Friday, December 16, 2022

December 16, 2022

Romans 8: 37 (NIV)
In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
Christians do not lose.*
The Apostle Paul was a masterful communicator. He had a complete grasp on his subject matter and he spoke and wrote with confidence and authority. His letter to the church at Rome is a classic example of his ability to know his audience and tailor the message accordingly.

What would have been the reaction if Paul had addressed his “more than conquerors” illustration to one of the Jewish-Christian churches? The Jews were much more familiar with the concept of “conquered” rather than “conqueror.” The Roman Christians, while most of them had probably not actually participated in military action against another nation, were beneficiaries of the empire’s might. The idea of being a conqueror would not trigger negative vibes in their minds.

For different reasons, American Christians, like the Jewish Christians, might also find that the notion of being a conqueror is a foreign concept. We won our independence but we overcame more than we conquered. So we, too, may not quite fully comprehend the implication of Paul’s words. He says that we are more than conquerors. We are the aggressors, not just the invaded nation who defended ourselves successfully. Our victory is more than victory – we are “over-victorious.”*

And what are these things that we are victorious over? We find the answer in a previous verse: “Who shall separate us from the love Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?” (Romans 8: 35). Doesn’t that pretty well cover any adversity we might face? But in our role as more that conquerors, we don’t merely avoid becoming victims. We don’t run and hide to protect ourselves. We attack. We march into battle against trouble and hardship, etc., because Jesus is at the right hand of God, interceding for us. (Romans 8: 34) We don’t just not lose; we overcome.
Nice soldiers do not win wars.*

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