The Greek goddess of victory was Nike, which also happens to be the name of a United States aerial missile. Both of them are named for the Greek word nike (NEE-kay), which simply means victory. But what does victory have to do with maturing love?
Christians live in a real world and are beset with formidable obstacles. It is not easy to obey God. It is much easier to drift with the world, disobey Him, and “do your own thing.”
But the Christian is “born of God.” This means he has the divine nature within him, and it is impossible for this divine nature to disobey God. “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world” (1 John 5: nasb). If the old nature is in control of us, we disobey God, but if the new nature is in control, we obey God. The world appeals to the old nature (1 John 2:15–17) and tries to make God’s commandments seem burdensome.
Our victory is a result of faith, and we grow in faith as we grow in love. The more you love someone, the easier it is to trust him. The more our love for Christ is perfected, the more our faith in Christ is perfected too, because faith and love mature together.
The word overcome was a favorite with John; he used it in 1 John 2:13–14 with reference to overcoming the devil. He used it seven times in Revelation to describe believers and the blessings they receive (Rev. 2:7, 11, 17, 26; 3:5, 12, 21). He was not describing a special class of believers. Rather, he was using the word overcomer as a name for the true Christian. Because we have been born of God, we are overcomers.
We are told that a soldier in the army of Alexander the Great was not acting bravely in battle. When he should have been pressing ahead, he was lingering behind.
The great general approached him and asked, “What is your name, soldier?”
The man replied, “My name, sir, is Alexander.”
The general looked him straight in the eye and said firmly, “Soldier, get in there and fight—or change your name!”
What is our name? “Children of God—the bornagain ones of God.” Alexander the Great wanted his name to be a symbol of courage; our name carries with it assurance of victory. To be born of God means to share God’s victory.
This is a victory of faith, but faith in what? Faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God! The person who overcomes the world is the one “who believes that Jesus is the Son of God” (1 John 5: nasb). It is not faith in ourselves, but faith in Christ, that gives us the victory. “In the world ye shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
Identification with Christ in His victory reminds us of the several times we have read “as he is” in John’s letter. “As he is, so are we in this world” (1 John 4:17). We should walk in the light “as he is in the light” (1 John 1:7). If we claim to abide in Him, then we should conduct ourselves as He conducted Himself (1 John 2:6). His children are to be on earth what He is in heaven. It is only necessary for us to claim this wonderful position by faith—and to act on it.
When Jesus Christ died, we died with Him. Paul said, “I have been crucified with Christ” (Gal. 2: nasb). When Christ was buried, we were buried with Him. And when He arose, we arose with Him. “Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life” (Rom. 6: nasb).
When Christ ascended to heaven, we ascended with Him and are now seated with Him in heavenly places (Eph. 2:6). And when Christ returns, we shall share His exaltation. “When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory” (Col. 3: nasb).
All these verses describe our spiritual position in Christ. When we claim this position by faith, we share His victory. When God raised Jesus from the dead, He “seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named.… And He put all things in subjection under His feet” (Eph. 1:20–22 nasb). This means that, positionally, each child of God is privileged to sit far above all his enemies!
Where a man sits determines how much authority he may exercise. The man who sits in the general manager’s chair has a restricted sphere of authority; the man who sits in the vice president’s chair exercises more control. But the man behind the desk marked “president” exercises the most authority. No matter where he may be in the factory or office, he is respected and obeyed because of where he sits. His power is determined by his position, not by his personal appearance or the way he feels.
So with a child of God: his authority is determined by his position in Christ. When he trusted Christ, he was identified with Him by the Holy Spirit and made a member of His body (1 Cor. 12:12–13). His old life has been buried and he has been raised to a new life of glory. In Christ, he is sitting on the very throne of the universe!
A Civil War veteran used to wander from place to place, begging a bed and bite to eat and always talking about his friend “Mr. Lincoln.” Because of his injuries, he was unable to hold a steady job. But as long as he could keep going, he would chat about his beloved president.
“You say you knew Mr. Lincoln,” a skeptical bystander retorted one day. “I’m not so sure you did. Prove it!”
The old man replied, “Why, sure, I can prove it. In fact, I have a piece of paper here that Mr. Lincoln himself signed and gave to me.”
From his old wallet, the man took out a muchfolded piece of paper and showed it to the man.
“I’m not much for reading,” he apologized, “but I know that’s Mr. Lincoln’s signature.”
“Man, do you know what you have here?” one of the spectators asked. “You have a generous federal pension authorized by President Lincoln. You don’t have to walk around like a poor beggar! Mr. Lincoln has made you rich!”
To paraphrase what John wrote, “You Christians do not have to walk around defeated, because Jesus Christ has made you victors! He has defeated every enemy, and you share His victory. Now, by faith, claim His victory.”
The key, of course, is faith, but this has always been God’s key to victory. The great men and women named in Hebrews 11 all won their victories “by faith.” They simply took God at His word and acted on it, and He honored their faith and gave them victory. Faith is not simply saying that what God says is true; true faith is acting on what God says because it is true. Someone has said that faith is not so much believing in spite of evidence, but obeying in spite of consequence.
Victorious faith is the result of maturing love. The better we come to know and love Jesus Christ, the easier it is to trust Him with the needs and battles of life. It is important that this maturing love become a regular and a practical thing in our daily lives.
How does a believer go about experiencing this kind of love and the blessings that flow from it?
To begin with, this kind of love must be cultivated. It is not the result of a hit-or-miss friendship! A previous study pointed out that a believer slips back into the world by stages:
1. Friendship with the world (James 4:4)
2. Spotted by the world (James 1:27)
3. Loving the world (1 John 2:15–17)
4. Conformed to the world (Rom. 12:2)
Our relationship to Jesus Christ, in a similar way, grows by stages We must cultivate friendship with Christ. Abraham was “the friend of God” (James 2:23) because he separated himself from the world and did what God told him. His life was not perfect, but when he sinned, he confessed and went right back to walking with God.
This friendship will begin to influence our lives. As we read the Word and pray, and as we fellowship with God’s people, Christian graces will start to show up in us. Our thoughts will be cleaner, our conversation more meaningful, our desires more wholesome. But we will not be suddenly and totally changed; it will be a gradual process.
Our friendship with Christ and our becoming like Him will lead to a deeper love for Christ. On the human level, friendship often leads to love. On the divine level, friendship with Christ ought to lead to love. “We love Him because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19). The Word of God reveals His love to us, and the indwelling Spirit of God makes this love more and more real to us. Furthermore, this love is worked out in our lives in daily obedience. Christian love is not a passing emotion; it is a permanent devotion, a deep desire to please Christ and to do His will.
The more we know Him the better we love Him, and the better we love Him the more we become like Him—“conformed to the image of His Son”
(Rom. 8:29). Of course we will not be completely conformed to Christ until we see Him (1 John 3:1–3), but we are to begin the process now.
What an exciting way to live! As God’s love is perfected in us, we have confidence toward Him and do not live in fear. Because fear is cast out, we can be honest and open; there is no need to pretend. And because fear is gone, our obedience to His commands is born out of love, not terror. We discover that His commandments are not burdensome. Finally, living in this atmosphere of love, honesty, and joyful obedience, we are able to face the world with victorious faith and to overcome instead of being overcome.
The place to begin is not in some daring, dramatic experience. The place to begin is in the quiet, personal place of prayer. Peter wanted to give his life for Jesus, but when he was asked to pray, Peter went to sleep (Luke 22:31–33, 39–46). A believer who begins the day reading the Word, meditating on it, and worshipping Christ in prayer and praise will experience this perfecting love.
When it begins, he will know it—and others will know it. His life will be marked by confidence, honesty, joyful obedience, and victory.