“God Gives Us Victory!” 1 Cor. 15:57
There is a battle going on. The Apostle Paul uses war and athletic competition to help us understand just that. We all have experienced and know firsthand that losing is not fun. Winning is our goal and it feels great. When we are dealing with life and death victory not only feels good but is absolutely a necessity. The battle needs to be won!
A pressure situation? Absolutely! A coaching colleague by the name of Jim Wacker had a favorite quote. “Do your best and don’t sweat the rest!” That eased the pressure for his athletes in the competitive world of college athletics. What about us in our extremely intense battle in this secular world?
The good news, the Gospel news, is the victory is won. We just need, as Paul tells us, “to fight the good fight,” which is another way of saying, “Do your best and don’t sweat the rest!” The “rest” has been won for us. We claim victory in Christ, through Christ and with Christ. The victory is won!
Question: How often is the word victory used in Scripture?
Answer: The number of times the word “victory” occurs in the English Bible depends very much on the particular version one uses. This is because a variety of Greek and Hebrew words are used to communicate the concept. The Revised Standard Version contains forty-four occurrences of the word. In its Old Testament use, the concept of victory signifies more than just a military conquest, though it includes that. For the writers of the Old Testament, victory is ultimately something that comes from the Lord, and it is the Lord who carries on the fight.
