. Prescott offers four simple but concrete steps for accepting Christ into my life as Lord and exchanging my will for His:
1. I must admit that I am lost and helpless to change that, and acknowledge my need for help from outside of myself.
2. I must then choose to submit my will entirely to Him.
3. Then, I commit my life to His care.
4. And finally, I ask Him to live out His life in and through me (Gal. 2:20; Col. 1:29).
VICTORY IN THE WORD
In this spiritual conflict, the victor’s weapon is the “sword” (Heb. 4:12) or the Word of God. It is the living Word, proceeding from Christ’s “mouth”. Rev. 19:15 (The word “inspiration” literally means God-breathed.) Jesus demonstrated the power of His Word when He repeatedly overcame Satan by quoting from the (Old Testament) Scriptures: “It is written!” (Matt. 4:1-11)
In his hymn “Standing on the Promises of God,” R. K. Carter aptly ties victory to God’s Word:
By the living word of God I shall prevail, standing on the Promises of God…
Overcoming daily with the Spirit’s sword, standing on the promises of God.
Again, the Christian is not at war with “flesh and blood,” but “against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil” (Eph. 6:12). He can not prevail without the Sword.
THE KEY TO VICTORY
As Jesus’ life demonstrated through His own life, prayer is the key to victory. The Sinless One—I repeat, the Sinless One—began each day in prayerful communion with the Father (Mark 1:35), being refreshed anew within with the Spirit. How can we, then, who are prone to sin, possibly expect to overcome the temptations of each day with anything less? Paul directs us to “Live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature” (Gal. 5:16).
Through the merits of Jesus’ sacrifice we can draw near to God in prayer through faith (Heb. 11:6), knowing with assurance that He will answer us (Mark 11:24). However, we must not presume that God will answer our prayers if we are not fully converted, still clinging to sins. (This would be likened to the request of an insincere child whose fingers are crossed behind his back!) As God’s priests on earth (1 Pet. 2:9), we must approach Him in all sincerity.
As we “continue in prayer” (Col. 4:2; 1 Thess. 5:17), abiding in His will, the door to every evil thought and temptation will be closed. Prayer is the key to overcoming.
THE VICTORIOUS LIFE
In his book How to Be a Victorious Christian, Thomas Davis shares a wonderful allegory that summarizes the Christian’s battle (I paraphrase):
A tyrant ruler (self), and his followers (evil habits and tendencies), has long ruled a very special kingdom (the sinner’s heart). Tired of living under oppression and bondage, and unable to overcome the ruler, the citizens of the realm (the sinner) turn to the kind and gracious ruler (God the Father) of another kingdom, appealing to him for help. Asking only for their cooperation and obedience, the citizens surrender everything to him. In response, He sends his son (Jesus Christ) to overcome the tyrant ruler, and assume the throne (the heart). Going further, he builds a fortress around the kingdom to protect the citizen’s from guerilla-warfare attacks. Naturally, the citizens are told to keep a vigilant watch and not let their guard down. To no ones surprise, the tyrant ruler (self) makes numerous attempts to retake the kingdom, and at times it appears that he will succeed. But each time the citizens immediately turn to their new king, who readily routs him. Weakened, the tyrant ruler loses nearly every fight, until he is unable to find any further success. He is still alive, and still harassing. But he is a defeated foe.
Now, if (we don’t have to say “when”) the tyrant should cause us to taint our garments (Rev. 3:4), we have an advocate, a slain Lamb, who can wash us white as pure wool with His blood (Rev. 5:6; 1 Jn. 2:1-2; Rev. 1:5; 7:14). But more than just redeeming us from the guilt and punishment of sin, the good news of the gospel is that the true believer can experience victory over temptation and sin through Christ’s power! In Him, we can have total victory over doubt, fear, temperaments, aberrant behaviors, and weaknesses of character, cultivated or inherited. In His letters to the seven churches (Rev. 2, 3), Jesus admonished every member to “overcome” just as He “overcame” (3:21). Because Christ’s commands are also His promises, every one of us can have total victory through His resurrected power, the power of His “blood” (12:11). Those who overcome will inherit the new earth (21:7). It is the reality of the gospel that causes us to sing “Oh glorious victory, that overcomes the world!” (See 1 Jn. 5:4-5)
I want to close with a personal note. Could it be that the reason why so few Christians ever lead others to a meaningful relationship with Jesus Christ is because of the lack of real victory in their own life? Could it be that churches are not growing because the world outside does not see anything different inside? Yes, these questions are intended to bring the subject of victory down to the personal level. And so I leave you with this question: Is there any sin today that is preventing you from having total victory in Jesus? If so, He has given you a measure of faith to overcome it. And if this study has unveiled any doubts about God’s promises or Christ’s power, then I invite you to claim this simple prayer: “Lord I believe; help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24)