Victory in Christ
Jesus’ death and resurrection is at the core of the Christian faith. It is because of Jesus that we experience the free gift of salvation. Jesus’ death not only makes up for all of our wrong doing, but it also gives us the opportunity to have a relationship with God.
However, there are many other benefits that came through Jesus’ death and resurrection. One aspect that Paul focuses on in 1 Corinthians 15 is the victory that comes through Jesus.
Scripture says that Jesus’ death not only took care of our sin problem, but He also defeated the power of sin. That means we can experience abundant life by the power of the Holy Spirit living within us.
Jesus’ death and resurrection also defeated the consequence of our sin, which is death. We no longer need to fear death because Jesus has power over it. He came back from the dead, and now He gives eternal, abundant life to those who believe in Him.
This is why Paul encourages his readers to stand firm in their faith. Victory has already been won by Jesus, and as Christians we are partakers in that victory. There is nothing that can take away God’s love. Nothing can remove us from His plan of salvation.
Even so, Paul encourages us to continue to work for the Lord as the work of God will never be worthless. Because Jesus has already attained victory, all the work done in His name will produce victory as well.
So what is the work of the Lord? It is continuing to share the hope and love of Jesus with other people. It is loving God and loving others. All of us have areas of ministry, whether in our homes, neighborhoods, or workplaces. And because Jesus is victorious, we should be confident in pursuing the work God has given us.
So let’s be extravagant in how we love others in our life. Let’s not be ashamed to share His good news with other people.
Your Battle is Won
Have you ever felt overwhelmed by your circumstances or wondered why you keep fighting the same struggle?
Jesus taught us that life as a Christ-follower will be difficult. Our world is filled with broken people—ourselves included—who do broken things. There will be trials and challenges.
When Adam and Eve decided to pursue something “good” apart from God, their decision allowed evil to enter the world. This means there is a spiritual battle that we cannot see, and it impacts our everyday lives.
When we give our lives to Jesus, we join His team—but this also means we become a target of the devil, our enemy. Every bad thing that happens to us is not necessarily a direct attack from Satan—sometimes it’s just a result of living in a fallen, broken world. But there is a spiritual element to every situation because the devil is always trying to draw the world away from God, and he is looking for people to destroy.
When struggles happen, the devil will try to get you to ...