"As He is, so are we in this world."

                                                          1 John 4:17

      In Romans chapter eight, verse thirty-seven, we are told: "Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us." A conqueror is one who comes into his greatness through conquest. During the four hundred silent years between the Old and New Testament, Greece came into power by conquering the Medio-Persian Empire. The leader of that great conquest was Alexander the Great. He obtained that name by successfully conquering the vast empire of the Medes and Persians. He never lost a battle, and at the early age of thirty he was considered a military, tactical genius. Greatness was ascribed to him as a result of his great victories. Men such as: Pompey, Caesar, and Napoleon, all viewed Alexander as the greatest military conqueror of all time.

     I am quite sure that in the Apostle Paul's mind, he might have even been thinking of such men as Alexander when he spoke here of a conqueror. But even in all that greatness, Paul elevated our greatness in Christ above all such accomplishments! We are called "more than conquerors," not because of our great achievements, but because of Jesus Christ's great achievements! We are identified as being more than a conqueror not by conquest of our own, but by our right of inheritance in Christ Jesus! The moment we stepped over the threshold into the kingdom of God we entered into his greatness. For anyone to think that we can achieve greatness or somehow attain it by our own accomplishments is absolutely preposterous. It has never been a part of the plan of God for us to achieve what we were born into. When a person is born into a family of greatness, that greatness is conferred upon them. It becomes there endowment. There is no requirement placed upon them to attain royal status. It is their right to royalty, because they are of royal birth.

     In the kingdom of God, each and every one of us is born of God. All the great and mighty attributes that dwell in our heavenly Father came into us by virtue of the new birth. We are to be partakers of his divine nature (2 Pet. 1:4). David even made the statement: "Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; his greatness is unsearchable" (Psa. 145:3). Paul spoke of his own calling as one who should preach among the Gentiles, "the unsearchable riches of Christ" (Eph. 3:8). We cannot fathom the depth of such greatness. It boggles our minds. Yet, it is absolutely essential that we accept the privilege we have been granted to be identified with such prominence.

     The vast majority of Christians struggle far more with sin-consciousness than they struggle with sin itself. They have been entrenched in a concept of being far less than what they are. When John said, "As he is, so are we in this world," he meant that all that Christ is now, at the right hand of the Father, is how we are in this world! Instead of constantly measuring our spiritual identity to Christ by our performance, we need to measure our identity by his performance. It is so important that you understand that the righteousness of God lifted you up to the status of being "more than a conqueror." Your efforts to be what he has made you are meaningless, if you think that you can achieve it by your own goodness or religious works. The just shall live by faith. That is why the Bible declares: "We believe and therefore speak" (2 Cor. 4:13)!

     The greatness of Christ and his mighty work in redemption was all accredited to us. It is up to us to determine whether or not we believe and receive what was accomplished for us. Let this sink down into you today: "But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom and righteousness, and sanctification and redemption" (1 Cor. 1:30).