Overcomer

Overcomer – another word that has had a trigger effect from my past. It is usually associated with the idealism of perfectionism and has strong connections to the compulsive idea of eliminating every tiny little sin from your life so you can be perfect enough to get to heaven. Because of this my mind has to do a double-take and rethink the implications and context whenever I hear this word.

I just looked up this word and its variations in the New Testament and I noticed that it appears five times just in the book of 1 John. Then I counted seven times that it appears just in the messages to the churches in the beginning of Revelation. It is obviously very important to God so I really should find out the truth about this word and maybe unlink it from whatever is triggering a misunderstanding in my own mind.

Blessed is he that overcomes that he... This is the message from heaven that links blessing and overcoming. But a new thought came to my mind recently from another verse that talks about overcoming. “Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Rom. 12:21) This took me back to another revelation that I received while listening to some of Jim Wilder's Munchies. It really made sense to me and gave me a good context that helped explain a lot of other things about salvation history.

He explained that in the Old Testament the authority over the earth was under the control of Satan who had usurped it from Adam. Under those conditions basically God's instructions to His people could be summarized as containment and defense against further spread of evil. Many of the Old Testament laws and proscriptions we designed primarily to defend against the continuing spread of the effects of sin in the world.

But when Jesus came and regained authority over this world through His perfect life and death and replaced Adam as the head of the human race, the basic rules of operation dramatically changed. After the resurrection, instead of containment of evil, a new method of operation went into effect. Now extravagant amounts of grace flooded the world and evil was to be overwhelmed with good, not just defended against. God opened the floodgates of heaven to pour grace and love through anyone willing to be used as channels so that the whole earth could be flooded with the glory of God. Blessing was available in abundance through Jesus Christ and His followers were to be witnesses of the incredible, transforming power of God's love as Satan's power no longer had the monopoly on earth. His authority was lost and he could only operate as he could trick humans into relinquishing their God-endowed authority to him on an individual level through temptations.

With this condition in mind, it can now be seen that the idea of overcoming takes on a whole new light. Instead of thinking with Old Testament style reasoning of trying to contain and eliminate sin through meticulous observances of rules and performances, overcoming is an attitude of opening our lives as growing channels of grace to flow through us from God to overwhelm the sin and despair all around us. It is a whole new dimension that we are not yet very familiar with or think about. But that is what the New Covenant is all about – filling the earth with the glory of God through His people.

The New Covenant is still a covenant however, with all of the implications of how a covenant operates. I found an interesting connection to this when I took a look at 1 Cor. 13 viewing it as a description of God Himself as well as the fruit that will be seen in the lives of His followers.

Since God is love it is not a stretch to put in God's name in place of love in this chapter and then see what the results reveal about Him. God bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails...

I looked up the word translated “bears” because I wanted to see better what it really might mean. I was surprised at the strong connection that it has to the principles of covenant. The word “bears” in the original means, to roof over, i.e. to cover with silence (endure patiently):--(for-)bear, suffer. This is covenant language that is also found in Psalm 91. “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” (Psalms 91:1) This is a direct statement of protection obvious to those who live in a culture that understands covenants. While it is very unfamiliar to western thinkers, covenant arrangements are stronger than life itself to people who live in those societies. There is even something called a threshold covenant that means that even if a stranger or an enemy steps across your threshold into your house you are obligated to protect them with your own life and treat them hospitably until they leave your dwelling.

Given this understanding of covenants, 1 Cor. 13:7 and Ps. 91:1 are both talking about a covenant protection arrangement that God has for His people who enter into covenant with Him. As long as they are under His roof they can rest completely assured of His protection for them in whatever way He chooses to express it.

Psalm 91 continues to expand on our understanding of the fabulous benefits of covenant relationship when the key words are carefully examined. But I will leave that for another day.