TWO SIGNS OF THE OVERCOMER

Just before Jesus came the first time He sent forth a "voice" to announce His coming. The voice’s name was John the Baptist. John came with one message, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Repentance is the first sign of the overcomer. Yes, we know the doctrine. Yes, it sounds simple. But, so few Christians believe that they have anything to repent of that I am constantly amazed.

Recently I heard the story of an older, all-her-life Christian woman (whose husband is a long-time deacon) who woke up early one Saturday morning to take her grand daughter to have an abortion at the local abortion clinic. Fortunately someone heard about it early enough to begin a prayer chain that, so far, has averted the abortion. The Christian woman was confronted by one of her Christian children, but, sadly, she fails to see that she did anything wrong or has any need to repent. I think we could say that this very thing is true of literally millions of Christians daily with respect to sundry moral issues, including every person who votes for a pro-abortion or pro-"any other blatant sin" candidate in any election. Today’s Christians largely neither discern evil, nor repent of their own evil if they do recognize it. Behold the world. Today is as it was in the days of Noah, people are doing and thinking evil continually.

The second mark of the overcomer is forgiveness. Jesus, over and over again, said that if we will not forgive others, then He will not forgive us. Yet, I routinely run into bitter Christians who adamantly refuse to forgive others (even when the one they will not forgive is really the one that was wronged in the first place and has even apologized to the unforgiving one for offending them!). I believe the root of unforgiveness is a person’s refusal to face reality and repent of his own sins. Because he will not do so, he casts the blame upon another. Until his eyes are opened to his own sin, He makes forgiveness impossible for himself.

Now, if Jesus will not forgive Christians who have not forgiven others, how could that Christian possibly be part of the rapture of the saints? Second, can that unforgiving, unrepentant Christian ever be saved? I do not believe he will be part of God’s firstfruits, but ultimately, I believe, he will be saved. More on that another time.