Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Obedience vs. Victory

Hello friends, I just finished the book I quoted last week, The Pursuit of Holiness by Jerry Bridges, and I wanted to share a couple more thoughts I learned from it.

Obedience vs. Victory- Many people speak and write about victory over sin. This isn’t a bad thing by itself, but I believe victory should not be the focus of our attempt to be holy. It is true that Romans 8:37 tells us we are more than conquerors, and many verses speak about victory over sin and death. However, victory is the effect of something else, so I don’t feel victory should be our focus. Also, victory is a self-centered attitude to have about sin. We seem more focused on our own victory over sin than the fact that every sin we commit grieves the heart of God

God wants us to walk in obedience, not victory. Obedience is oriented toward God, victory is oriented toward self. This might seem like a small difference, but it can have a large impact on the way we pursue holiness in our lives. Obedience places importance on following all of God’s commandments because they all grieve the heart of God. Attempting to live in victory causes us to focus on conquering certain sins that seem to “defeat” us the most frequently. 

Another key difference is the result of our sins. The opposite of victory is defeat. Saying we were defeated by sin implies that something bigger than us that is outside of our control has beaten us. Being defeated by sin is not possible. This is a lie from the enemy designed to steal our effectiveness to produce good fruit. The devil desperately wants us to feel defeated and depressed. The opposite of obedience is disobedience. Saying we were disobedient shows that we knew what we were doing is sin, but we still made the choice to do it anyway. 1 Corinthians 10:13, “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” Victory has already been given to us. Falling into sin is not defeat, it is disobedience. When we are disobedient, we repent and are forgiven which allows us to continue our walk. 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

We have already been given victory through Jesus’ death and resurrection. Our duty is to live in obedience. Walking in obedience will lead to a victorious life that is full of love, joy, peace, and all the other fruits of the spirit.


1 Corinthians 15:54-58 “When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? The sting of death is sin. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

Thanks so much for taking the time to read this. I hope everyone has a blessed week!

In Christ,
Steven Stockwell

P.S. This Saturday is January 22, the 38th anniversary of the Roe vs. Wade decision that legalized abortion in the US. There are many rallies, marches, and other meetings around the country set on this day to promote pro-life legislation. I’m going to the Texas Rally For Life in Austin. One of my good friends, Briana Fischer, will be sharing her testimony at the event. One of the specific focuses of the rally is to support the Sonogram Bill in Texas, which would not allow an abortion to occur until the woman had seen the image and heard the heartbeat of her unborn baby. This has the potential to save countless lives. All are welcome to come. Please pray for this and all other similar events that are going on this Saturday. Here is the website for the event if you would like more info, www.TexasRallyforLife.org.

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