One of Paul’s favorite phrases to describe our relationship with Christ as believers is “in Christ.”
When we’re born again through faith in Christ, Jesus comes to dwell in us through the presence of the Holy Spirit. So, where I am, Christ is, aware of everything I encounter, because He’ll never forsake me. His presence is a spiritual reality. This is the basis of our daily victory.
But also when we’re born again, the Spirit places me “in Christ.” My presence in Christ is also a spiritual reality. So Christ is in me and I’m in Him. Where Christ is, I am. Everything He’s experienced is shared by me. This is the basis of our eternal victory.
Now, when it comes to the Christian walking in victory, it’s important we recognize what we need victory over. We need victory over is sin; and Christ gives us victory through His death, burial, and resurrection.
Because Jesus paid the penalty for my sin in my place through the cross, I am saved from the sin’s penalty. If I’ve trusted Jesus as my Savior and Lord, I will not go to hell to be punished for sin, because He took my hell for me on the cross. I’ve been saved from sin’s penalty.
And one day, I’ll be eternally saved from sin’s presence in heaven.
“But nothing that defiles or profanes or is unwashed shall ever enter it, nor anyone who commits abominations (unclean, detestable, morally repugnant things) or practices falsehood, but only those whose names are recorded in the Lamb’s Book of Life.” - Revelation 21:27 (Amplified)
But what about the time between my trusting Christ and going to be with Christ? I need to learn walk in victory over sin’s power. Paul says every believer has been given the fullness of Christ. In other words, we’ve been provided all we need to know victory over the power of sin.
“And you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority.” - Colossians 2:10 (NIV)
When we fail in our battle with sin, we only need to come to the cross to appropriate afresh the forgiveness provided. We do this to restore fellowship with God. Since we’re His children, our relationship never changes, even when we disappoint Him. But our fellowship can be negatively affected by our sin.
So when this happens, we need to confess our sin, so we can bounce back into fellowship with God and be in a position to walk in victory over sin from that point forward.
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” - 1 John 1:9 (NIV)
A man put an ad in the Lost and Found section of the paper: LOST DOG. Crippled in front paw, blind in left eye, mange on back and neck, tail missing. Recently neutered. Answers to the name Lucky.” And he was a lucky dog. Why? Because in spite of all of what was wrong with him, somebody loved him anyway.
Believers are lucky dogs. Our heavenly Father loves us just as we are but He also loves us too much to leave us as we are. That’s why He calls us to learn about all He’s provided through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus for us to walk in victory over the power of sin.
In secular warfare, tactical victory refers to small victories making overall, strategic victory possible. But in spiritual warfare, it’s the strategic victory won by Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection, that make our daily, tactical victories over sin possible.
Through Christ’s death, burial and resurrection, He’s overcome all the enemies that come against us to tempt us to sin. Namely, the flesh, the world and the devil. Paul speaks here about what is true of us “in Christ” and tells us all God has provided for us to walk in daily, tactical victory over the power of sin and our spiritual enemies.
1. Because believers died with Christ, we have victory over our internal enemy, the flesh - vs. 11; 13a
Before, we were spiritually dead, so the primary influencer in our life was the dictates of our flesh. But now we’ve been made spiritually alive, and can live life on a higher plane.
Through Israel’s history, there were two views of circumcision. One focused on the observance of the ritual. All that mattered was that an Israelite be circumcised according to the law. But the prophets insisted circumcision was only the outward mark of a man who was inwardly dedicated to God. So they talked of uncircumcised lips (Exodus 6:12), circumcised hearts (Leviticus 26:41; Ezekiel 44:7, 9; Deuteronomy 30:6), or an uncircumcised ear (Jeremiah 6:10). Circumcised didn’t mean having a certain operation carried out on a man’s flesh but having a change take place in a person’s life.
Now, one of the heresies in Colossae was that of the Judaizers, who taught that in order to live the Christian life, one had to adhere to all the rules and regulations of the Old Testament law, including circumcision.
So, Paul used circumcision in talking of our identification with Christ’s death, to illustrate that as believers, we’re not bound by the dictates of our flesh. We can now live by the guidance of the Holy Spirit. So, how can I walk in daily victory over the temptations of my flesh?
“In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.” - Romans 6:11 (NIV)
Paul uses an accounting term to tell us to “assess the facts.” I’m dead in Christ to the power of sin. This is something I need to claim daily.
“My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.” - Galatians 2:20a (NLT)
If we had a corpse with us today, we could talk bad about them, invite them to do evil things, or pick a fight with them. What would happen? Nothing. Why? Because they’re dead! So are we in Christ. We need to remember this daily.
2. Because believers are buried with Christ, we have victory over our external enemy, the world - vs. 12a; 13b-14
Only after we’re sure a person’s dead, do we bury them. Now, one of my biggest nightmares is being buried alive. No one wants to experience that horror. So we make sure we only bury people who are dead. Their life in this world is over. They’ve passed on.
Now, we’re buried with Christ, so our life lived by this world’s dictates is over, and we’ve moved on to live on a higher plane. One thing about life in this world is we’re told to be our own boss, to do our own thing, to be our own master. That’s why people who refuse to come to Christ insist that they’re “OK.” And they seek to “justify themselves,” playing the comparison game and saying they’re not as bad as others. So they refuse to come to Christ so they might be justified. Their life usually follows down one of two paths - lawlessness or legalism.
Paul again addresses the false teaching of the Judaizers as he says Jesus took the pressure off us to justify ourselves, and has instead provided our justification through His sacrifice. Now, we don’t need to follow lawlessness or legalism, but can follow the way of liberty, by walking daily in our love relationship with God. We’re free to live life on a higher plane and can resist the temptations of this world to sin.
“For my part, I am going to boast about nothing but the Cross of our Master, Jesus Christ. Because of that Cross, I have been crucified in relation to the world, set free from the stifling atmosphere of pleasing others and fitting into the little patterns that they dictate. Can’t you see the central issue in all this? It is not what you and I do—submit to circumcision, reject circumcision. It is what God is doing, and he is creating something totally new, a free life!” - Galatians 6:14-15 (The Message)
3. Because believers are raised with Christ, we have victory over our infernal enemy, the devil - vs. 12b; 15
Just as Christ has been raised and ascended to a position of victory, so have we. We now have victory over the devil. Now, though the devil can’t take us to hell, he’ll try to make our lives a living hell. One of the ways he does this is through accusation (Revelation 12:10). If he can, he’ll paralyze us with guilt. But we have victory over him.
Martin Luther had a dream where he was visited by Satan, who brought a record of his sins written by his own hand. Satan said, “Is that true, did you write it?” Luther confessed it was true. Scroll after scroll was unrolled, and the same confession was wrung from him again and again. Satan seemed to have succeeded in bringing Luther to the lowest depths of misery. But then Luther said: “It is true, every word of it, but write across all it this: ‘The blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, cleanses us from all sin.’”
“Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” - James 4:7 (NIV)
Conclusion: Paul mentions baptism in verse 12. Baptism is the way in which believers testify to having entered into a personal relationship with Jesus. And the reason is so we might declare that since we have trusted in Christ’s death, burial and resurrection, we have victory over the flesh, the world and the devil. We declare we’re going to live differently, because Christ made us different within and we’re committed to expressing that difference throughout our lives.
Have you been baptized since you believed? It’s not just a nice ritual, it’s a bold declaration. An outward expression of an inward reality.
Have you trusted in Christ and been baptized? Are you seeking to daily follow through on the testimony you made when you were baptized? Everything you need to walk in victory over sin has been provided! Commit today to living in the victory that was eternally won by Christ.
