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What the Bible says about Motivation for Overcoming
(From Forerunner Commentary)

Psalm 51:17

Broken spirit means "to be overwhelmed with sorrow." Contrite heart means "to be completely penitent, feeling remorse and affected by guilt, deeply regretful and wishing to atone for sin." "Broken spirit" and "contrite heart" are virtually the same thing. This is further confirmation that spirit is used as an aspect of mind that generates a wide diversity of activity, including, but not restricted to, conduct. It must be clean and right if the conduct that is produced is going to be beneficial. This alludes, then, to our motivations. What is in our heart? What is in our spirit? If our heart and spirit are not right, our motivations will not be right, and our conduct will have the aim of taking advantage, of controlling, of manipulating to one's own ends, self-centeredly rather than selflessly.

John W. Ritenbaugh
The Holy Spirit and the Trinity (Part Four)

John 12:4-6

Judas had been with Jesus Christ for three and a half years, and this occurred some six days before Jesus was to be crucified. John reveals to us Judas' habit. He had been with Christ at campfires and had heard His sermons and teachings. He had been involved in the camaraderie and the special education that a person gets when with a small group. Despite this, Judas never saw Jesus clearly enough to motivate a change in his life. He was a thief from the beginning. He never said to himself, "All these things apply to me, so I have to change." Because of this, his final act was to hang himself—after actually seeing what he was! He had never realized it prior to that time.

John O. Reid
Don't Take God for Granted

Romans 1:16-20

It is difficult for an intelligent person to misunderstand what God says through the apostle. Because of the vile practices that mankind displays before Him, He is not obligated to save anybody! However, He will offer salvation to some as He chooses because He is motivated from within Himself to accomplish His purposes.

God's existence is a truth that some dogmatically refuse to believe. Another, larger population of men and women accept that He may exist, but their acceptance of His existence does not motivate them to live by what He says. Their further commitment to Him is stalled because they refuse to accept and believe His guidance found in the Bible.

A much smaller group believes enough to study His Word and start down the path toward accepting and doing what He says. They may even believe strongly enough to commit to baptism, but for whatever reason, they lose interest, stop growing, and depart from Him and His way.

Finally, an exceedingly smaller group believes with all their heart. They are consistently committed to Him, and His cause becomes their cause in life.

John W. Ritenbaugh
Why Was Hebrews Written? (Part Eleven): God Is Not Silent

Revelation 12:10-11

Revelation 12:11 states that "they did not love their lives to the death," demonstrating an attitude of complete surrender to God, whether or not martyrdom is actually involved. When we come under the blood of the Lamb, we are changed from being slaves to sin to slaves of righteousness (see Romans 6:16-22). Our lives have been paid for; they are no longer our own. Christ requires that we love Him above all else, including our own lives (Luke 14:26).

Satan and his world are diametrically opposed to our Lord and Master's way of life, and we must be willing to accept the consequences of standing in the truth without compromise, even to the point of physical death. Hebrews 11:35 tells of faithful men and women who "were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection." Such a stand, whether the battle is minor or ultimate, demonstrates the value we place on the blood shed for us, and in this way, Satan is overcome.

There is a reason why overcoming is spoken of so highly and rewarded so richly and why there is rejoicing in heaven when Satan is overcome. Overcoming represents success in God's project to create sons and daughters in His image. Our ability to overcome means that we have pursued, with all of our being, the divine relationship offered to us, which has resulted in our resembling the Object of our affection in mind, attitude, character, and action. It means we have so successfully taken on the image of God that, when the ruler of this world approaches, he has nothing in us (cf. John 14:30).

All this begins with the blood of the Lamb and continues because of the blood of the Lamb. Our part is not to focus on Satan or on our sins, though we will certainly be aware of both. Our part is to follow the Lamb and get to know Him because He is the only One who has done what we are trying to do.

David C. Grabbe
How Did They Overcome? (Part Three)


 




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