More than conquerors

Introduction
The apostle Paul addresses this letter to the believers in Rome. In this letter, he gives a thorough and complete explanation of the fact that God loves believers very much through Jesus Christ, that believers are justified as new people, and that they are therefore conquerors and, by virtue of that, cannot be overcome by hardships. Paul says this with conviction – he is convinced that nothing will separate believers from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus, our Lord.
Brothers and Sisters, sometimes we go through hardships and challenges, and these hardships and challenges determine and influence our state of mind, how we feel today and tomorrow, and also our future – yes, our outlook on life.
Just think about it, how hardship / challenges determine our attitude and human relationships.
2. Focus / Reflection
2.1 In light of this, we focus our attention on the passage read in particular, where Paul says we are overcomers and that no hardships or life challenges and realities will be able to separate believers from the love of God through Jesus Christ.
2.1.1 How are we overcomers when we are afflicted by hardship?
2.1.2 What is the impact of God’s love for us, and what does it mean for you and for me?
3. Exposition / Statement
3.1 How are we overcomers when we are afflicted by hardship?
The Apostle Paul says that believers are overcomers. To overcome means that a person has been involved in a struggle. According to Paul, the believer is in a struggle with himself/herself. Your sinful nature versus what the Spirit of God convinces you of – to follow your desires or to obey God. The struggle is also to determine what the Lord wants you to do – how does a believer know this?
In verses 5-11, Paul draws a comparison between a person’s control by their sinful nature and, on the other hand, by their control of the Spirit.
He says that the carnal mind sets on the things of the flesh, but the spiritual mind sets on the things of the Spirit. For to set on the things of the flesh is death, but to set on the things of the Spirit is life and peace. The mind of the flesh is enmity against God, for it does not submit to the law of God, for it neither can, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. According to Paul, when a person allows their sinful nature to control them, it leads to death, while control by the Spirit leads them to life and peace. This is where the struggle lies – to do what your sinful nature convinces you of versus what God wants from us. You win the struggle if you let yourself be led by the Spirit of God and behave like His child. Such people strive to live accordingly. Because it is the Spirit of God that leads you to want to be His child. An overcomer’s life must show that he/she has the Spirit, and he/she testifies with his/her life that he/she is His child. The Spirit of God makes our relationship with God like that of a child towards his/her Father. We are indeed adopted children through Jesus.
Christ’s grace on the cross, but an adopted child is a real child – this does not change the fact that He made us His children through His Spirit. So much so that we address Him intimately and personally as Abba (which means Father). How we address Him indicates the
relationship that exists between you.
The Spirit in the heart of the overcomer leads you to address Him as Jesus addressed Him (Mark 14:36).
In God, the overcomer has a heavenly Father who is greater than your earthly parent, who is also almighty in his love. As your heavenly Father, He is able to control your circumstances so that they work out for your good. God is almighty, and He knows what is best for us – and He is in control.
As an overcomer, you are not only a child of God but also an heir and a joint heir with Jesus. In Jesus, we have a brother, and God lets us get what Jesus got. Part of it we have already received as victors, namely the hardships and the suffering. Suffering is hard, but it proves that we will also receive the rest that Jesus has already received. This is His glory. The knowledge that we will also share in His glory gives us strength and the ability to endure the hardship. It brings hope for everything that has been spoiled by sin – for me and for creation. This is why Paul says that creation longs for salvation. Think of nature that is bowed down as a result of man’s foolish decisions. The knowledge that we are victors and that we will share in the glory of Jesus as victors gives us hope and responsibility – with our lives and what God has set us over.
3.2 What is the impact of God’s love for us, and what does it mean for you and for me?
As overcomers, we have the Spirit of God within us. His Spirit in us is our guarantee that we will overcome everything. Our bodies will be freed, we will be resurrected and made alive forever, and with it the glory of Christ, which is an undoubted certainty.
Just as we were justified in the past (overcame), so we have hope and the sure knowledge that God will also make us overcome in the future.
As overcomers, God makes everything work for our good.
This does not mean that we will not experience any adversity, but that He uses everything,
including the silly things we do and even our sins, for our good.
The assurance means that no bad thing that we encounter can ever permanently knock us down. We realize that even the bad fits into God’s plan for our lives.
This is why Paul concludes with the words:
‘No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.’
Romans 8:37-39 (NIV)
https://www.bible.com/bible/111/ROM.8.37-39
The different steps of how God works with us as overcomers are: He chose the overcomer; He destined them; He called them; He justified them, and He will come to glorify them. This is what it means to be an overcomer.
Conclusion
May the Lord grant that we will not allow our hardships to determine who we are and how we should act, but rather our Salvation through Jesus Christ.
He went before us, He died for us, He suffered for us, He was resurrected, He sits at the right hand of God, and He intercedes for us – that God may bring His glory to us and to creation. There is nothing that can separate us from His love. In Him, we are overcomers.