Triumph

The possibilities of triumph in Christ are unlimited. The position to which He has called us is as high as heaven (Eph. 2:6). The power that He has provided for us is the power of omnipotence (Matt. 28:18; Acts 1:3). The wisdom He has in store for us is the wisdom of omniscience (1 Cor. 1:30). The peace He has made for us is the quiet calm of eternity (Col. 1:20). The love which He has toward us is His own infinite being (1 John 4:16). The blessings with which He has blessed us are guaranteed in the heavenly places (Eph. 1:3). The resources which He has deposited to our account are presently and readily available (Phil. 4:13). The battles which we must fight have already been won for us by the triumph of Christ upon the cross (1 Cor. 10:13; Col. 2:15).

It is well for us to go over these assets, not as a miser counting gold, but as a philanthropist balancing his accounts so that he can distribute to the need around him and live plentifully while he blesses others

In a watchnight meeting at the end of the year, a young woman who has suffered for her witness for the Lord gave a testimony of triumph that was a blessing to all who heard it. She quoted the verse of a hymn which, when I heard it, I knew immediately I must procure from her and pass on to others. I have not yet located its source, but the lines breathe the triumph that has been provided for us by our Savior.

I hear the accuser roar
Of sins that I have done.
I know them all and thousands more;
Jehovah findeth none.
For though the angry foe accuses
Sins recounting like a flood.
Every charge my God refuses,
Jesus answers with His blood.

Here is the ground of our faith, the basis of our full assurance, the source of our power, and the comfort of our hope. Here we see ourselves accepted in the Beloved and know that our God, "who spared not his own Son but delivered him up for us all, will also, with him, freely give us all things" (Rom. 8:32). We must never forget that we have eternal life and that it is our privilege to live that life of eternity even in our own world of time. The more we enter into it, the more the things of earth will grow dim and we shall know a life that is a surging triumph.

1. How is it possible that sin so great is forgiven?
2. If Christ is the one who provides that forgiveness, are we the ones who enable triumph?
3. If we cannot save ourselves or sanctify ourselves where does this process come from?
4. If our glorification is in the hands of God, how much more important is it for us to be in prayer and sitting under the sacraments?