Rom 8:35-37 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. ESV
If God had declared that we were conquerors it would have been awesome. But He didn’t! He declared us “more” than conquerors. The question is why? Here are five possible reasons, each one in itself “more” than enough reason:
Because Our Enemy is Much More Than Our Equal
In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul reminds us just who we are dealing with…
Eph 6:12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. ESV
If our enemy were natural [in the flesh] our victory would be natural but he is not. He is supernatural and therefore the victory Jesus has given us is supernatural, making us more than conquerors.
Because the Length of the Warfare in Which We Have to Engage the Enemy
Battles between enemies in the natural often mean that soldiers are fighting day and night. But there comes a time when armies can’t continue for any number of reasons; exhaustion, out of ammunition, bogged down by weather, etc. But in our supernatural battle there is no pause, there is no truce. Notice that the text in the Greek is in the present tense … “for your sake we are being killed all the day long. The moment we became a member of the bride of Christ we were automatically enlisted into His army and became a target for the enemy; the world, the flesh, and the devil. There is never a moment of reprieve from battling with the enemy. And that makes us more than conquerors.
Because the Result of the Battle is Eternal
We often forget that the issues involving eternity are settled in this life, therefore the result of the battle is eternal. Because of the love of Christ we, as His bride, will be in heaven, but “what we are” in heaven depends on how we have yielded to Him in the battle. Have we been obedient and allowed Him to win through us? The battle which we fight in Christ is eternal, making us more than conquerors.
Because We Receive Rewards That Outshine Anything in the Natural
Our rewards in the spiritual are far more that could be given out to soldiers in the natural who fight for earthly glory. The bride of Christ fights for an incorruptible crown and inheritance that is never taken away, making us more than conquerors.
Because the Cause of Our Warfare is Infinitely Superior to Any Earthly Cause of War
The supernatural warfare in which the bride of Christ is engaged is the cause of Christ; there is no greater cause in heaven or on earth. The object of our warfare is Satan, who has been the pretender for the throne of God from the beginning. In this war we are God’s resistance force [His underground fighters] in the enemy’s territory. We are waging a war against a a force that is vastly superior to us alone. But it is a force that, unlike Jesus’ bride, is fighting without a just cause. And because our cause is just, we are more than conquerors.
From the outside looking in we appear to be in tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, danger, or sword. But within we are able to rest in the Lord. We are just like Israel standing on the edge of the Red Sea with Pharaoh hot on our heals and we hear Moses’ voice …
Ex 14:13 And Moses said to the people, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. ESV
In essence, the same stillness that Israel exhibited is ours. As David said … Be still, and know that I am God. And then God gave him the peace that passes all understanding. As we are in the midst of our supernatural battles, that which seems to be our losses, our suffering, is turned into victory. As Paul said:
2 Cor 12:10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. ESV
Which is another way of saying … We are more than conquerors!