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The Christian As “Overcomer”

In Revelation 12:10-11, the inspired writer, John writes: “And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.”

If asked to provide a list of the traits and qualities necessary for good Christian living, what words would your list contain? Certainly we would want to include things like faith, goodness, patience, kindness, compassion, and longsuffering. We wouldn’t want to leave out anything from the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23), or the Christian graces (2 Peter 1:5-7), or the unnamed list given by Paul in Colossians 3:12.

But how many of us would think to include the word “overcomer” in that list? In each of the seven letters to the churches in Asia Minor (Revelation 2; Revelation 3), Jesus holds out a promise. No matter how complimentary or critical He is to each church He addresses, He ends the letter with a promise, a promise to those who “overcome” (Revelation 2:7,11,17,26; Revelation 3:5,12,21).

We hesitate at overcoming as a response to the struggles and troubles of our lives. Overcoming is not the “easy way out” nor is it the path of “least resistance!” Overcoming demands the most, but it also blesses us the most! Too often we want the “easy way” out of our problems and troubles (usually asking God to remove them from our lives, or otherwise protecting us) and, therefore, we often miss out on God’s greatest blessings! (2 Corinthians 12:6-10).

Who could have blamed Jesus if He had slipped quietly into the night from the garden of Gethsemane when He knew the mob approached? Who could have blamed Paul if he had simply “retired” to Tarsus after his turbulent first missionary journey? God provided the enabling strength for Jesus and Paul to be “overcomers,” and He’ll provide the same strength for us; not only the strength to “overcome,” but the promised blessing as well.

As those seven churches faced false teachers, false apostles, immorality, apathy, tribulations, persecution (even to the point of death – Revelation 2:10), and more, their greatest need was to “overcome”.

Compromise, turning a blind eye and a deaf ear, softening their stand for Christ – all of these responses would certainly have been easier, but the promise was to the “overcomer.”

The beloved John gives all Christians encouragment to “overcome” when he writes, “For whatever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith” (1 John 5:4). We as faithful followers of Christ can have this kind of “overcoming” faith because Christ “overcame” (John 16:33). As a result, Christ’s faithful followers will receive the promised blessing of the “crown of life” (victor’s crown) (Revelation 2:10). This is definitely a blessing worth “overcoming” for.