A Promise to Overcomer’s
He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says unto the churches; To him that overcomes will I give to eat of the tree of life (Rev. 2:7).
The word overcome denotes a victor, a champion, or one who possesses some type of superiority. Often this word was used to portray athletes who had gained the mastery of their sport and ultimately reigned supreme as champions in the competition. It might also refer to a military victory of one foe over the other. The word also can be translated to control, to conquer, to defeat, to master, to overcome, to overwhelm, to surpass, or to be victorious.
This means Jesus was conveying two messages. First, He told these early believers that the only way to defeat the foes they faced was for them to maintain the attitude of an athlete. To win the contest before them, they had to eliminate all spiritual apathy and prepare for the toughest competition they had ever engaged in.
Nothing less than a full commitment would be sufficient to master the exterior adversaries and interior struggles they were facing. Whether Jesus’ imagery referred to a runner, wrestler, discus thrower, or any other type of First Century athlete, His message was clear: Only a thoroughly committed believer will win a victor’s crown.
Because the Greek word nikao was also used militarily to depict the absolute crushing of an enemy, Jesus’ words held a second meaning: He was calling believers to rise up like an army to attack and defeat the external and internal enemies that threatened them. Spiritual complacency and the lack of passion were intolerable enemies of their faith that had to be conquered. They were to wage war against the weaknesses Christ had brought to their attention. Winning this victory would require the highest level of determination they had ever known, for apathy and complacency are always the most difficult enemies for a person or a church to conquer.
It must also be noted that the tense for “overcome” speaks of a continuous and ongoing victory. This means Christ wasn’t urging these believers to run a temporary race or to fight a short-term battle. He was demanding a commitment to start and to remain in the race until the finish line was reached and to attack and defeat their foes and then to remain victorious over their enemies. Thus, Jesus was actually asking them, as He asks each of us, to be permanently and consistently undeterred in overcoming and obtaining victory in every area of their lives.