You Have The Upper Hand - Life as an Heir of God

“Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? . . . No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.” (Romans 8:35, 37, NLT).

The message of Romans 8 up to this point is that, by virtue of our position in Christ—a gift of God’s grace and received by faith—our own sins and mistakes have no bearing on our standing in Christ or God’s overwhelming love for us. We are righteous, free, accepted, understood, empowered, favored, and blessed. Our sinfulness—including the guilt and shame that accompanied it—will never separate us from Jesus.

Neither will anything else. Not even extreme circumstances such as calamity, persecution, hunger, destitution, danger, or death can interrupt our relationship with God. He may correct us and discipline us, but he will never cease to love us and work for our good. Though some people grow disillusioned through hardships and pain, we have every reason to draw close to the Lord through those experiences. In fact, they create a platform for him to demonstrate his overwhelming victory in us. We are “more than conquerors” through them (8:37, ESV).

There is therefore never a reason to live as defeatists in this overwhelmingly victorious Kingdom. Our well-being is not subject to circumstances. In fact, circumstances are subject to us—or rather Christ in us. We aren’t sheltered from all persecution and pain; rather, we follow the path walked by Jesus (Isaiah 53:3-10), Paul (2 Corinthians 4:8-10), and many others who have felt like sheep for slaughter (Romans 8:36). But just as Jesus’ suffering and death led to resurrection and glory, ours does too (8:17-18). In all of life’s battles, we have the upper hand.

Re-Envision Your Victory

Many believers associate pain and hardship with God’s disfavor. But God favors us in the midst of it all. Even calamity, persecution, hunger, destitution, danger, and death have no power to separate us from his love and make no statement on our relationship with him. They don’t serve as evidence that we are out of his will, lacking enough faith, or walking without God-given authority. They’re simply the context in which his love and our faith are proved.

Refuse to see your journey of faith as a defensive battle. You aren’t just equipped to survive. You’re empowered to thrive, even in crises and conflict. In Christ, you have the upper hand and the assurance of overwhelming victory in all of life’s challenges. Your Savior is more than a conqueror of sin, death, and all the ravages of the old humanity. In him, so are you.

Scripture Passages

• Romans 8:35-39
• 1 John 4:4
• 1 Corinthians 15:57-58