Accepted Overcomer

Now accept the one who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on his opinions

... for God has accepted him. Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand. (Romans 14:1, 3-4)

What does it mean to stand? I don't think it is talking about physically standing because there is a great deal more going on in this passage than physical realities. As I understand it, to stand means the opposite of what we call falling which usually implies being overcome by the temptations of sin. So in this context to stand means to overcome the urges to sin.

Having said that, I realize that this opens up something of a Pandora's box or a can of worms. It launches some people right into the sticky arguments of perfectionism and makes other's eyes glaze over with disgust at the excesses of legalism. But if I am honest and am willing to leave behind my prejudice and preconceived notions in my pursuit of reality and truth, the Word is clear that there is going to be a people who are willing to enter fully into God's rest and are going to have an experience described as an overcomer.

And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death. (Revelation 12:11)

But they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they did not cling to life even in the face of death. (Revelation 12:11 NRSV)

This verse has been one of the key verses bantered about in my church for all of my life and it has great significance for many people. And while I want to disconnect from the legalism that it has often been used to support, I do not want to disconnect from the underlying truth that it reveals. In this verse is one of the most important keys to unlock the mysteries of holiness and salvation. Understood correctly, this verse provides a secret that will enable me to make enormous progress in my Christian development and maturity.

From the verses in Romans 14 it is clear that God is going to work with people who are weak in faith and is able to make them stand up against sin in their life successfully. Those same people may be some whom I am tempted to view with contempt and pass judgment on their opinions according to Paul, but evidently God sees things quite differently with them and so should I. When I link this verse with the one from Revelation, I can begin to see how God is able to make them stand and likewise how I may be able to stand with them as well.

There are two crucial elements present in the lives of those who are seen as overcomers, those who are able to stand before the universe free from the slavery of sin in their hearts. The first element is the blood of the Lamb, whatever that really means. The second is the word of their testimony. The result of the presence of these two powerful ingredients is a disposition that allows them to be so completely free of all fear that even death itself is no longer viewed as a threat that can intimidate them or change their minds and hearts. Implied in this verse is that they are now clinging so tenaciously to something or Someone else that they don't feel the need to cling tightly to their own self-protection. This is exactly the opposite of the theory of evolution, self-preservation and the survival of the fittest.

While I am completely convinced that these two ingredients are able to make me an overcomer who is able to stand in the presence of God without sin, I am not so confident of my complete perception of the real meaning of these most important phrases. I have spent many years wondering about the real truth behind this phrase the blood of the Lamb, and I have felt quite dissatisfied with most explanations circulating about it. In the past few years I feel like I am getting closer to perceiving the real truth about this symbol as I have grown in my understanding of the bigger picture of the real controversy going on that is far more expansive than most every realize. And as my frame of reference has dramatically expanded, so too have my beliefs about the real nature of the blood of Jesus and how it fits into this picture as they have been moving to a completely different perspective.

I have always felt uneasy with the almost magical nature that seems to be attributed to this concept of the blood of Jesus typically promoted in religion. While I will not deny that His blood has incredible power to transform lives and deliver people from the power of sin and death, the real reason for this has been obscured by the simplistic formulas that many people propose. This symbol, I am coming to believe, works in our hearts much differently than has been typically taught and can only be properly perceived by adopting a radically different perspective on what is really going on in the great war between Christ and Satan. When the context is clarified then the ingredients within that context suddenly take on a whole new meaning and much greater power.

Without the time to explain this fully, I will try to simplify it greatly by saying that when we begin to see that the real issues at stake in the battle with sin are about God's reputation instead of our personal comfort and security, then everything involved in this battle takes on a whole new meaning. When we cease to view God as the problem that must be solved by appeasing His supposed wrath and begin to perceive that it is our hearts that are full of wrath and rebellion against the ways of love; when we begin to glimpse the fact that we are the ones who are terribly deceived and confused about reality and that God is doing everything imaginable to attract us back into intimacy with His heart of power and life and love where we can thrive and be fully alive. Then we will begin to view the real purpose of the cross and the blood of Jesus radically different than ever before.

In Romans Paul declares that God has accepted the ones whom He enables to stand. Don't read that wrongly! God's acceptance is not based on the fact that they are able to stand but He produces that ability to stand. The cause and effect order are extremely crucial to get right or else we become vulnerable to the subtle perversions of Satan's lies about God and about us. When I begin to grasp with my heart the reality that God unconditionally loves me, is crazy about me, is doing everything possible to attract me back into perfect harmony with Him so that I can live and thrive in the presence of His enormous power and passion, then I will begin to perceive the reasons for Jesus' death differently than I thought before and I will be spontaneously empowered to overcome sin as I give my personal testimony to the truth about God and His work in my life.

It just occurred to me that maybe I have come across the counterfeit of true testimony. Passing judgment and criticizing others is the counterfeit of being a true witness and testifying to the real truth about God. In relating to others, especially within the church, I have the option of viewing them with contempt or viewing them through the eyes of Jesus and sharing the testimony of how He is transforming my life through the ongoing revelations of His love to my heart.

God, remove from me all desire to judge and criticize others. Fill me with Your passion, with Your perspective, with Your desire to lift up and encourage and to save. Make me a cleaner channel of Your powerful, life-changing love today.

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