Victory!

Victory!

But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:57 KJV

It is very important to lay down the context and the foundation for today's extract. A few important points are made clear in today's extract and these points have eternal relevance to us as we seek to walk with God in this present life, as well as the life to come. Paul had been speaking about the coming resurrection and eternal life. Death came in by sin through the first man Adam, and life has now come in through the last man, Jesus Christ. It is this contrast that makes all that God has done even more poignant. I now have this lifetime to decide which one I will hold on to. Am I content holding on to the status of Adam, or would I try out the offer of Christ? How do I know which one is proper? 

In the verse above, there is the word 'VICTORY'. It connotes a fight, a war, a battle, and that the one who fights on the side of God always wins. Today's extract makes it clear that it does not matter how life ends physically; what is important is that I fight on the side of God, using the tools and weapons God has provided and fighting under his leadership and banner. The reason why this victory through Christ is important is because of the alternative, already mentioned earlier. If I did not know the power, depth and danger of death, I won't appreciate the power, depth and scope of the love of God that brought life to man. 

The victory we talk about here cost God something: the life of his Son. His son died like a common criminal, suffering the worst kind of death that was available in Jewish times - being hung on a tree, which was a curse. He did not do anything deserving of such treatment, as he knew no sin, yet those who did sin and should have died walked away from the expected consequences of their sin. The price for sin, which is death, had to be paid, in line with the law of God, and it had to involve blood. The other problem was that the blood here could not be the contaminated version, but one that was pure and could serve as the proper sacrifice for sin once and for all. That is what Jesus came to do for all of us. He paid the price for sin with his life, fully satisfying God's requirements, so that all who come to him in faith may receive the life that is in him. 

That is the reason for the confidence in today's extract. Sin has done its worst; God has given his best. We have been given the victory, but like all gifts, I have to stretch out my hands and take hold of the free gift. It remains a gift if I simply admire the beauty and do not unwrap and appropriate it. Many know about the gift of life, but are not ready to submit their lives to him. How do I turn around and blame God for the exercise of my freewill? God does not compel obedience, even though he demands it, but I would have to do it with joy, because I have come to know God and the price he paid for me to stand where I am. That is the best gift I can give God: a life and its offerings based on a full knowledge and appreciation of all that I have received. I know I did not earn it by works or by influence, but simply by grace. The gift is still available, and all who accept it receive eternal life: the kind that Jesus has. What are you waiting for? Take hold of it and enjoy all that Jesus is forever and ever. God's time of favour is here.