The World part 4 - The Nature of Our Victory.

These things I have spoken to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation: but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. John 16:33.


In the above scripture Jesus tells his disciples, and through them us, to be of good cheer because of his victory over the world. Through the victory of Christ we inherit he same victory and have also overcome the world. In that same chapter Jesus tells the disciples of the coming opposition of the world and the comforter he will send to help us while we endure the world’s opposition. Jesus goes on to say that in that day in his name we can call God our father and we won’t need him to pray for us but that the Father through Jesus will hear us because he loves us.

We through Jesus become God’s children and members of God’s kingdom in the earth.

We should note that Jesus had not yet gone to the cross so his victory at the cross for all people was not this victory over the world he spoke of. His victory over the world had already happened. What was the victory of Christ? Christ’s victory was not to be deceived into becoming part of the world system. He had victory because he lived as a citizen of the kingdom of heaven and not of this worlds system. He was not a part of the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye or the pride of life. For this reason we should be of good cheer because through Christ we also have victory of the three pronged attack of the world. This does not mean that at salvation we become perfect but that through Christ we can tear down the works of the deception of the world working in our flesh. Each day we become more and more like him and have more and more of our old nature transformed into his likeness.

The nature of our victory is to overcome this world and conquer its system in us and in the world around us through the love of Jesus. Through his love we set other people and ourselves free from the tyranny of the world’s system and in this way expand the kingdom of heaven in the earth.

Next week: Our victory in action.