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More Than a Conqueror

More Than a Conqueror

Last updated on: July 28, 2026 at 1:47 pm by Rob Giannamore

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More Than a Conqueror 2026-07-28T13:47:50-04:00 Rob Giannamore

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Not fun anymore

Miller’s Station UMC| July 26, 2026 | Anchor Verse: Romans 8: 26-39

In March, I preached a sermon entitled “The King Who Refused a War Horse”. Here, on Palm Sunday, I was reflecting on how Jesus broke the mold and shows us that conquering does not need to happen by power alone. In humility, Jesus makes a different statement: “I come in peace, I come in humility, I come to serve.” Jesus is not just fulfilling prophecy—he is redefining what power looks like. He is saying, “I will not play by the empire’s rules, I will not mirror the violence of the world, I will not become what I came to heal.” In arriving in humility, Jesus displays a strength to choose a different way.

In Romans this week, my initial perusal drew my attention to many theological topics and I could probably preach several sermons from this one passage. But the initial commentary I read directed me to verse 37, where Paul declares us more than victorious or, as the commentator puts it, more than conquerors.

The Church Militant

The Church has long used the phrase “Church Militant” to describe the Church as it is right now — not perfect, not finished, but still struggling to follow Jesus in a broken world. In its best sense, the phrase simply means that Christians are still wrestling with sin, fear, injustice, violence, and despair. That kind of struggle is not a bad thing. Faith is not passive. Love takes courage. Justice takes endurance. Following Jesus means resisting anything that harms or dehumanizes God’s beloved creation.

But the phrase becomes dangerous when Christians start to treat that struggle like a war against other people. That is when the Church Militant can become the Church Belligerent. Instead of fighting sin, fear, and injustice, we start fighting our neighbors. Instead of carrying the cross, we reach for a flag, a sword, or a throne. We see this in Christian Nationalism, when people confuse the kindom of God with the power of a nation. We see it in supersessionism, when Christians act as if the Church has replaced Israel and forget Paul’s warning not to boast. And we can see it in some end-times thinking, when Christians either hide from the world in fear or try to rule the world in the name of Jesus.

Romans 8 gives us a better picture of victory. Paul does not say we are “more than conquerors” because we overpower people who disagree with us. He says we are more than conquerors because nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. Not suffering. Not danger. Not rulers. Not powers. Not life. Not death. That is the heart of Paul’s message. Christian victory is not the power to crush others. It is the grace to stay rooted in love when the world tries to make us afraid.

The Illusion of Christian Perfection

One of my favorite stories about John Wesley is his attempts to account for how many times he sinned in the back of his journal. Realizing the fruitlessness of this endeavor, he began to formulate his ideas of perfection, believing it is possible, but a process of becoming rather than a static state of being. This gives us insight then on the motivations for many Christians today adhering to toxic ideas that they think will make the world the right place for Jesus’ return.

Christian perfection is a myth and when we try and “order” our world to make things “right” for Jesus’ return or guarantee our place in heaven, we miss the point. “As Christians, we don’t have to be perfect to serve God. This is not to say we have a license to live anyway we like and to keep sinning. It means that we are not relying on our own actions to save ourselves (Ephesians chapter 2 verses 8 to 9). We know that it is only through belief in Jesus Christ that we are made right with God. As Christians, we are each a work in progress. You don’t have to be perfect to be a Christian. “Perfection” is not in our job description. Only Jesus Christ is perfect. We Christians are being perfected- we undergo a process of becoming more like Christ daily (Philippians chapter 3 verse 14 and Hebrews chapter 3 verse 1). God’s expectation of us is that we will mature and grow in faith and obedience.”

Paul’s Good News

If we turn back to our text today, we find in verse 28 a continual of Paul’s reassurance. He tells the Romans that despite their present circumstances, all things are good. He writes, “we know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to God’s purposes.” Here, Paul’s reassurance should not be mistaken for a theology in which one’s positive actions result in positive life outcomes. Nor should we hear in Paul’s words that all things that happen in life are good in and of themselves. A promotion at work is not the result of diligent prayer. And a personal tragedy is not a gift from God. On the contrary, this verse explains to the Romans that God is presently at work in the world transforming it for God’s good purposes.

Paul goes on to elaborate. In the next two verses, he gives us a series of words that describe what God is already doing to redeem the world. God foreknew, meaning God knew from the beginning that salvation was God’s desire for creation. God predestined, not as a way of closing people off from grace, but as a way of showing that Jesus would be the pattern for God’s people. God called us to follow and imitate Christ. God justified us, restoring us to right relationship with God, with creation, and with one another. And God glorified this work, declaring that what God is doing in the world is good.

Taken together, these verses remind us that God is not absent from the world, even when the world feels chaotic or unmanageable. God is already at work setting things right, drawing creation toward healing, and inviting us to trust that a better world is on the way.

“Hidden at the end of verse 28 is a helpful reminder—we are called according to God’s purpose. The work is not God’s alone. We are called to join God in the work of making the world good. What does this work look like? It looks like walking in the way of the Spirit (verse 4); it looks like modeling our lives according to the image of Christ (verse 29).”

Humbling Ourselves Before God and Others

In closing, Paul does not promise that following Jesus will make us invincible in the way the world understands power. In fact, he names weakness, suffering, danger, and fear honestly. But he also insists that none of these things get the final word. The Spirit helps us in our weakness, God is already working for good, and nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. That is what gives us the courage to refuse the war horse, to lay down the need to conquer, and to follow the humble way of Christ.

What does this mean? This means putting others’ needs before our own and being willing to step back so that others can step forward. Integrity is about living honestly and consistently, where our actions match our beliefs. Jesus embodied these traits perfectly. And you are called to mirror this posture. So, as we picture Jesus entering Jerusalem, let’s remember: he isn’t a king who conquers by might, but by love. He fulfills the prophets, embodies God’s peace, and calls us to a kindom not of violence, but of humility, compassion, and self-giving service. So imagine again how it would look if our leaders chose humility and compassion over war and grandstanding. Amen

Benediction

Go now in the blessing and assurance that nothing can separate us from the love of God. May this good news inspire us all to take up the hard work of building community and acting for the flourishing of all our neighbors, because we do not act on our own—we act on the power of God’s never-ending love.

And Friends, May you be happy, May you be healthy, may you be at ease, go in peace, Amen

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