Romans 8:37/ When You Feel Like A Loser
"No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us."
Romans 8:37
My guess is that more people have won championships wearing Nike clothing than any other sporting brand. You think about Tiger Woods and his 18 majors. Roger Federer and his 20 Grand Slam singles titles. Michael Jordan and Lebron James with their combined 10 NBA championships. Then there's Michael Phelps, Serena Williams, Venus Williams, and Cristiano Ronaldo among the hundreds of other athletes who have won championships wearing Nike apparel.
The word "Nike" is derived from the Greek word "nikos" that Paul used here in Romans 8:37 when he wrote the English word, "conquerors." It describes "an overcomer, a champion, victor, or master."
But in light of Jesus Christ's victory on the cross the word "nikos" wasn't strong enough, so Paul tagged on the Greek word "huper" to form the English phrase, "more than conquerors." The word "huper" literally means, "over, above, and beyond."
Paul is saying anyone who puts his faith in Jesus and is living in the blood-bought love of Christ is an overwhelming victor. It's a "blowout" to use modern sports terms. We haven't just won, we crushed the competition. And we may love a close match in sports for entertainment purposes, but I prefer an overwhelming victory when it comes to beating sin, satan, and death. That's what we have in Christ.
I think many of us don't feel like "hupernikao" some days. Sometimes we feel like we are losing. Or worse, that we are losers. But if we have responded to the love of Christ through faith we are dominate victors. We may not see that at times. We may not feel that at times. But that's who God says we are and He cannot lie (Hebrews 6:18).
We are not losing. We are not losers. Through Christ, we have won. Our failures and shortcomings along the way will not change that reality. But oftentimes we let these things determine how we view ourselves. They can seem so monumental in the moment-- times where we have given into temptation, acted faithlessly, indulged the flesh, given up hope, hurt someone, or disobeyed Christ in any way. We tend to forget what Christ has done on the cross and focus on what we have done in our sins. But these shortcomings are actions, not an identity.
The greatest opponents to our souls—namely, sin, satan, and death--have been crushed in Jesus sacrifice on the cross and His glorious resurrection. That's why we are more than conquerors "through Him who loved us." So, we are not defined by our sins, instead we are overwhelming victors in Christ. Let's remind ourselves of that today.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for securing the victory. I couldn't have overcome sin, satan, and death without you. Help me walk in that victory today. Help me see myself as a winner. Help me fight off the lies about who I am. Empower me to overcome temptation. Empower me to confess my sins and turn from them, and to embrace your steadfast love. Thank you for your forgiveness. Thank you that you're working in my life.
If you want to dig deeper into this, need help, need prayer, or have questions—please reach out to us here: Roots Help & Prayer Form.
In Christ,
Pastor Kevin