We Are Overcomers Series

Who are we in Christ? This message today is for those “in Christ,” who know Jesus as Lord and Savior. Last week we considered that as a "New Creation in Christ," we are His workmanship (Epheisans 2:10), His work of art, His masterpiece. As his workmanship, as His masterpiece -what good thing, if anything, will Jesus ever withhold from us? One verse I want to key on today is:

Romans 8:37 (CSB) No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

Some days I don’t feel much like a conqueror, this coronavirus has lot of people down, feeling defeated. But as Christians, we rise above our circumstances as we shall see today. God’s way of measuring victory is not the world’s way. That phrase, “we are more than conquerors” in the Greek is one word, “hypernikomen” found only here in the NT. It means to utterly defeat, more than the norm. The Latin Bible translates this word as “super conqueror. The root word means to overcome, like where Jesus says He has overcome the world (John 6:33 NASB) or in Revelation 2-3, Jesus tells the each of the seven churches “to him who overcomes” (NASB, NIV, NKJV) there will be a reward. Who are we in Christ? In Christ, We are overcomers.

In fact, we more than overcomers, we are super conquerors, we have “Victory in Jesus” (sounds like a good title for a song!). Putting this verse into context so we can fully understand what it means to be more than conquerors in Jesus, we will look at the last 9 verses in Romans 8.

Romans 8:31–39

February 15, 2017, 21 Egyptian Coptic Christian were martyred on a beach in Libya in North Africa, by Islamic State (ISIS) terrorists. Bishop Demetrios, Chancellor of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Chicago, writes in the Wall Street Journal, that “These Coptic Christian hostages were executed for no other reason than their faith in Jesus Christ. As horrible as the episode was, it also offers inspiration and testimony to the power of faith. The 21 men executed that day were itinerant tradesmen working on a construction job. The executioners demanded that each hostage identify his religious allegiance. Given the opportunity to deny their faith, the Egyptians declared their faith in Jesus as their Lord. Steadfast in their belief, even in the face of evil and certain death, each one was beheaded.” However, one man out of the 21 was not from Egypt, but from another unknown African country. According to some sources, he was not originally a Christian, but he saw the immense faith of the others, and when the terrorists asked him if he rejected Jesus, he reportedly said, "Their God is my God", knowing that he would be killed. Bishop Demetrios writes, “In that moment before his death, he became a Christian! The ISIS murders seek to demoralize Christians with acts like the slaughter on a Libyan beach. Instead, they stir our wonder at the courage and devotion inspired by God’s love!" [1]

God turns defeat into victory. Who were those that overcame? Who were more than conquerors? Jesus tells us:

Matthew 10:28 (CSB) Don’t fear those who kill the body but are not able to kill the soul; rather, fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

In our passage today, Paul asks a series of 6 questions, each building on the previous. It is like a courtroom setting where the lawyer asks question to build up his case. What Paul will show us is why we are overcomers, why we are super conquerors.

First question:

Romans 8:31a (CSB) What then are we to say about these things?

What things? Paul is about to draw a conclusion for the defense of the Gospel that he began back in chapter 1 and summed up in verse 30.

Romans 8:30 (CSB) And those he predestined, he also called; and those he called, he also justified; and those he justified, he also glorified.

This verse deals with our end state as Christians. It is in the prophetic past tense, meaning it is so certain that God speaks of it in the past tense, as if it has already happened. So, considering the certainty of the Gospel and how it applies to our lives, what do we say to these things?

Second Question:

Romans 8:31b (CSB) If God is for us, who is against us?

Rhetorical question. The expected answer is no-one. Consider: “If God is for us,” that is mind boggling all by itself. Who could ever be against Almighty God? We need God view of world. He sees far more than the here and now. He has all of eternity is sight. James says this life is just a vapor, it here and gone (James 4:14). We need a view of eternity. This God who has made Himself known to us; He is for us. Hell is no longer a consideration for us. Building on this: