Religion always starts with “demanding.” Christianity always starts with “bestowing.” If I were to speak to a large group of Christians and I asked the question “Who is trying to gain victory, in certain areas of your life, spiritually?”, the vast majority of the people would raise their hand in affirmation. I suppose that most people would feel it would be an attitude of indifference concerning holiness if they didn’t raise their hand, but the reality is, as Christians, we don’t fight for victory; we fight from victory. We begin with victory at our new birth. It is God’s gift to us, so that we can go forth in faith, living a victorious life. Jesus ATTAINED our victory over sin’s power at the Cross, and the moment we became Christians, we OBTAINED that victory as a free gift. Romans 6, and other places in Scripture, make it very clear that when Jesus died on the Cross, not only were our sins laid on Him, but ourselves were laid on Him. Our Old Man, that is the person we once were, condemned and enslaved to sins power, was taken in His person to the place of execution on Calvary’s hill. Because of that reality, His victory over sin was our victory over sin. We are no longer the old man, we are New Creations in whom Christ lives as our life and our victory. Of course, that victory has to be laid hold of moment by moment through faith; but our faith doesn’t earn us the victory, it simply appropriates the victory that is already ours in Christ.
