A Certain Victory

1 Peter 1:3-9 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.

My research defines the “abundant or great mercy” in this verse as: special and immediate regard to the misery which is the consequence of sins which is God’s free grace and gift as displayed in the forgiveness of sins as extended to men in their guilt. Isn’t that amazing, God has special and instant regard for your misery when you sin. All you must do is turn your eyes upon Christ and his Word. He will give you relief from the misery you have created.

Now let’s look at this phrase “inheritance incorruptible and undefiled.” Some would have us believe that when we sin as born again believers, we can lose our salvation. I contend that this verse and many others refutes this unbiblical teaching. The inheritance here as described in my Greek dictionary is defined: “kieronomia: Devine salvation, considered both as promised and as already bestowed is designated an inheritance in the N.T. so far as man the heir obtains possession of it” … incorruptible,: the inheritance of the believer is called Apthartos, incorruptible not like the body that is going to be done away with, It is something that the believer receives in this life and will continue to have after this life is over. It is not subject to the same kind of deterioration as the present body in which the believer suffers. Amiantos: undefiled … That which has nothing to do in it that defiles; unpolluted; not capable of fading.

Well, that pretty much says it all … we are heirs to eternal life. Our inheritance is already bestowed, we already possess eternal life. Future sins cannot cause us to lose our inheritance. Our eternal life in heaven is undefiled and incorruptible. Nothing we can do, or not do, will change God’s promised inheritance for us. Unlike mere men, such as Bill Gates or Warren Buffet, our heavenly father cannot change his mind, or lose our inheritance through foolishness, or through the cycles and problems of the world that normal men are subject to. Our Heavenly Father has secured our inheritance eternally on the cross at Calvary … once for all sin, and for ALL eternity. Does that mean there are no consequences for sin? I did not say that … God has also promised rewards in Heaven, which can be lost as a result of sin. Also, as we all know … here and now sin brings negative consequences. But even more worse than that God has promised that to defile His temple will bring His wrath. And worst of all, sin results in separation from God and a loss of the fellowship and guidance from the Holy Spirit. But the good news is that no matter what, we can never, ever, (no way ... no how) lose our inheritance: ETERNAL LIFE WITH CHRIST IN HEAVEN! Praise be to Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

Why would anyone ever reject such an amazing offer of Jesus Christ's free gift of eternal life in heaven? Pride and ignorance. They have been blinded by the god of this world, and his teachings. These are the only answers that I can come up with.

Do you still struggle with areas of sin in your life? I know some might say no … but most likely they will lie about other things as well. Now is as good of a time as any to take a good look at yourself from God’s perspective. Why not start here: Jesus is talking directly to you.

Have you ever thought about what God sees when he looks at you?

He does not see what you or I most likely see. He no longer sees the old you who died along with Christ on the cross of Calvary. Our heavenly father sees each of us as completely new in Christ. And he wants us to see ourselves in that exact same light ... the light of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Redeemer. The old life is not changed but rather exchanged for that which is altogether new. When God looks at our old man now he sees a man whose sins past, present and future ... have been washed away by the blood of Jesus, shed for each of us, on the cross at Calvary.

He wants us to keep our eyes focused on the redeemer … not on our weaknesses and failings. As long as we look upon the righteousness of Christ, we can have victory over the evil one who wants to bring us down. The forces of evil have no power over us when we stand firm with our vision focused on Christ and His Holy Word. We must surrender our hearts and minds to the leading of the Holy Spirit as he leads us to a path of righteousness.

Would you like to have victory over Satan and his demons every time he tempts or attacks you? We can always win over the prince of the world. We are promised “A Certain Victory" each and every time we come up against the enemies of the Lord Jesus Christ.

As Jesus did in the wilderness, we must reject the evil tempter. Again, boldly, confidently, and with courage, we must use the "Sword of the Spirit" the Word of Truth, call out your enemies as Jesus did 2000 years ago. He faced Satan in the wilderness as an example for all of us to follow. The battle plan; sequence of events; and victory is clear:

stand and confront;
refute the lies;
use the Sword of the Spirit;
Satan will retreat;
and angels will come to minister to you.

“Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry. And the tempter came and said to Him, If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” But He answered and said, It is written, ‘MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE, BUT ON EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS OUT OF THE MOUTH OF GOD. Then the devil took Him into the holy city and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down; for it is written, ‘HE WILL COMMAND HIS ANGELS CONCERNING YOU’; and ‘ON their HANDS THEY WILL BEAR YOU UP, SO THAT YOU WILL NOT STRIKE YOUR FOOT AGAINST A STONE. Jesus said to him, “On the other hand, it is written, ‘YOU SHALL NOT PUT THE LORD YOUR GOD TO THE TEST. Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory; and he said to Him, All these things I will give You, if You fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go, Satan! For it is written, ‘YOU SHALL WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD, AND SERVE HIM ONLY.’” Then the devil left Him; and behold, angels came and began to minister to Him.”. Mathew 4:1-11

We face exactly the same temptations today as Jesus did. The lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and the sinful pride of life. all of the attacks we will face can be categorized in under these three areas. And we are to use exactly the same defense against our enemies as Jesus did. When you are tempted by lust or pride, follow the Holy Spirit. Get ready … memorize the word; meditate on it. And when the evil one comes to tempt or attack you, call him out … repeat or read God’s truth to the tempter and Satan and his demons will flee from you every time ...

... and angels will come to minister to you.
God Bless you my friends, Bob