How can I achieve victory in Jesus?

Response

As disciples of Jesus Christ, we all desire to live a triumphant Christian life. The Scriptures affirm that God and His Son Jesus are conquerors and that followers can partake in their triumphs: “But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” «But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. », (1 Corinthians 15:57). In a practical manner, how can we encounter the victorious life that has been made attainable in Christ? How can we attain triumph in Jesus?

Victory ultimately belongs to the Lord our God «And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD’s, and he will give you into our hands. », (1 Samuel 17:47). Since the days of Israel’s Exodus from Egypt, whenever God’s people relied solely on Him, He granted them victory over their adversaries (Exodus 15). Old Testament prophets consistently pointed to a future Deliverer who would bring the fullest manifestation of God’s victory: “Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey” (Zechariah 9:9;see also Psalm 110:1). We understand these prophecies to be about Jesus Christ, the promised Messiah, who has conquered the world «These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.», (John 16:33).

Jesus achieved the ultimate victory at the cross. Sin was atoned for, andThe power of sin and death was defeated, as seen in John 12:31 and 1 Peter 2:24. Following Christ’s crucifixion and burial, He resurrected three days later, and now we partake in that triumph. Satan believed he had triumphed with Christ’s death. However, that event broke our chains, liberated us from sin’s captivity, and disarmed evil’s supernatural forces: “When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross” (Colossians 2:13-15).

The key to achieving victory in Jesus is faith in Christ: “For everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God” (1 John 5:4-5;see also Romans 8:37). The initial step to victory in Jesus is accepting Christ as Savior. We receive the Lord by grace through faith, and we live in His victory by grace through faith as well. Our salvation is a gift of God’s grace, and our victory in Jesus is a gift of God’s grace (Ephesians 2:4-8;Galatians 3:3).

What is the scope of Jesus Christ’s victory that He bestows upon us? The victory that Jesus shares with us encompasses triumph over the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life: “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.” (1 John 2:16).(1 John 2:16). Our Lord’s victory over temptation and sin (Hebrews 4:15; see also Matthew 4:1-11) has also become our triumph: “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires” (Galatians 5:24; see also Romans 5:20-21). The apostle John further explains: “But you know that he appeared to take away our sins. In him is no sin. No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him. Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. The one who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work” (1 John 3:5-8).

Jesus has conquered Satan and the forces of evil (John 14:30; John 16:11; Mark 1:23-27; Luke 4:33-36), and He shares that conquest with us. Jesus declares, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you” (Luke 10:18-19; see also Ephesians 1:21-22). The writer of Hebrews explains that Jesus took on flesh and blood and shared in our humanity “so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil—and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death” Hebrews 2:14-15. We need not fear death or the devil because we share in Jesus Christ’s victory over them (Acts 2:24; Romans 6:9; Romans 8:38-39; 2 Timothy 1:10; Revelation 1:18).

As long as we remain in this fallen world, we will still have struggles to overcome and battles to fight. At times we will fall and fail. But we continue to get back up, asking God to equip us with His grace and power to overcome “And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”, (2 Corinthians 12:9). As believers, we fight our battles in the spiritual realm, on our knees: “For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds” (2 Corinthians 10:3-4). God has given us spiritual armor to protect us from the powers of darkness that wage war against us (Ephesians 6:10-20).

Victory in Jesus is real and attainable now because our Lord Jesus has defeated Satan and every evil power of the world. We achieve victory in Jesus by resting in Christ “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”, (Matthew 11:28) and trusting Him to triumph for us “For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness.” (Romans 5:17).

For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ., (Romans 5:17). While we are on earth, the Lord reigns victoriously through those who have been delivered from the kingdom of darkness and translated into His glorious kingdom of light But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that you should show forth the praises of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light:, (1 Peter 2:9). However, a day will come when the victories of Jesus will be fully realized and celebrated in the new heavens and earth: “He will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears from all faces; He will remove His people’s disgrace from all the earth. The LORD has spoken” He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces; and the rebuke of His people shall He take away from all the earth: for the LORD has spoken it., (Isaiah 25:8).