Victory In Jesus

Do you ever wake up and think, Lord, today I need a victory? When life gets hard and challenges grow, all I want to pray for is a victory. The other day I woke up and the old gospel song “Victory In Jesus” was playing on the radio in my mind. Anyone remember this song?

What Is A Victory?

When I think of victory, I think of a win, or the need to feel like things are going in the right direction, or regaining control. Like many of the words we use, we use them out of their original context and lose the magnitude of the meaning.

According to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary, victory means the overcoming of an enemy or antagonist. This alone tells me a victory is much bigger than a win. Victory is to overcome and conquer our enemies. As followers of Christ, we have only one enemy and that is Satan, who God cast out of Heaven and he now roams the earth looking for someone to destroy.

What Does Victory In Jesus Mean?

I went to my concordance (reference below) and found victory used only six times in the New Testament. This seemingly small number surprised me. I continued by looking up ‘conquer’ and ‘overcome.’ These two words are mentioned only a handful of times. At first I felt disappointment, but then I thought that unlike us, God uses powerful words only when necessary, making them more impactful when used. I want to focus on one scripture that mentions victory three times.

“Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled: “Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

1 Corinthians 15:54-57 NLT

Glorified Bodies

The scripture begins, “When our dying bodies have been transformed…” The bodies Paul is referring to here are the bodies we will have in eternity. Philippians 3:21 refers to them as glorified bodies.

“He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control.”

Philippians 3:21

“He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control.” Philippians 3:21 Click To Tweet

We will have new bodies “like His own.” As someone who has fought a chronic disease for the last four years, this sounds like the ultimate victory. I look forward to the day when my body will be free of all symptoms and completely restored to be as Jesus’ body. Now my mom believes our glorified bodies will resemble the Victoria Secret angels.

Victory Over Death

The scripture continues with “Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”

Victory here is the victory that occurred on the cross through Jesus’ death. Death refers to the enemy. Jesus’ death on the cross made victory possible. His blood shared for us trampled over the enemy. The blood of the lamb will defeat any plan the opposition can conjure up. We must stand firm in our faith. The enemy will continue to destroy us while he roams the Earth, but in the end, he will lose.

The blood of the lamb will defeat any plan the opposition can conjure up. We must stand firm in our faith. The enemy will continue to destroy us while he roams the Earth, but in the end, he will lose. Click To Tweet

What Does ‘Death Where Is Your Sting’ Mean?

The final part of the scripture reads, “For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

One word that has tripped me up is “sting.” I never really understood what it meant here. I found a great explanation from William McDonald, in the Believer’s Bible Commentary.

“Through faith in Him, we have victory over death and the grave. Death is robbed of its sting. It is a known fact that when certain insects sting a person, they leave their stinger imbedded in the person’s flesh, and being thus robbed of their “sting,” they die. In a very real sense death stung itself to death at the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, and now the King of Terrors is robbed of his terror as far as the believer is concerned.”

William McDonald

Read this scripture,1 Corinthians 15:54-5, one more time, from the Voice Translation.

“And, when we are all redressed with bodies that do not, cannot decay, when we put immortality over our mortal frames, then it will be as Scripture says: Life everlasting has victoriously swallowed death.

Hey, Death! What happened to your big win? Hey, Death! What happened to your sting? Sin came into this world, and death’s sting followed. Then sin took aim at the law and gained power over those who follow the law. Thank God, then, for our Lord Jesus, the Anointed, the Liberating King, who brought us victory over the grave.”

1 Corinthians 15:54-57 The Voice

Jesus Conquered Death

This looks much different from your average win, doesn’t it? Jesus conquered death when He died on the cross. By doing this, He also conquered anxiety, depression, chronic illness, fear, and so much more. What is it you are struggling with? Where has the enemy tried to bring you down? Take it all and give them to Jesus.

I once did this exercise with a spiritual director, and it was helpful. In your quiet time with the Lord, visualize a basket. Take your burdens and put them in the metaphorical basket. What thoughts have you believed that you know are lies from the enemy? Put them in the basket. What fears are you facing? Do you have something that feels overwhelming? Is there something making you anxious? Take these things captive and place them in your basket. Now visualize yourself taking this basket and putting it at the foot of the cross. Leave it at the feet of Jesus and believe in your heart that He died for everything in that basket so that you could live in complete freedom. You have victory in Christ over everything that is not from Him. Make sure you leave it at the cross and don’t take it back with you.

“Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”

1 Peter 5:7 ESV

“And great crowds came to him, bringing with them the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute, and many others, and they put them at his feet, and he healed them.”

Matthew 15:30

I hope this has brought you peace. Rest in the victory Jesus has given you. My new understanding of a win vs. a victory is, a win is winning a battle, a victory is winning the war.

Prayer

Jesus, thank you for who you are. Thank you for living as a man so you could experience everything we experience. You went to the cross and died a horrific death for each of us. And you rose from the grave. Death could not hold you. Words can not express our gratitude. Thank you, that when we believe in you, we too can have victory over the grave. In Jesus’ precious name. Amen.

The concordance I referred to above is “Strong’s Expanded Exhaustive Concordance Of The Bible.”

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