There's a subtle, yet dangerous, distortion of a powerful biblical truth propagated in most Christian circles: the idea that the Body of Christ should embrace complacency because "the battle belongs to the Lord." This notion, often spread by well-meaning songwriters and leaders of religious institutions, can unfortunately lead believers to believe they have zero dominion, power, and authority. This is precisely what the enemy desires – for us to believe this lie so he can prance onto the battlefield with pride and joy, unhindered.
Let's unpack this crucial truth, not by dismissing "the battle belongs to the Lord," but by understanding it within the full context and counsel of God's Word, especially through the lens of the fully accomplished work of Christ.
A Critical Perspective and Vantage Point
We need to take note of the fact that the first Adam abdicated his God-given dominion authority during the fall, effectively establishing an era where mankind had to fend for himself. This was a choice made. Thus, very few individuals in the Old Covenant truly grasped this situation and effectively called upon the help and intervention of YHVH. The victory of Christ changed everything, having restored dominion authority to those who so choose to receive it out of His hand.
The Old Covenant provides contextual insights into such instances where God's intervention in battle was sought. Obviously, this is before the ultimate battle where Jesus achieved total victory:
1 Samuel 17:47 (David and Goliath): In this iconic account, David confronts the formidable Goliath, declaring, "And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saves not with sword and spear; for the battle is the LORD's, and he will give you into our hand."
Analysis: David's declaration wasn't an excuse for inaction. He went to the battlefield, faced Goliath, and hurled the stone. His understanding that "the battle is the LORD's" (Hebrew: la'YHWH ha-milchamah) meant he wasn't relying on his own strength, but on God's overwhelming power to grant victory. The Hebrew word milchamah (מִלְחָמָה) denotes "war, battle, fighting." David recognized that the source of the victory belonged to God, not the human effort. This was a trust in God's ability to fight the fight to completion – a shadow of what was to come on that wonderful and fearful day of the Lord.
Cross-reference: Compare this with Zechariah 4:6, "Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,' says the LORD of hosts." This reinforces the source of true strength, the victory of Yah’shua on the cross.
2 Chronicles 20:15 (King Jehoshaphat): Faced with a vast, invading army, King Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah received a powerful prophetic word: "Thus says the Lord to you: 'Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God's.'"
Analysis: Again, this wasn't a call for slackness. The people were instructed to go out against them (2 Chron 20:16), to stand firm, see the deliverance, and ultimately to praise God (2 Chron 20:17-19). God defeated the enemy for them, but they still had a posture of faith and obedience to take their place. Their action was a response to God's promise, not an attempt to earn victory. It is a shadow of what was to come following the cross.
Other Old Testament passages convey a similar sentiment:
Exodus 14:14: "The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still." (Referring to the Israelites at the Red Sea).
Analysis: "Be still" (Hebrew: charash, חָרַשׁ) here doesn't mean to do nothing, but to cease striving in their own power and instead trust God to act on their behalf. It's a call to cease panic and watch God's deliverance, not to remain stationary indefinitely. They still had to move through the parted sea (Exodus 14:22).
Deuteronomy 1:30: "The LORD your God who goes before you will Himself fight for you, just as He did for you in Egypt before your eyes." Again, a beautiful prophecy of what was to come in Jesus.
Proverbs 21:31: "The horse is prepared for the day of battle, but victory belongs to the LORD."
Analysis: This verse is particularly insightful. It acknowledges the preparation (human effort) but asserts that the ultimate outcome (victory, Hebrew: teshuah, תְּשׁוּעָה - "salvation, deliverance" - and look at the parallel with the name of Jesus) is from the Lord. Though the preparation and participation of mankind may be important, the decisive factor in victory over the enemy is YHVH.
These Old Covenant verses teach that the victory of God is ultimate and final, that He is capable of delivering His people from their enemies and challenges, even when the odds seem insurmountable. This truth liberates us from self-reliance, not from taking part.
The New Testament: Victory Accomplished and Dominion Authority Restored
While the exact phrase "the battle belongs to the Lord" is a direct Old Covenant quote, the concept and ultimate truth it conveys are abundantly present and powerfully amplified throughout the New Testament, however, critically aligned with the Gospel of grace and the finished work of Christ.
Here's how the New Testament expresses the idea that God fought for us and gave us victory, empowering us to walk in dominion:
1. Christ's Finished Victory Over Sin, Death, and the Devil:
The New Testament reveals that the ultimate, decisive battle has already been fought and won by Jesus Christ on the cross. This is the finished work.
Colossians 2:15: "And having disarmed the powers and authorities, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross."
Analysis: The Greek word for "disarmed" is apekdyomai (ἀπεκδύομαι), meaning to "strip off" or "divest oneself of." Christ stripped the devil and his forces of their power and authority over believers. The Greek word for "triumphing" is thriambeuō (θριαμβεύω), referring to a Roman triumphal procession where a victorious general led captives in parade. This signifies an absolute, public, and undeniable victory. The spiritual battle for our salvation and freedom was decisively won by Jesus!
Cross-reference: This resonates with Hebrews 12:2, "looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross..." He finished the work.
1 Corinthians 15:57: "But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."
Analysis: The Greek word for "victory" here is nikē (νίκη), meaning "conquest, triumph." This is not a victory we achieve through our own ability and striving for righteousness, but one given to us as a gift through Christ's sacrifice. It's a settled reality for every believer.
Hebrews 2:14-15: "Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery."
Analysis: Jesus "destroyed" (Greek: katargeō, καταργέω - "rendered ineffective, made powerless, brought to nothing") the devil's power. This doesn't mean the devil ceased to exist, but that his dominion and legal right over humanity were abolished for those in Christ.
2. Empowered Dominion and God's Power in Us:
Because Christ has won the decisive battle, believers are not called to fight for victory, but to fight from victory. Our participation is an exercise of the dominion we've been given in Christ, our rightful inheritance.
Ephesians 6:10-18: While this passage calls believers to "put on the whole armor of God" and stand firm in spiritual warfare, it unequivocally emphasizes that our strength comes from the Lord. "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."
Analysis: "Struggle" (Greek: palē, πάλη) implies wrestling. This isn't passive. However, the preceding verse, Ephesians 6:10, states, "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might." Our strength is His might, not our own. We are called to stand firm (Greek: histēmi, ἵστημι - to set, place, stand) in what Christ has already accomplished. This is an active stance in the faith of Christ and authority that is our inheritance.
2 Corinthians 10:3-5: "For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds."
Analysis: This highlights our spiritual weaponry: truth, righteousness, faith, salvation, the Word of God, and prayer (Ephesians 6). These are not carnal but divinely potent, effective in demolishing "strongholds" (Greek: ochyrōma, ὀχύρωμα - "fortress, stronghold," often referring to dogma, arguments and lies). We are active participants in dismantling the enemy's deceptions, given the divine power to do so.
3. God's Deliverance, Sovereignty (see this post), and Our Inherited Authority:
The Gospel message affirms that God is for us, and His finished work has empowered us with His very nature and authority.
Romans 8:31: "What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?"
Analysis: This foundational verse encapsulates the assurance of God's active support and protection. Because God is for us, any opposition is ultimately rendered futile. This is not a reason to retreat, but to advance with confidence.
Romans 8:37: "No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us."
Analysis: The Greek phrase "more than conquerors" (hypernikao, ὑπερνικάω) literally means to "super-conquer" or "gain a decisive victory." It speaks to an overwhelming, complete triumph, not just a win, but a comprehensive victory that is given to us through Christ. We are not struggling to become conquerors; we are conquerors because of His finished work.
Philippians 4:13: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."
Analysis: This classic verse affirms the divine enablement. The "strengthens" (Greek: endynamoō, ἐνδυναμόω) means to empower or make strong. It is because of what Christ has accomplished and Christ in us (Colossians 1:27) who empowers us that we are able to face and overcome any challenge, not our own limited ability.
1 John 4:4: "You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world."
Analysis: The "one who is in you" is the Holy Spirit, who connects us to the finished work of Christ and empowers us to walk in the victory He secured. We have "overcome" (Greek: nikaō, νικάω - "to conquer, overcome, prevail") because of His indwelling presence, not by struggling to gain something we don't possess.
4. Our Active Role: Resist the Devil!
Crucially, the New Testament also commands us to take an active stance against the enemy, not from a place of fear or man-made self-effort, but from the position of victory that Christ has already established.
James 4:7: "Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."
Analysis: The word "resist" (Greek: anthistēmi, ἀνθίστημι) means to "stand against, oppose, withstand." This is not passive; it's an active, defiant posture. We are called to stand against the devil and his schemes because he has already been defeated. He will flee because he has no legitimate ground to stand on when confronted by believers operating in Christ's authority.
1 Peter 5:8-9: "Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings."
Analysis: Peter reiterates the call to "resist him" (anthistēmi), emphasizing that this resistance is achieved by "standing firm in the faith." This faith is not merely belief about God, but belief in God's finished work and the reality of His victory. The devil, though defeated, still seeks to intimidate and deceive; our resistance is the exercise of our dominion.
The Grace Perspective: Active Dominion from a Place of Rest
The phrase "the battle belongs to the Lord" from a grace perspective is not a call to plead to God for action, rather, it is an active appropriation from that place where we find rest in Christ's finished work.
It means:
The victory is already secured by the Lord. We don't fight for victory, but from victory.
The power comes from the Lord. We don't rely on our own strength or strategies, but on His divine might working from within and through us.
The authority is not delegated by the Lord, but a free gift inherited from God through Yah’shua. Jesus said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go..." (Matthew 28:18-19). We, being one with Him, are sent forth to exercise this inherited authority on earth.
Our role is to exercise the dominion already given. Adam was given dominion (Genesis 1:26-28) that he surrendered, but Christ, the Last Adam, has restored and amplified that dominion for us, in us t triumphantly. We are called to enforce Christ's victory on earth, not to wait for Him to do what He has already empowered us to do.
To be complacent is to disregard the authority and power Christ has already given us through His accomplished work. It's to neglect our role as co-heirs in His kingdom. The battle belongs to the Lord in the sense that He has already won, and He supplied and keeps on supplying all the power and authority we may need. Our call is to stand firm in that victory, put on the full armour of God, resist the devil, and advance His kingdom with the confidence that the Victor lives in us! We are not spectators; we are co-heirs with Christ, enforcing His finished work with the full assurance that the battle has already been decided in our favour.
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