Christ won the victory for us on the cross, but that is no reason for us to live a carefree life thoughtlessly. We are called to be soldiers of Christ, faithfully fighting the good fight of faith. Why?
The cross is a starting point
Friends, Christ won the victory for all of us at Calvary. When He shed His blood, we were given the chance to be forgiven (see Hebrews 9:22). When He died, He nailed our sins on the cross (see Colossians 2:14). At His death He disarmed the enemy and rendered him powerless against all who are living in the Spirit of God (see Colossians 2:15). In His resurrection He gave hope to all men and seated those who are in Him beside Him in the heavenly realm (see 1 Corinthians 15:14-19; Ephesians 2:6). Yes, He has won the victory for us (see 1 Corinthians 15:57).
But that doesn't mean the fight is over.
You see, my friend, the cross is actually the starting point for all of us who believe. At the cross we find the way to be reconciled with God. At the cross we receive a new life in Christ and are given a new identity as sons and daughters of God (see 2 Corinthians 5:17; Romans 8:15). At the cross, our sins and our flesh have been crucified. At the cross, we have been stripped of all that is fleshly, carnal and sinful, and have been positionally restored to what we really are: God's chosen people, called to take dominion. At the cross we were given a new reason to live (see 2 Corinthians 5:15).
The cross became for us the starting point of our lives in Christ. And because Christ has ascended into heaven, we as His ambassadors carry on the privilege of sharing in His work of salvation – by being His mouth, hands and feet to the people who don't know Him and have Him as their personal Lord and Saviour (see 2 Corinthians 5:20).
Christ has won the victory
We fight the good fight of faith because we know that Christ already won the battle for us. We merely bring His message of salvation and victory to those who are still blind to the truth that in Christ, we can be set free. That in Christ, we can be reconciled to God. That in Christ, we are freed from sin, death and the devil.
We fight the good fight because Christ fought our fight for us. And we live to proclaim His victory. We live to show how He has been good to us. We fight to show all men that God loves them. We fight to show the enemy that he has been defeated. We fight because we are excited for Christ's return.
We fight the good fight of faith because of Christ Jesus who won our victory (see 1 Timothy 6:12).
