1 Corinthians 15:55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

I am a fight fan. I admire the skilled fighter. I see something in the boxing arena which I can translate into Christian living. That thing is called the pose. Not that staged photo op during pre-fight press conferences, or the victory pose after the decision has been made, the pose that can happen during the heat of battle. This occurs when a fighter delivers a solid blow and admires his art rather than getting back on defense immediately. It will often be seen and you will receive a solid blow in return for the pose.

Can we all agree that Jesus defeated Satan at the Cross? Now, we who are in Christ, enjoy the fruits of that victory as we battle a defeated foe. Satan isn’t dead, he is an archangel, an eternal being.

John 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

We claim victory in Jesus but that old enemy the devil is still in the ring and we battle this enemy with all the skills and talents we have gained in Christ. Satan’s jab has lost its sting. We are no longer afraid of it. We block, we duck, we throw combinations and every now and then land a solid blow. That feels good doesn’t it. We get to smack the devil around a bit.

If you stop and pose and do not get right back on defense, you are going to get hit with a good shot. That old devil is tenacious and crafty. He laid down for the count at the Cross but now we are in a new fight and we cannot relax for one second. Smack him with the Right Cross and he will go down. But he is going to get back up. He isn’t dead. And how do I know?

1 John 1:8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

Sin in us is evidence that Satan is still punching.

1 Thessalonians 5:21 Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.

I got my math test results back. I answered every question right and received a zero, F-, if there is anything less than failure I achieved it. How is that possible? I only put down the answers. It was the teacher’s responsibility to ensure I achieved the answers without cheating and to do that I had to show the steps I used to achieve those answers. I had to prove to him that I had used the lessons given.

Is it cheating to know the answers without proving your work?

Isaiah 28:16 Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.

A tried stone, a stone tested to ensure that it is strong enough to bear the weight placed upon it. Now we who believe by faith do place our trust in that tested Cornerstone. It is not we who have been tested, but rather our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Matthew 22:15 Then went the Pharisees, and took counsel how they might entangle him in his talk.

Mark 12:13 And they send unto him certain of the Pharisees and of the Herodians, to catch him in his words.

Luke 20:20 And they watched him, and sent forth spies, which should feign themselves just men, that they might take hold of his words, that so they might deliver him unto the power and authority of the governor.

OK, but I have the answers, isn’t that good enough, since it is of faith?

Titus 1:9-10a Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers. For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers,

Sound doctrine is your report card. You cannot keep the innocent from believing the gainsayers without a good report card. You must prove you have done the work.