More Than A Conqueror

"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: 'For your sake we face death all day long, we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.' No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us." - Romans 8:35-37

The whole notion that we are "more than conquerors" sounds a bit foreign, doesn't it? I think that's because most of us go through life feeling mostly defeated, or beaten down, or at a loss somehow.  I mean, if you and I having coffee together what do you think the conversation would turn to after the customary pleasantries were exchanged? Would it be shared stories of how we prevailed or were victorious? Perhaps. More likely, though, we would begin to share our struggles, worries, concerns, and fears.

I'm no theologian, but I did a little research on this passage and it appears that the Greek word used here to say "conqueror" is used in other places in the bible as to "prevail completely over" or as an "overcomer". Regardless, the idea is in being a conqueror once and for all. Not temporarily. Not just for life's particular battles, challenges or struggles here or there (for they will keep on coming, no matter what we do) but over all of them as a whole.

Some non-believers like to criticize believers for thinking they are blessed and better than anyone else, or don't face the same issues as everyone else. Some of this criticism is deserved, especially when believers get the message wrong and advance it too self-righteously. But, the truth is, believers and non-believers alike share many of the same burdens of life. You don't get a free pass on hardships when you walk in faith. If you look closely, you'll see that Jesus didn't either.

The difference is in the hope believers have that, whatever the burden, it will be overcome, if not in this life, then in the next. In this context, every pain is a process. It still hurts. It's still serious business. But it's not ever going to defeat you. Because simply by knowing that it is temporal in nature and by having an eternal perspective on life? You've already won.