But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. (2 Corinthians 2:14)
Christian preaching must always carry a sound of triumph. The gospel message is a declaration of God’s victory through Jesus Christ over all his enemies – demons, unbelievers, sin, decay, and death.
Some are worried about a theology of “triumphalism.” There are several uses for the word, so we need to specify the intended meaning. Here we refer to the view that, through faith in the work of Christ, a believer should expect to live his life free from all difficulties and oppositions, or if he does encounter them, should expect to completely conquer them on every occasion.
Such a view is rather rare – I can only assume that it exists, but I have never come across it myself. Although it has been attributed to certain charismatic sects, at least in my own exposure to the controversy, it has been a caricature in every instance, even if the caricature is not without some basis. Those teachers that have come under the most attacks from traditional and evangelical circles, have never taught triumphalism in the sense stated above (although because they tend to be imprecise, careless, and inconsistent, at times they indeed seem to teach it, and they must assume part of the blame for being misrepresented). They do not teach that the Christian no longer encounters problems in this life. Rather, they teach that a Christian, on the basis of the work of Christ, should in principle expect to conquer all the problems that they face. Some would think that persisting problems signal a lack of faith, or a lack of love or holiness, although some also attribute this to divine sovereignty. Those who disagree could oppose them on this point, but let them not attack a straw man.
According to its critics, the trouble with triumphalism is that it offers believers false hope, and the failure to attain the promised results then leads to false guilt. This danger is real when a theology does not note the so-called “already vs. not yet” distinction in God’s promises. To illustrate, he has promised me a resurrection body with enhanced features and abilities, and that is immune to damage and death. The promise is mine now, but the fulfillment comes later, and regardless of the strength of my faith, there is nothing that I can do to immediately attain it. A teaching that insists I should attain something that is not meant for this age would place an unreasonable burden on me.
That said, this danger is often exaggerated because of the critics’ own unbelief, and because they speak from a position that is on the other extreme – a position of defeatism. A doctrine of victory is thus construed as a denial of reality, when the teaching may simply be that the power of Christ enables us to overcome suffering, or that if we must endure it, to do it with a smile or even a shout of joy. Many Christian thinkers are baffled by this. They contend that this life is a time of trials, and the promise of victory through faith constitutes false hope. Failure then seems to reflect a lack of faith, and thus produces false guilt. But Jesus repeatedly said to his followers, “Where is your faith?” The truth is that even if continual suffering does not indicate a lack of faith, a depressed and defeated spirit certainly does. Such a one ought to feel a measure of guilt, and he should repent and improve.
The victory that we preach is first God’s victory, not our personal success. God has fulfilled his promises and predictions, and he has overcome his oppositions through Jesus Christ. It is impossible to declare this with too much triumph in our voice or too much relish in our attitude. There is no such danger. Then, if we are joined to Christ, his victory must have application in our lives. We benefit from his victory. We enjoy actual effects from it. Otherwise, we are not truly joined to him, and our faith is a sham. Much more widespread and ingrained than triumphalism – it is practically universal – the theology of defeatism pays lip service to the victory of the gospel, but in all its pretense to humility and compassion, it desperately tries to hide an evil heart of unbelief.
Triumphalism, with all its faults, is often a reaction to this spirit of unbelief, because defeatism paints such a different picture than the one we perceive in the Scripture. There is no need to adopt either extreme. Christians indeed continue to face problems and oppositions in this world, and sometimes we must continue to endure. And it is indeed necessary to distinguish between the “already” and the “not yet” of the gospel promises. Nevertheless, God has already “put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come” (1:22). The Spirit himself is no weakling, and the gift is not merely a symbolic gesture. The gospel gives us a taste of “the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age” (Hebrews 6:5), even in the here and now.
The background of Paul’s triumphant sound is not ease and comfort, but distress far beyond his own ability to endure (1:8-11). He does not deny the present reality, but still he declares the victory that God has attained through Jesus Christ, and that believers now enjoy. In contrast, many sound the note of defeat even without much suffering. They ought to be ashamed. They ought to be burdened with guilt. They have too little hope to criticize others for having too much. It is not farfetched to think that the Lord would say to them what he said to his generation: “How long must I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Men, where is your faith?” Triumphalism makes us delusional dreamers. Defeatism makes us pathetic losers. True faith in the victory of Jesus Christ makes us hopeful and realistic winners in this life, and in the life to come.