S26P5 – Our future in Christ: war no more
1 Cor. 15:24-26
After that (the resurrection) comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to God the Father, after He has made inoperative and abolished every ruler and every authority and power. For Christ must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. The last enemy to be abolished and put to an end is death.
When we first come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, we are taught about the very real warfare for the human soul. We are taught that salvation is important because without it we are lost and bound for destruction. We are taught that joining the ranks of those who love and follow Jesus Christ means gearing up for battle on a spiritual level. And as we grow in knowledge, wisdom and power, we also grow accustomed to being vigilant for this very real battle. We have our eyes and ears attuned to the enemy’s tactics so that we may prevail against him. We become used to being on guard, as we should in this world. We always must be prepared for the fight. But one day Jesus Christ will defeat every single enemy, and there will be war no more.
It is difficult to imagine an existence in which there is no struggle. Daily we must battle sin from within and without, as well as battling the enemy and the world that hates our Savior. We must struggle against illness and discord. The world in which we live is quite the chaotic scene. We run the good race and fight the good fight, and it is easy to forget that one day the race and the fight will be over. Although it sometimes seems so, we are not locked in a perpetual struggle. The battle we endure today lasts only a short time. It is a vapor. In light of eternity, this is merely a brief window in time. This adversarial existence that seems like the norm will be replaced by an eternal existence with no enemies and no war. We are promised that we will one day exit from the shadows and live forever in God’s light with no adversary to concern us.
Our current struggle is real. It is a weighty matter that cannot be taken lightly. Much of scripture is devoted to counseling us on how to prepare for the fight and emerge victorious as Christ was victorious through his death and resurrection. When we grow tired and frustrated from the battles we must wage, let us remember two truths. First, Jesus Christ has already conquered sin and death. They have no power over us and never will. Second, we have the promise that one day every single one of our enemies will be gone forever. Our existence will be one of true peace in which there will be no reason to fear or worry. We will only feel those things which are the fruit of God’s love as we stand in his presence and worship him. Father, thank You for allowing us to join the good fight for your kingdom, and thank You for the promise that one day only victory will remain.