Christus Victor: Victorious Faith Plows Through Doubt
Christus Victor: Victorious Faith Plows Through Doubt
Mark 9
March 16th, 2025
Movement is the active ingredient of a victorious faith.
Victorious Faith isn’t optimism or positive thinking.
Victorious Faith is gritty forward movement plowing through doubt and anxiousness.
Q: Is it possible for the follower of Christ to carry both doubt and faith?
A: Not only is it possible, it’s probable.
Q: Can doubt and victorious faith coexist long term?
A: No, they are not compatible, one will eventually win out.
The overarching purpose of this series is to displace your doubt and raise your faith in the power of God in Christ.
“What you believe about God is the most important thing about you.” Pastor/Author A.W. Tozer (Drop in pic of AW Tozer)
If you believe God is absent – you will live a self-limited life.
If you believe God is angry – you will avoid interaction with the Life Giver.
If you believe God to be loving – you will want to be in His presence.
If you believe God is powerful – you will live without fear with a forward faith.
Christus Victor Defined
“An element of the atoning work of Christ that emphasizes the triumph of Christ over the evil powers of the world, through which he rescues his people and establishes a new relationship between God and the world.” Gospel Project
At-One-Ment
Motive: The Love of God in Christ. John 3:16,17 (NIV) 16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
At-One-Ment
Objective: The victorious power of Christ which came to destroy the works of the devil. 1 John 3:8b “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.”
The impact of Christus Victor is that we are freed to live in the love of Christ and under the powerful covering of Christ.
Mark 9 teaches us…
Spiritual power isn’t self-contained it is Christ connected.
Christ’s presence brings hope.
Doubt and faith coexist but they are not compatible.
Doubt is overcome by movement. Movement engages the victorious power of Christ.
Mark 9:14-29 (NIV) 14 When they came to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd around them and the teachers of the law arguing with them. 15 As soon as all the people saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed with wonder and ran to greet him. 16 “What are you arguing with them about?” he asked. 17 A man in the crowd answered, “Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. 18 Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not.” 19 “You unbelieving generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.”
20 So they brought him. When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth. 21 Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has he been like this?” “From childhood,” he answered. 22 “It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.” 23 “‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.” 24 Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” 25 When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, he rebuked the impure spirit. “You deaf and mute spirit,” he said, “I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.” 26 The spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently and came out. The boy looked so much like a corpse that many said, “He’s dead.” 27 But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet, and he stood up. 28 After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?” 29 He replied, “This kind can come out only by prayer.”
In order to live in the victory of Jesus, you have to walk with the Victorious Christ. We aren’t given a personal reservoir of power. We are given personal access to God through Christ. He’s the power, we are the conduit to that power. Fresh Power comes out of Fresh Relationship.
“I believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”
I got him here, didn’t I? But this has been hard for a long time, help me overcome the doubt and despair that has taken up residence in my heart!
The man’s doubt wasn’t rooted in a mistrust of Jesus – He came to Jesus. His doubt was sourced by the complexity of the problem and his own limitations.
Q: Is it possible for the follower of Christ to carry both doubt and faith?
A: Not only is it possible, it’s probable.
Explanation: Carrying both is a natural response to the hardship of life. In many cases, we have more experience with the hardship than we do with the victorious power of Christ. Doubt isn’t a salvation issue, it is a growth issue. Everybody has to grow their faith through their doubt.
Q: Can doubt and victorious faith coexist long term?
A: No, they are not compatible, one will eventually win out.
Explanation: Doubt freezes and plants fear. Faith moves and breeds confidence. Movement is the active ingredient to victorious faith. You build faith strength and resolve one win at a time. I am not sure we will ever be able to discard all self-doubt but what I am confident of is that we can get to the place where self-doubt doesn’t dominate faith in Christ.
The first faith move God is looking for is prayer. Prayer is an admission of weakness and an acknowledgment of God’s power. Prayer is an invitation into a problem that far exceeds my ability to change the outcome. Prayer is a transitional movement from doubt to faith in Christ’s victorious power!
26 The spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently and came out. The boy looked so much like a corpse that many said, “He’s dead.” 27 But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet, and he stood up. 28 This is resurrection language! Resurrections are the best thing Jesus does.
Mark 9 Recap
Spiritual power isn’t self-contained it is Christ connected.
Christ’s presence brings hope.
Doubt and faith do coexist but they are not compatible.
Doubt is overcome by movement and movement engages the victorious power of Christ.
Hebrews 11:6 (AMP) 6 But without faith it is impossible to [walk with God and] please Him, for whoever comes [near] to God must [necessarily] believe that God exists and that He rewards those who [earnestly and diligently] seek Him. That is a movement passage. To doubt is human. To trust is divine.
You can plow through self-doubt with Christ confidence. Doubt keeps you stuck. Christ confidence keeps you moving forward.