No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
—Romans 8:35-37
You don’t have to be an athlete to recognize the Nike swoosh. You may even know the founders named the company after the Greek goddess of victory. But here’s something you may not know: the word nike comes from a Greek word that means “over and above victory” or overwhelming victory.
And that’s precisely the word Paul reaches for here. “We are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” More than conquerors, hyper-conquerors, super-conquerors, victors over and above the ordinary. Imagine if you could overcome every obstacle in life just by lacing up a pair of athletic shoes. Of course, no shoe can do that. But I know Someone who can. Christ Jesus has made it possible for us to conquer in every situation.
Now look at the formidable list Paul stacks up, he’s asking what could possibly separate us from the love of Christ. “Tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?” That’s not a soft list. That’s the worst the world can throw at a believer. And Paul wrote it as someone who had tasted nearly all of it firsthand.
And yet his verdict over the whole terrifying list is one defiant word: “No.” No, none of it can separate us. “In all these things”, not after them, not once they’re over, but in the very thick of them, “we are more than conquerors.” The victory isn’t on the far side of the trouble. It’s in the middle of the trouble, while the battle still rages.
Notice carefully where the victory comes from. Not from us. “Through him who loved us.” We are not more than conquerors because we’re strong, clever, or tough. We are more than conquerors through the One who loved us enough to die for us. The triumph is borrowed, but it is real, His victory becomes ours.
So let me ask you something. Are you just surviving today, or are you thriving? A lot of believers are merely getting by, white-knuckling through life as though defeat were the most they could hope for. But that’s not the life Christ purchased for you. Jesus wants you to experience the thrill of moving from victory to victory.
And here’s a word for the day you feel more like a chump than a conqueror, because that day will come. Even if you feel like you spend more time sliding back down the mountain than standing on top of it, God’s promise hasn’t changed. You are still a champion. You are still a super-conqueror in Him. Your feelings don’t set the verdict; His love does.
A true champion never plays afraid, because a champion plays to win, and we don’t play fearing defeat, because the game is already won. So resist the temptation to give in to doubt. Take your stand with Christ Jesus, in the very middle of whatever you’re facing, and watch what He will do.
YOU ARE A SUPER-CONQUEROR IN HIM, NOT AFTER THE TROUBLE, BUT IN THE MIDDLE OF IT, THROUGH THE ONE WHO LOVED YOU.
