"Our Victory In Christ” Series

One of Paul’s favorite phrases to describe our relationship with Christ as believers is “in Christ.”

When we’re born again through faith in Christ, Jesus comes to dwell in us through the presence of the Holy Spirit. So, where I am, Christ is, aware of everything I encounter, because He’ll never forsake me. His presence is a spiritual reality. This is the basis of our daily victory.

But also when we’re born again, the Spirit places me “in Christ.” My presence in Christ is also a spiritual reality. So Christ is in me and I’m in Him. Where Christ is, I am. Everything He’s experienced is shared by me. This is the basis of our eternal victory.

Now, when it comes to the Christian walking in victory, it’s important we recognize what we need victory over. We need victory over is sin; and Christ gives us victory through His death, burial, and resurrection.

Because Jesus paid the penalty for my sin in my place through the cross, I am saved from the sin’s penalty. If I’ve trusted Jesus as my Savior and Lord, I will not go to hell to be punished for sin, because He took my hell for me on the cross. I’ve been saved from sin’s penalty.

And one day, I’ll be eternally saved from sin’s presence in heaven.

“But nothing that defiles or profanes or is unwashed shall ever enter it, nor anyone who commits abominations (unclean, detestable, morally repugnant things) or practices falsehood, but only those whose names are recorded in the Lamb’s Book of Life.” - Revelation 21:27 (Amplified)

But what about the time between my trusting Christ and going to be with Christ? I need to learn walk in victory over sin’s power. Paul says every believer has been given the fullness of Christ. In other words, we’ve been provided all we need to know victory over the power of sin.

“And you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority.” - Colossians 2:10 (NIV)

When we fail in our battle with sin, we only need to come to the cross to appropriate afresh the forgiveness provided. We do this to restore fellowship with God. Since we’re His children, our relationship never changes, even when we disappoint Him. But our fellowship can be negatively affected by our sin.

So when this happens, we need to confess our sin, so we can bounce back into fellowship with God and be in a position to walk in victory over sin from that point forward.

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” - 1 John 1:9 (NIV)

A man put an ad in the Lost and Found section of the paper: LOST DOG. Crippled in front paw, blind in left eye, mange on back and neck, tail missing. Recently neutered. Answers to the name Lucky.” And he was a lucky dog. Why? Because in spite of all of what was wrong with him, somebody loved him anyway.

Believers are lucky dogs. Our heavenly Father loves us just as we are but He also loves us too much to leave us as we are. That’s why He calls us to learn about all He’s provided through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus for us to walk in victory over the power of sin.

In secular warfare, tactical victory refers to small victories making overall, strategic victory possible. But in spiritual warfare, it’s the strategic victory won by Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection, that make our daily, tactical victories over sin possible.

Through Christ’s death, burial and resurrection, He’s overcome all the enemies that come against us to tempt us to sin. Namely, the flesh, the world and the devil. Paul speaks here about what is true of us “in Christ” and tells us all God has provided for us to walk in daily, tactical victory over the power of sin and our spiritual enemies.

1. Because believers died with Christ, we have victory over our internal enemy, the flesh - vs. 11; 13a

Before, we were spiritually dead, so the primary influencer in our life was the dictates of our flesh. But now we’ve been made spiritually alive, and can live life on a higher plane.

Through Israel’s history, there were two views of circumcision. One focused on the observance of the ritual. All that mattered was that an Israelite be circumcised according to the law. But the prophets insisted circumcision was only the outward mark of a man who was inwardly dedicated to God. So they talked of uncircumcised lips (Exodus 6:12), circumcised hearts (Leviticus 26:41; Ezekiel 44:7, 9; Deuteronomy 30:6), or an uncircumcised ear (Jeremiah 6:10). Circumcised didn’t mean having a certain operation carried out on a man’s flesh but having a change take place in a person’s life.