Invincible

Invincible

Recently, I subscribed to Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Day. One day, the word “invincible” came to my inbox. It means, “Incapable of being conquered, overcome, or subdued.” My mind immediately went to 1 John 5:4-7, which says, “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory which overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God? This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness because the Spirit is truth. For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.”

Our text reminds us Who Christ is. It says that He did come to earth as God incarnate. That is, in the flesh. Our Lord conquered death. Without this truth, our faith would be vain (1 Corinthians 15:14, 17), and we would be “of all men most miserable” (1 Corinthians 15:19). Through Christ, we have victory.

Since we have victory through Christ, we don’t have to live defeated, and we shouldn’t. Salvation delivered us from the bondage of sin. We have a new Master. There is none other. No one has ever cared for us like the Crucified One.

We don’t have to yield to our flesh or give in to Satan’s temptations (1 Corinthians 10:13). Sin affects more than just us (Romans 14:7). We shouldn’t be like a dog that returns to its vomit. Jesus did so much more than give us fire insurance when He suffered, bled, and died at Calvary. We are His ambassadors. We are to glorify the Lord. In basic terms, that means we are to make God look good. People should look at us and say, “They have been with Christ. They are not citizens of earth.” This means we need to get alone with God and spend time in prayer and our devotions. When we are in close communion with our Good Shepherd, our thoughts become more holy and sanctified. Our minds are girded with truth. Walking close to God won’t make us sinless (while we still have this flesh), but it can help us sin less.

There is no reason to sin. Paul said that we are not ignorant of Satan’s devices. The word “device” means “purpose” and “disposition.” The devil knows that he lost us at salvation. So now he is set out to hurt our testimony where we make God look bad. That is the opposite of glorifying God. Not only do we know our adversary’s devices, but we also know his tactics or methods. First John 2:15-17 says, “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.”

In the Garden of Eden, Satan tempted Eve by these methods in verse 16. Genesis 3:6 says that Eve saw that the tree was good for food (lust of the flesh), was pleasant to the eyes (lust of the eyes), and was to be desired to make one wise (the pride of life). Satan approached Jesus, the Creator of all, in the wilderness using the same temptations. After fasting for forty days and forty nights, Jesus was tempted to turn stones into bread (lust of the flesh). Satan tempted Jesus when he set Him on the pinnacle of the temple by daring Him to jump off while twisting Scripture (the pride of life). The final temptation encapsulated all three tactics. The devil knew that Jesus was born to die and tried to give Him an easier route. But our Savior remained “obedient unto death, even the death of the cross” (Philippians 2:8). Jesus never gave into temptation; He lived a perfect life without sin.

When Christ’s strength flows through us, we are made more than conquerors over the various trials and temptations that come into our lives (Philippians 4:13; Romans 8:35-37). Plus, we have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, Who can comfort us in our storms. He will even guide us into all truth (John 16:13) so that we can make clear-headed decisions. Apostle John also tells us that “greater is He that is in [us] than he that is in the world (the devil)” (1 John 4:4). Nothing is too hard nor impossible for God (Genesis 18:14; Jeremiah 32:17, 27; Matthew 19:26; Mark 10:27; Luke 1:37; 18:27). We must remember that the Holy Spirit is not a feeling nor an influence; He is God.

Let us encourage ourselves and each other in the Lord and be reminded of Who God is and who we are in His Son, Jesus Christ. Our Commander-in-Chief has already won the victory. Let us live in it.