To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne.  (Revelation 3:21)

In the Bible book that contains John’s apocalypse, Jesus reveals to his disciple an assessment of the seven churches; which, in the apocalyptic symbolism where the number seven represents completeness, is the assessment of the church in its totality.  It is a sobering read because the body of believers is clearly beset.  That it is persecuted should come as no surprise, but what is shocking (or should be) is the parlous internal conflict. 

To each representative church in turn, he speaks to individuals gaining victory.  To the Ephesians:

To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.  (ibid 2:7)

To Smyrna:

The one who is victorious will not be hurt at all by the second death. (ibid 2:11)

To Pergamum:

To the one who is victorious, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give that person a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it. (2:17)

To Thyatira:

To the one who is victorious and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations – that one “will rule them with an iron sceptre and will dash them to pieces like pottery” – just as I have received authority from my Father. I will also give that one the morning star. (ibid 2:26-28)

To Sardis:

The one who is victorious will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out the name of that person from the book of life, but will acknowledge that name before my Father and his angels. (ibid 3:5)

To Philadelphia:

The one who is victorious I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. (ibid 3:11)

And then lastly to Laodicea (see the head quotation).  And every promise is accompanied by the phrase, ‘whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches’.  This is a familiar refrain of Jesus; suggestive that few, not many will heed and act on his words.

But what is this victory of which he speaks?  The word is νικάω nikaó which is verb that derives from nike, victory.  The tense is present active, so it suggests a continual struggle and is better understood as ‘one who is the process of gaining victory’ or ‘is overcoming’.  The victory is attained not in one act but in a lifetime of strife and resistance – and that with and within the church.

Clearly then as now, saving faith is eroded by heretical teaching, such as that of the Nicolaitans (what this is exactly is not fully recorded) or by individuals, false prophets like Jezebel.

Throughout the history of the church Jesus warns that the body of faith is corrupted – the illustration of the Parable of the Wheat and the Tares shows that God wills this to happen, for Satan can do nothing without divine sanction (Matthew 13:36-43).  Overcoming is then not only a work of sanctification, but contesting the corruption of the church, the earthly manifestation of his kingdom.  

Faith and work were pulled apart by the Lutheran reformers, who dismissed the Lord’s half-brother when he asserted:

As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead. (James 2:26)

While Jesus declares his atoning work is enough and complete by his final words from the cross (‘it is finished’ – John 19:30), to secure personal salvation requires a response.  All Jesus’ statements to the ‘one who is victorious’ are conditional: ‘the one that…’; if any conquer, then the promise is fulfilled.  Paul speaks of the victor in a race:

 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last for ever. (1 Corinthians 9:24-25)

Perhaps there is and has never been a more prevalent heresy, that somehow by Law, or race (say that of Jacob) or even by the cross, any escape individual accountability for acts.  Paul uses another analogy of the goal within the body of faith:

For we live by faith, not by sight. We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So, we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due to us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad. (2 Corinthians 5:7-10)

This then is judgment of believers and note this echoes Jesus promises of eternal consequences for earthly deeds; but what of those who do not make it their aim to please the Lord; are they unvictorious? Are they even present at this believer’s judgment at all?

There can be no assurance of salvation without contending with sinful desire, and this on a daily basis.  And the definition of sin is only found in the Bible. 

The battle, of course, is one of seeking righteousness over wickedness.  The former means nothing more or less than aligning with God in every deed and thought, the latter is everything else; there are no petty sins, no peccadilloes: sin is sin.  Thus, the battleground is the heart.  Yet Jesus places this battle in the of the apostate church, which will attempt to amend or even ignore the commandments of God.

However, Jesus does not leave any alone in this struggle – even to the Laodicean church, materially rich yet spiritually impoverished, he says this:

Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.  (Revelation 3:19-20)

This then is a process, in which any might share the Lord’s supper. 

First, Jesus will ‘rebuke’; ἐλέγχω elegxo which means to expose or convince with compelling evidence.  So, first being open to and seeking conviction of sin, and that cannot happen without confession, that is rooting out and acknowledging everything that runs counter to God. 

Second is discipline; παιδεύω paideuó whence English derives ‘pedagogy’, the instruction of children.  Next then, one is required to be as children, open to learning and correction, in other words, humble and pliant.

Third is earnestness; ζηλόω zéloó whence English gains ‘zeal’ and hear Jesus means total commitment.  Contrast this with the ‘lukewarm’ nature of the Laodician church (ibid 3:16).

Lastly comes repentance; μετανοέω metanoeó from meta ‘after’ and noiéō ‘think’, this then is to think differently after the process of conviction, instruction through zeal. 

The promises of God are not easily or lightly gained, it seems. Jesus calls out to all and can be heard by those who have ears to hear, and it is a message of change.

 I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.  (Luke 5:32)

It may come as a shock to the followers of Christ, who think themselves secure in his work, that something else is required by way of response.  Jesus urges all to be victorious over sin; moreover, to share in the spoils of that victory means overcoming apostasy and heresy within the church. After all, that corruption is licensed by God to test faith and resolve.