Victory

Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:37.

Many of us are familiar with defeat and have experienced it at some point. Many even live it day-to-day and have become accustomed to defeat, accepting it as their deserved lot and even embracing it. And yet, is that really our identity? Is that our destiny and our place?

The moment that Jesus was seized by the authorities when Judas betrayed him and he was taken into custody, brought before his accusers and sentenced to be crucified, the world would have seen that as a defeat. And yet it turned into the greatest victory the world has ever seen over the one foe that has defeated every human being who has ever lived, and that is death.

When Jesus died, was buried, and rose to life, he walked out of that tomb after three days; that wasn't a defeat that the world and the enemy had proclaimed over Jesus; it was a victory over sin and death. Death no longer has dominion over us and has the last say, no longer can sin rule us by its power to enslave, no longer are we under the judgment of death, but instead through Christ's victory in resurrection we too have victory and have eternal life where there is no death and no defeat.

The Lord has given you a new name; Victor, and it is your identity if you believe in His resurrection. Victor means a person who defeats an enemy or opponent in battle, a game or a competition; a winner in any struggle or contest; a conqueror.

In Romans 8:37, it states, "Now in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us." We celebrate Christ's victory and partake of it ourselves when we believe it, for he has won the battle, and he has conquered the grave.

Oh, what joy it is to be known as a victor, that our saviour shares his victory with us, that death and sin no longer have dominion over us. Let us grab hold of our new name and live believing it to be the case, and shed the cloak of defeat and shame forever, Amen!