Losing to Win
“But because God has a sovereign plan for his people, and because Christ has freed Christians from their sins by his blood (Revelation 1:5), it is possible for Christians to live victoriously. It’s just that victory will not always look like victory. Like Christ’s triumph at the cross, it will often be an ironic victory; a victory that looks like defeat.”
VICTORY is not always victory.
“When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:
’Death is swallowed up in victory.’
’O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?’
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. ”
GREAT NEWS! We have the VICTORY! We have been set free from the law and punishment of sin. Through Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection, we are no longer bound by death, but have access to eternal life with Him! This is truly good news, the best news even.
The not-so-great news is that that ultimate victory does not mean we will always be victorious in our lives on Earth. We often have the difficult task of holding onto the promise of that ultimate victory while losing our hope in the victories we pray to experience here. We are called to reconcile the painful losses we encounter - health, relationships, lives, finances, and so forth, with the belief that our God always gets the victory.
Victory through defeat:
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
Life can sometimes feel like a series of losses. Society’s definition of winning often fails us; our lives must look a certain way to be considered successful or victorious. Suffering from chronic illness is a defeating process. Death, loss, and other devastating events hardly seem like victories. In this world, the loser is rarely applauded.
But isn’t it interesting that enduring these circumstances brings us to a new place in our faith? Often through supernatural strength, comfort, and perseverance, we begin to see more of God and less of ourselves. God is, after all, an ally for the weak, the poor, and the oppressed. God is for the defeated. You see, God can be exalted when our humanness is compromised. It’s through our weakness that His strength is perfected, and through our brokenness that His wholeness is given and received. It is in our fragility and our mortality, that His omnipotence and immortality are made known.
God’s glorification is victory, and what’s more is that it is eternal. We, however, tend to focus on the ephemeral wins - the wins that make us feel good in the moment, and the wins that look and sound good. Jesus wept at the circumstances and Earthly experiences that held mankind captive. It was in that weeping that Jesus deepened His understanding of His assignment - that His defeat was necessary. Today, most of those circumstances still exist, and we are not exempt from enduring them. And yes, our defeat is often necessary for victory - an everlasting victory - to come forth.
Jesus’ defeat was the ultimate victory. He overcame death by succumbing to death. The same can be true for our defeats if we’re willing to accept them as necessary for not only God’s exaltation and glorification, but also for our own faith growth. The truth is that Jesus has already overcome this world and everything in it. Our losses are a part of that victory. We are victorious!