Saved or victorious–which would you rather be? One is past tense while the other is present tense. I pick victorious.

Thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:57.

We were saved, we are being saved, and we will be saved. That’s the power of the cross. The first is justification, the second is sanctification, and the third is glorification. Other than consenting to the Spirit for these things, we really don’t have much to do with them. He does them for us. Otherwise, salvation would be by our works.

How does salvation work in our daily lives? How do we gain victory over the circumstances we find ourselves in, the situations we create for ourselves, and the addictions that keep us bound? Here’s the way I see it:

1. Christ saved us for fellowship with Him. He’s our friend and confidante.
2. The Father wants us to be just like Jesus. Really? No pressure here…actually, it’s not as difficult as we think it might be. You see, Jesus is helping us through His Spirit to learn how to be like Him so that we don’t self-destruct. We are our best person when we are pursuing righteousness and holiness.
3. We are now in tune with the Spirit who walks with us, eats with us–He never leaves us. He guides us, speaks to us, reminds us, and warns us. We just need to learn to listen.
4. We are in training to be godly, or, God-like.

There’s a cool passage that describes this arrangement:

²² You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; ²³ to be made new in the attitude of your minds; ²⁴ and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Ephesians 4:22-24

We put off the old self and put on the new self. When we forget and act out of our old selves, then we repent quickly and deal with the consequences by acting out of our new selves. God doesn’t waste anything. His goal is our godliness. So, go ahead and kick yourself when you fail, but know that God is already resetting the next set of circumstances for us to be victorious. All we have to do is listen to Him and act out of our new selves–you know, the ones created in true righteousness and holiness.

He loves you. He really does. He enjoys your company and is rooting for you. We can live victorious lives if we walk with Him daily, speak to Him routinely, and obey Him consistently. Being saved is good; living a victorious Christian life is better.

Abba, may those who “prayed the prayer,” but never launched on their trek with You get started today. It’s never too late to follow Jesus. Make us godly, Abba. Make us just like Jesus. Amen.