Living in Victory: Our Identity in Christ
Understanding Our Shortcomings
For generations, the Church has been steadfast in teaching humanity about its need for righteousness, the frailty of human effort, and the inability to please God through works alone. There has been a strong emphasis on the denunciation of sin, warning against unbelief, worldliness, and a lack of faith. However, while these teachings are necessary, they often fall short in emphasizing what we have already been given in Christ.
Many believers live with the mindset that true redemption, victory, and peace are only attainable after death. Our hymns and sermons frequently reinforce the notion that we will finally find rest, victory, and true overcoming once we enter heaven. But what about now?
The Present Reality of Our Completion in Christ
Colossians 2:10 declares, "You are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power." When are we complete? In the next life, or this one? Romans 8:37 affirms, "No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us." Again, is this only after death, or does it apply today?
Philippians 4:13 states, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Does this empowerment begin only in eternity, or is it available to us now?
Romans 8:1 proclaims, "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus." If this is true, why do so many sermons emphasize condemnation rather than the liberty and peace we are supposed to have now?
Romans 5:1 confirms, "Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." Yet, many believers live under the burden of doubt, waiting for peace as a future promise instead of receiving it in the present.
Walking in the Fullness of Redemption
Is righteousness something that is merely reckoned to us, or is it a reality we live in now? 2 Corinthians 5:21 states, "God made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God." This is not a future event—it is our present reality in Christ.
Jude 1:24 affirms, "Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy." Is this promise only for after death, or is it applicable to us now as we walk in His presence?
If death is required to cleanse us from sin, then we are left with an unsettling thought—that Satan, the author of death, plays a role in our sanctification. This contradicts the finished work of Christ. If Christ's redemption is complete, then we are made righteous now, not just after death.
A Misguided View of the Christian Life
One of the greatest misunderstandings in modern Christianity is the belief that believers still carry the fallen nature of Adam even after salvation. John 8:44 reveals that the unredeemed carry the nature of their father, the devil. However, 2 Corinthians 5:17 tells us, "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new is here!" If we are new creations, then we no longer possess the sin nature of Adam—we have been reborn with the nature of Christ.
1 John 3:10 states, "This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are." We cannot belong to both. If we have been transferred into the kingdom of God, then we are no longer under the dominion of sin.
The Truth About Separation from the World
The Church often preaches separation from the world, yet the teaching is often vague and confusing. Instead of understanding our position in Christ, many believers continue to struggle, thinking they are bound by the nature of sin. However, Romans 6:14 assures us, "For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace." If we live in weakness and defeat, it is not because God has left us powerless but because we have failed to grasp what He has already provided.
Living as Victorious Believers
The greatest need of the Church today is to understand our true identity in Christ. How does the Father see us? What has He already done for us?
Ephesians 1:3 reminds us, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ." These blessings are not merely for the afterlife but are given to us now.
Colossians 1:21-22 assures us, "Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now He has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in His sight, without blemish and free from accusation." This is not a promise for the future—it is our present position in Christ.
Ephesians 5:27 declares that Christ presents His Church as "a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless." Many assume this is after death, but scripture teaches that this is our current standing in Him.
Declaring the Truth
If the blood of Jesus does not remove the sin nature now, then when will it? If we claim that we will only be made righteous after death, then we deny the sufficiency of Christ’s work. Death is not our redeemer—Jesus is.
Before all of heaven and earth, before angels and demons, we declare that the redemptive work of Christ is complete. We need no assistance from Satan or death to make us whole. We are righteous in Him, victorious in Him, and alive in Him—today.
Final thought
We were never meant to live in constant defeat, waiting for heaven to experience the fullness of what Christ has already accomplished. His victory is our victory now. His righteousness is our righteousness now. We are not merely forgiven sinners barely making it through life—we are new creations, empowered to walk in holiness, free from condemnation, and alive in Christ.
The church must awaken to this reality. If we continue to believe that true peace, righteousness, and victory are only possible after death, we will miss the abundant life Jesus secured for us. It is time to step into the truth of who we are in Him, to stand boldly in the knowledge that we have been made complete, and to live each day in the power of His redemption.