Victorious Faith Vs. Overcomer’s Faith

Q

What is the comparison and contrast between victorious faith and overcomers faith that we find in the book of Hebrews in chapter 11 and their applications for those who are represented in Hebrews 11 by the two groups of people known as the overcomers and the others?

A

There is no difference between victorious faith and the faith of overcomers, and no form of the word overcome appears in Hebrews 11.

The notion that overcomers are somehow superior to other believers is a man-made one. It’s used by some to distinguish between believers who by their behavior have earned the right to be the Bride of Christ and those who haven’t because they’ve failed to live worthy lives. Others say it’s the standard that qualifies believers for the rapture. Neither of these opinions can be supported by Scripture.

The word first appears in connection with believers in John 16:33 where Jesus told us to take heart because He has overcome the world.

Of all the New Testament writers, John used the word most often, saying that those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God have overcome the wicked one (1 John 2:14), the spirit of anti-Christ (1 John 4:4) and the world (1 John 5:4-5).

In Rev. 2-3 he used the word in each of the seven letters to churches to describe believers who resist or reject the religious sin for which the particular church is being criticized and remain true to the gospel. In short, overcomers are those who remain true to the simplicity of the Gospel, that Jesus died for our sins and rose again.