The Victory Life

Back in 1976, Dan Stone wrote an article called "The Victory Life." It still holds some precious truths for us today:

"Union-life is the summit position for living the Christian life. You know the truth of the above sentence if you have personally discovered union-life. Union-life testifies to a union of believer and Christ.

"Many know the unsettledness produced when their Christian knowledge is restricted to the Christ of history coupled with a vague idea of the Person of the Holy Spirit. It is a life of spiritual 'Highs and lows.' However, let me hasten to add that the Christ of history is still the saving Christ of the Cross. That is, we first know Him in this revelation: the Christ of the Cross.

"The typical Christian's response to this limited understanding of Christ is to try to offer Him his best in personal commitment. This commitment takes the form of religious service, activity, and an outwardly moral life. Ah, but we are all familiar with the results. They are defeat, discouragement, and disillusionment. We are left with religion separated from life. Most of us finally ask ourselves, 'Have I been cheated?'

"I have experienced this sequence myself. I was saved, so I wanted to offer God something in return to show my gratitude. So I did. The result was an inner spirit of frustration. Some good was accomplished; no doubt about that. But I had no abiding sense of His eternal Presence within. It was as if He were 'out there', remote from what was taking place in my life. I was unsure of myself. Re-dedications to do good were frequently made in my 'secret closet.' I would run the maze and once again exit at the same end: frustration.

"I have concluded that the revelation of the Christ of the Cross does not reveal to the believer his full and complete victory. It only confirms to him his justification from sins.

"Victory Life is different, though Christ is not different. Only our revelation of Him is altered. I have likened the difference to the view a theater audience has of a stage. When the curtain is only slightly open, they see a part. But when the curtain is fully extended, they see it all. The stage scenery has not changed; but the view has.

"What are some of the altered views in the Victory Life?

1. FROM EXTERNAL TO INNER REALITY

"A person with the union-life perspective transfers from the external Christ, who works for him and for Whom he works, to the internal Christ. This internal Christ lives in him as his 'I'. Paul states it so well in the familiar Galatians 2:20, 'I have been crucified with Christ, it is no longer I who live, but Christ Who lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.'

"Of all the New Testament writers and figures other than Christ, Paul was the unparalleled exponent of this 'mystery'.

"Once a believer discovers the inner Christ, usually he seeks a special gift as the confirming sign of the Indweller. At this point the Holy Spirit is more likely to be viewed as a Power than as a Person. But as his vision matures, the believer moves from an absorbing concern with ecstasy and external miracles as confirmations of the Holy Spirit's Presence, to a fixed awareness of His inner Presence.

"Compare it to moving to a new home; you consciously remind yourself of its location, the telephone number, and maybe even the house number. You even consciously point the car in the right direction at 5:00 p.m. But as soon as you are settled in, you live spontaneously. You are the unconcerned occupant of the new home. You are fixed in the awareness of where you live.

2. FROM DOUBLE TO SINGLE VISION

"One of the Biblical statements of the Victory Life position is 'seated in the heavenlies.' The statement has to refer to an inner position, for there is no way to conceive of this position literally. This statement represents the believer who sees himself in the Victory Position. This position causes a Christian to see God in all circumstances.

"With our spiritual vision we see with the single eye (Matt. 6:22,23 KJV). Single vision sees through the external appearance of separated opposites and declares God is the One working in every event to accomplish His own purposes.

"As products of the Fall we start by seeing all things in terms of opposites: light and dark, sweet and sour, good and bad. The fallacy of this viewpoint is to consider these opposites as truly separated rather than complementary.

"Union-life does not deny what is seen; it does deny the finality and reality of what is seen. Union-life says that God is using every event to cause the person or persons to come to Him. Single vision says God is the only real Person in the universe. The entire universe is form through which God manifests Himself.

"Thus, persons occupying the Victory Position see God operating on that side of the opposites where we usually deny His Presence.

3. FROM TIME CONSCIOUSNESS TO NO-TIME (ETERNITY)

"Another consequence of Victory Life is the awareness of the timelessness of the 'heavenlies'. Previously, we were imprisoned by the necessity for God to constantly manifest Himself to us in order for us to be sure of Him. But once we experience Victory Life, we sense that time, as we use the term, is not a reality in the spirit realm. A study of scripture shows that things are considered as completed now in God's sight. Our fixed inner awareness tells us that events are completed which may not yet be finished in the earthly time sequence.

"What we have sensed in our inner consciousness will be manifested at some time. But our anxiety, or our 'taking thought' over that anticipated manifestation, is erased, for we have already seen the conclusion in the spirit realm. The need for physical proof is removed. We see it done. God is bound; He will manifest. We rest. We praise. We thank. We need not ask again.

4. FROM STRIVING TO RESTING

"Though the list of Victory Life by-products is long, the last one I want to discuss here is Rest. When you see God only (single vision), you have seen the heavenlies where God alone is Sovereign. When you have moved into eternal time where the Sovereign is the Conquering King, you have the desires of your heart, for your heart is His heart. You have entered the Sabbath-Rest. Of course, rest does not mean inactivity; it means activity from the position of full supply--the position of a co-son and joint heir. You are the vessel of the Victorious King. You live easily and spontaneously, calling the things that be not as though they were (Rom. 4:17). You know who you are!

CONCLUSION

"This Victory Life is the overcoming position. I am persuaded that the Holy Spirit desires to lead every believer to this position. I am further persuaded that God uses all events of our lives to press us into seeing this position as our resting place. For it is only here that we operate as fully-functioning sons."