More than Conquerers
When the Apostle Paul wrote the Book of Ephesians to the believers in Ephesus, he does so from a Roman prison. We envision he is in chains and guarded by well-armed Roman soldiers. What’s really interesting is that Paul chooses to characterize the Christian life using the soldier as his metaphor rather than a man awaiting execution.
Soldiers have a mission. They have training. They are armed. They are tactical. They are situationally aware. They are prepared for attack. And best of all, they have a mindset of “win at all costs.” This is how Paul sees himself and who he challenges us to become, despite the reality of his circumstances are much more grim. It’s almost like he’s saying we can be victorious in Christ no matter our circumstances.
In fact, I believe that he said exactly that in Romans 8:31-39 CSB
“What, then, are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He did not even spare his own Son but gave him up for us all. How will he not also with him grant us everything? Who can bring an accusation against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies. Who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is the one who died, but even more, has been raised; he also is at the right hand of God and intercedes for us. Who can separate us from the love of Christ? Can affliction or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?
As it is written: ‘Because of you we are being put to death all day long; we are counted as sheep to be slaughtered.’
No, in all these things, “we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
To think, no matter how hard the spiritual warfare may rage in our lives, we are promised victory through the power of Jesus. A Conqueror!
Most of us didn’t pass a Roman Legion on our way to work or school, but there’s a good chance that we passed a Fire House. It’s fitting that, like Paul, we look to our local heroes as metaphors for having victory in God’s great Rescue Mission and becoming fire-proof against the Enemy’s attacks. Over the next couple of blog posts, we will compare living a victorious Christian life on mission for God with our first responders.
Every emergency scene has three types of people… Victims, Bystanders, and Rescuers.
Many of us are content to live as victims. We constantly exist to survive spiritual attack after spiritual attack. We wonder…. Has God forsaken me?
Some of us live with little consequence, like bystanders watching the struggles of others. “I’ll pray for you!” we holler from across the street.
Instead, God has called us to live as conquerors who thrive in our walk with Jesus and join His mission in influencing others with the Gospel. We are to be disciplemakers, those who rescue others with the Good News of a God who saves and redeems. Let’s get on mission together!
-CJ Nissen