“Now, thanks be to God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savor of His knowledge by us in every place.” 2 Corinthians 2:14
Dear Ones:
The Christian is called upon by God to triumph in this life. What does it mean, to triumph? In every consideration of scriptural truth, and the answer to all questions, we must always defer to God, the testimony of Scripture, and the revelation of the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. To “lean to our own understanding,” or to rely upon “our thoughts” and “our ways” is to court deception and disaster. God our Maker, and the designer of all things, reveals to us through creation the all-eclipsing majesty and power of His wisdom. We get some idea of the contrast between the Lord and man, when Isaiah writes: “…who art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die, and of the son of man, which shall be made as grass.” (51:12) Indeed, we give too much credit to man to be our guide, and the one who thinks he alone has the answers to life. So then, what does God mean when He speaks to us of triumphing?
The word “triumphing” implies “overcoming” resistance, opposition, or difficulty. Just before Cain killed his brother Abel, the Lord spoke to him and said: “If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not well, sin lies at the door. And unto you shall be his desire, and you shall rule over him.” (Gen. 4:7) Here we have a struggle, one which results in either life or death. The issue at hand is Cain’s CHOICE in his relationship with God. He has chosen to worship God by a way that is unacceptable to God. The result is that “sin” is seen crouching at the door of his heart, ready to pounce upon him, and make him his slave to do his will. The will of sin, as are its wages, is death. And yet, God told Cain that if he chose to “do well,” submit to believing God according to His will and way, that he would overcome, or triumph. God even went so far as to command him, “…and you shall rule over him.” Cain was commanded to overcome, triumph over sin. But this, he chose not to do.
When a person is born of the Spirit, he is born into the kingdom of God, where Christ reigns as Lord. However, the context in which the Christian lives has not changed, for it is still the “world,” where “sin” runs rampant, and Christ is not recognized and honored as the King. Thus, we have the call of God to live “in” the world, but not to be “of” the world. Christ would declare that He had overcome the world. What did He mean? The world, with its ungodly principles and ways, thoughts and perspectives, had no hold on Him, nor did he submit to the world’s ruler, Satan. He would overcome the “unbelieving, ungodly system of the world,” living faithfully FOR His Father, and giving His life daily for those whom He loved. We then must ask, “How did He overcome?” There are basically two reasons. First, Christ was totally submitted to the Father. He lived only to do His will, even declaring that his food was to do the will of Him that had sent Him. Secondly, Christ was always, at every moment, filled with the Spirit of God, His perfect faith constantly appropriating the very life of His Father by the Spirit. Thus, the mandate of Christ was to overcome all unbelief and resistance to faith, by the will of God, and the power of the Spirit. This is what He declared, and accomplished, when He said on the cross: “It is finished.”
Dear Father, we are Christ’s and He is ours. Work in us this day the “willing and the doing” of Thy good pleasure, strengthening us in our hearts and minds to overcome all resistance to Thee and Thy will. Anoint us with “fresh oil” (Ps. 92:10) this day, to triumph and reign in life, as we live to love and serve Thee. We thank Thee in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Love, Dad