The Choice, Victim or Victor

By:  Dale Weckbacher

John 10:10

 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

(ESV)

The world is in the middle of an extreme spiritual battle and in John 10:10 Jesus draws the dividing line in this battle.  On one side, we have the thief, Satan, who wants to steal, kill, and destroy.  On the other side of the battle line is Jesus Christ who came to give us abundant life.  Neutrality in this battle is not an option for every man and woman finds themselves on the side of Satan and destruction at birth unless they choose to cross the line and join the side of Jesus Christ (Isaiah 64:6, Romans 3:23). 

While this choice would appear simple, after all, who would choose their own destruction, Satan is also known as the deceiver (Revelation12:9).  This deception began in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3) and Satan even attempted to deceive Jesus the Son of God to achieve all authority by worshiping him and bypassing the suffering of the cross (Luke 4:5-7).  The difference in these two accounts is that Adam and Eve fell prey to Satan’s deception while Jesus fended it off with the Word of God (Luke 4:8).  This deception continues today with what I believe to be a dangerous trend in our world, the acceptance and even rewarding of victimhood in our world. 

The riots in Ferguson are an example of people believing they are the victims of racism feeling justified in destroying property while law enforcement, those with a sworn duty to protect people and property were ordered to look on and do nothing.  (1)  A similar situation occurred during riots in Baltimore.  (2)  One of the reasons for this is that political charlatans profit from perpetuating racism and want there to be more victims that will give them their vote on election day.  (3)  While there are true victims of racism, instead of going after racist individuals or organizations, those profiting from racism paint a picture of a nation or world that is racist and promise those believing they are victims of racism that they will fix the problem when their true agenda is perpetuating the picture of national racism in the interest of continuing to profit from its perpetuation politically and economically. 

Feminism also has its share of charlatans that profit from creating victims of sexism as well.  According to a recent article appearing in the Federalist, feminism is its own worst enemy.  The premise of the article is that to promote gender equality, feminism defines gender as a socially constructed phenomenon meaning it is a product of social practices rather than innate characteristics such as biological gender differences.  (4)  While I agree a man and a woman of equal qualification should be paid the same in the workplace, to ignore the biological differences in the genders logically leads to depriving women of special needs, such as medical needs they have due to their biological differences. 

Once again, however, just we observed in racism, there are political charlatans who profit from feminism through the creation of victims.  One such instance is a reporter clicking on a trailer for the remake of Ghostbusters and when he pressed the dislike button because he was revolted by what he saw, soon discovered he had taken a stand against the rights of women everywhere.  (5)  There is little doubt some feminist charlatan used this data to raise funds for their organization.  Once again, we see organizations profiting from creating victims of feminism with no intention of ending sexual discrimination for that would end their ability to raise funds.

These two examples demonstrate a dangerous trend in our society, the perpetuating and creating of victims and deceiving them into believing some individual, organization, or government program will improve their lives and end their victimhood when the truth is these political charlatans intend on perpetuating and profiting from their victimhood.  In contrast, Jesus Christ finished his work on the cross and became a victor by conquering death through his resurrection (John 19:30, Romans 8:2).  We therefore do not need to live our lives as victims but can live lives of victory through Christ. 

This does not mean that all our problems or struggles magically vanish when Jesus comes into our lives but it guarantees us eternal live (John 3:16) and assures us a victorious life beyond the struggles of this life.  While we will still have struggles in this life (John 16:33) instead of having to depend solely upon some person or program that has an incentive to perpetuate victimhood, we can take it to the one who has overcome the world. 

We have a choice, victimhood or victor.  I encourage everyone reading this to choose victor by trusting the one who victoriously conquered sin and death by accepting his free gift of salvation by praying with me,

Dear Lord Jesus, I know I have sinned (Romans 3:23) and know that the penalty for my sin is death (Romans 6:23).  I ask you to forgive me of my sin and cleanse me as you promise in your Word (1 John 1:9).  I believe you died, was buried, and resurrected from the dead and now declare you Lord of my life.

You now have victory over sin and eternal life.  Now when struggles come or you feel victimized, do not wallow in victimhood but take it to Jesus the victor who overcame the world (John 16:33).

1. Howley, Patrick. EMAIL: Missouri Democratic Governor ORDERED National Guard To Stand Down During Ferguson Riots. dailycaller.com. [Online] The Daily Caller, January 22, 2015. [Cited: March 12, 2017.] http://dailycaller.com/2015/01/22/email-missouri-democratic-governor-ordered-national-guard-to-stand-down-during-ferguson-riots/.

2. Newman, Alex. Sheriff: Baltimore Police Ordered to “Stand Down” Amid Riots. www;thenewamerican.com. [Online] The New American, May 1, 2015. [Cited: March 12, 2017.] https://www.thenewamerican.com/usnews/crime/item/20787-sheriff-baltimore-police-ordered-to-stand-down-amid-riots.

3. Washington Examiner. Racism for fun and profit. www.washingtonexaminer.com. [Online] Washington Examiner, January 6, 2015. [Cited: March 12, 2017.] http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/racism-for-fun-and-profit/article/2558228.

4. O'Brian, G.R. Feminism Is Its Own Worst Enemy. thefederalist.com. [Online] The Federalist, August 31, 2016. [Cited: March 12, 2017.] http://thefederalist.com/2016/08/31/feminism-worst-enemy/.

5. Bosha, Will H. The Rise Of For-Profit Feminism. www.the odysseyonline.com. [Online] Odessey, October 18, 2016. [Cited: March 12, 2017.] https://www.theodysseyonline.com/the-rise-of-for-profit-feminism.