May 25

An Unnecessary Battle

 

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!  ––Galatians 2:20-21

I think the subject of temptation is rarely discussed because it makes us uncomfortable. We are uncomfortable because we lack confidence. We lack confidence because we have not wrapped our heads around the fact that the war with sin has already been won by Jesus. He’s holding a victory parade and we’re still huddled in the trenches. It’s like that Japanese officer who continued fighting in the Philippines for 29 years after World War II ended, refusing to surrender until 1974. A futile, unnecessary battle waged in ignorance.

And that’s what we often do: Fight an unnecessary battle that was won two millennia ago.

Our mindset shifts when we realize that Jesus defeated sin once and for all on the Cross. From that position of victory, we can begin to win the battle over temptation. The difference truly becomes real when we see that our identity—as Jesus actually sees us—is no longer as a sinner just holding on until He returns, but as a saint (Ephesians 1) who is seated with Christ in the heavenlies (Ephesians 2:6) and who is hidden with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3).

We often view sin with a present-tense mindset, but as far as Jesus is concerned, it’s a past-tense problem. Much of the time when we fall into sin, it’s because we are not appropriating the power of our identity in Christ. To put it bluntly, we aren’t taking Jesus seriously when He says He has overcome the world, and that He has already secured victory over sin and death. Past tense for Him, present tense for us! Paul drives home this point to the Hebrews:

 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.  ––Hebrews 4:15-16

So how exactly do we “find grace to help us in our time of need” (e.g., when we are tempted)? Study all the passages that talk about your identity in Christ. Bathe yourself in Jesus’ red letters that talk about who His children are to Him. I also recommend the books Victory Over the Darkness and The Bondage Breaker, classics about the power of our identity in Christ, written by Dr. Neil T. Anderson.

You no longer have to fight a battle that Jesus has already fought and won for you. The more you understand and walk in your identity in Christ, the more agency you will have to overcome temptation. Are the battles easy? No. But it is possible to win the battles because the war has already been won.

Father, help me remember that I am Your child, bought and paid for a price. The temptations of this world are nothing compared to Your love, and to my position as a child of God.