In the nineteenth century, Christianity and the Bible came under severe attack at the hands of, not only atheists and Bible critics, but by so-called liberal scholars. Many began to question the authenticity of the Word of God, while others denied it outright. In that kind of cultural atmosphere, a man by the name of John Henry, a shoe salesman from upstate New York, who later became a denominational preacher, wrote a hymn entitled, “Faith is the Victory.” The hymn was published in 1891, and though over a century has passed since it was first published, the song continues to be a favorite that is sung by Christians around the world. The inspiration for the song is 1 John 5:4.

1 John 5:4 (ESV)
⁴ For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.

There can be no victory without faith. In fact, as the songs says, faith itself is the victory, or, at least a part of being victorious. In a world of doubt and skepticism, where many people mock long standing Biblical truths, it is a victory to maintain a strong believe in God and His Word.

In this song that we sing from time to time, we are reminded of some of the things that faith helps us to achieve.

Faith helps us to press the battle through the night. As Christians, we are not waiting around for the devil to attack us, we are taking the fight to him. Our goal is not to destroy those who have been won to his side, but to bring them back to the Lord’s side. To this end, faith moves us to preach the truth, defend the faith, and uphold the Word of God against all its enemies. As Mr. Henry wrote, we press the battle “against the foe in vales below” with all our strength.

Faith helps us to conquer death. Jesus once told Martha, the sister of Mary and Lazarus, that everyone who believes in Him would never die. Then He asked her the question, “do you believe this?” Her response was, “Yes, Lord, I believe” (John 11:27). Do we believe this truth? If we have faith in God and His Word we do. Faith helps us to live without the fear of death, which, by the way, is a tool of the devil. We no longer have to live our lives in fear because Jesus has destroyed the power the devil once had (Hebrew 2:14-15). Too many people are paralyzed in life because of the fear of death. Christians, on the other hand, are able to look at the bigger picture. Because of our faith in God and His promises, we know that we are blessed in death because it is really only a gateway to a better place (Revelation 14:13).

Faith helps us to hope for heaven. Heaven is the better place. As the song goes, “To him who overcomes the foe, white raiment shall be given; Before the angels he shall know, his name confessed in heaven.”  By faith we know that we are only pilgrims in this world. We have an inheritance in heaven that is imperishable (1 Peter 1:4-5). Heaven is not just another place; it is a place of endless joy, where every tear will be wiped away and death will be no more (Revelation 21:3-4).

All of these victories are made possible by faith. Faith gives us the strength to walk in the light and overcome any sin that tempts us. Truly faith is the victory. I pray that ours will grow more and more.

As you wind down for the night, think on these things.