Should We Expect To Win?
Brad Sherman
Jul 05, 2005


Should We Expect To Win?


Sometime it seems that we Christians are losing the culture wars. It seems that the anti-prayer, pro-homosexual, pro-abortion, anti-family and all things anti-Christian groups continue to advance their agendas while we Christians just keep "taking it on the chin." Many Christians have given up on the idea of seeing our school systems, communities, and governments return to biblical values, except on the occasion of Christ's return. As Charles Surgeon has noted, because it chimes in with our own idleness, this is likely to be a popular position.

Even among those Christians who are actively engaged in this war, I have observed what seems to be a sort of "spiritual schizophrenia." On one hand, they feel a passion in their hearts to stand up and fight, yet in their minds, they don't really believe we can win. In fact, many have been taught and believe that evil is supposed to increase and we are not intended to win such battles. Because of this double mindedness, many fight for a while but soon lose heart, retreating to more "spiritual" matters and wait for the victory to come at Christ' appearing.

The return of Christ will indeed be a glorious victory when the kingdoms of the world will become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ. Jesus Christ will subdue everything and every person who resists Him on the planet, establish His government, and rule the earth with a rod of iron. The people of God will put on resurrection life (immorality) and rule with Him in His kingdom on earth. This will certainly provide a correction to the anti-Christian trends we see all around us. However, this does not mean that we cannot have victories in the present.

In John chapter 11, we read about a certain man named Lazarus who was sick. His sisters were named Mary and Martha. All three were close fiends of Jesus. Word was sent to Jesus concerning Lazarus' condition but Jesus tarried and Lazarus died. Jesus, knowing that Lazarus had died, told his disciples, them, "Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up." But the disciples did not understand, so Jesus told them plainly, "Lazarus is dead."

Upon hearing that Lazarus was dead, Thomas, one of the disciples, said, "Let us also go, that we may die with Him." At first this seems like a very strange thing to say. But many of Christ's followers today have the same attitude. When faced with what seems to be an impossible situation, we tend to give up on the present and look only to the future promised by Christ at the end of the age. In this case, Thomas was almost certainly thinking of the promise of the resurrection at the end of the age as the answer to this impossible situation—the death of Lazarus. This kind of thinking was clearly present in Jesus' conversation with Martha. In this same passage, when Jesus stated to Martha, "Your brother will rise again", her response was, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day." This attitude existed then and it exists now.

As stated above, many Christians have given up on the idea of seeing victory over current problems, except on the occasion of Christ's return, which is the resurrection at the last day. Like Thomas, it is almost as if we are ready to give in to discouragement and die, content to just wait for the victory at the end. Yet, in this account of Lazarus, Jesus gives us a very different lesson.

Martha knew Jesus could do something about the current situation. This is seen in her statement, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You." But, like many of us, she was not convinced he would. When Jesus tried to tell her that He would raise her brother, her response was focused on the victory in the future, not the present: "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day." Jesus told Martha, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live." Martha then apparently chose to doubt her doubts and simply agree with Jesus as best she could. She replied, "Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world." Then, even though Lazarus had been dead for four days, Jesus proceeded to raise him from the dead!

When Jesus said, "I am the resurrection," He gave us the key to victory over the troubles we face in present times. He is the key! He is the key, the answer to every present problem, because He IS the resurrection—present tense. Even though the resurrection at the end of the age is future, Jesus is not, He was present with Mary and Martha then and he is present with us now! He lives today just as He did then. Therefore, we can enjoy certain benefits of the future now, because Jesus is present now. Didn't He promise to be with us always?

We can expect to partake of future benefits now because Jesus has given us the Holy Spirit which is the earnest of our inheritance (see Ephesians 1:13-14). According to the Strong's Greek Dictionary, earnest (Greek: arrhabon), means a pledge, i.e. part of the purchase-money or property given in advance as security for the rest. It was by this earnest (the Holy Spirit), that Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead.) "...God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good..." (Acts 10:38).

The full inheritance of resurrection life (immortality) obviously was not given to Lazarus. He eventually died, otherwise he would be with us today. But as in Lazarus' case, the down payment, the guarantee of the full inheritance to come, is powerful enough to bring about amazing victories in the present! Not only can people be raised from the dead today, something that routinely happens among believers in certain parts of the world, but we can also see amazing victories when it comes to our influence on the culture.

Our full inheritance at the resurrection will include total victory by Christ over the governments of this world. But, because of our earnest payment, we can and should expect to have victories in the present culture war wherever we apply our faith. Just as the future promise of victory over physical death can be brought to bear in the present, so can the future promise of political victory by the Kingdom of God be brought to bear in the present.

Not only can we attain victories in the culture wars, Jesus expects us to! In fact, I believe Jesus is somewhat perturbed at the "give up" attitude that is so common among us. After Martha spoke with Jesus about Lazarus' death, she went and told her sister Mary who also came out to see Jesus. Mary was accompanied by several Jews and they were mourning and weeping. Scripture says that when Jesus saw her and the Jews weeping, He "groaned in the spirit and was troubled."

The word "groaned" is embrimaomai (Greek). It means: to snort with anger; to have indignation on, to blame, to sigh with chagrin. In other words, Jesus was annoyed by their failure to believe and their pitiful attitude that saw no answer to the situation, only grief.

In conclusion

We have an advance payment of future victory. But like the wicked servant in the parable of stewardship (see Luke19:11-27), too many of us are allowing that advance payment to go unused. If we will use it, our earnest payment is more powerful than all the forces of this world.

No, we will not see the whole world bow and confess that Jesus is Lord, except on the occasion of His return. However, we can and should expect to see amazing victories before He returns. We have been told to occupy till He comes. We are to be salt and light to this world. We should fully expect to win battles for the cause of Christ in school districts, city governments, state, and even national governments. We should not find this difficult to believe. After all, the victories of Christ influencing the culture for good is not unheard of. We have many historical examples of such victories. Has Christ changed? Has His power diminished? Of course not!

But we must remember that we are in a culture war. We must fight this war without double mindedness and without retreat till Jesus returns. It is our purpose. In fact, it is fighting this war that prepares the way for Christ's return and prepares us to rule with Him when he appears, but that is a topic for another article.

For now, let us remember: Greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world. Who is he that overcomes the world? He that believes that Jesus is the Son of God! This is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith (see 1 John 4:4; 5:4-5). But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6 emphasis added).

So believe and take action! Roll away the stone that has entombed the victory. Jesus IS the resurrection! Believe and you will see the glory of God!