Victory in Jesus

By Paul Chappell

For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord."

Romans 7:22–25

Eugene Bartlett was a prolific hymn writer. Of the several hundred hymns he composed, the last is the best known. Late in his life he suffered a stroke, which left him mostly paralyzed and unable to speak. Though his health was broken, his spirit was not. He laboriously scribbled out a few words at a time until he had completed the words and music for the final song of his long career. We still sing this song of triumph today—"Victory in Jesus."

Temptation comes to every Christian, but Jesus proved that we can know victory over temptation. Jesus was faced with temptation during His life. The Bible tells us in Matthew 4:1 that the Spirit of God led Him into the wilderness to be tempted. This was an intentional part of God’s plan, both to demonstrate the power of His Son over Satan as well as to provide us with a pattern for overcoming temptation. Jesus responded to each temptation with the Scriptures. This is our pattern—to use the Word of God to overcome the evil one.

As children of God, we go through difficulties and struggles. We face temptation, and we sometimes give in to it and sin. Yet, Scripture promises us that we are victors through Christ. We can rest in complete confidence in the power of God that has triumphed over the enemy. Like Jesus did, we can memorize and meditate on the Bible to have the strength to overcome any temptation.

Today's Rooted Principle:

God has already given us the victory over sin and the world through His Son.