Overcoming the Impossible

1) A bridge to a previous article: The true salvation at this link

In that text we saw the human condition: we live in a dark environment, under an invisible government; our natural inclination is toward evil; and we fight against forces we cannot see. In simple terms: it is impossible to overcome this by human effort.

Now, let's answer this: what is behind this condition? The Bible calls it sin (an internal force) and death (an external dominion).

2) What the Bible calls "sin"

• It is not just a wrong act. It is an active power that dwells in the human being and inclines him toward evil (Rm 7:17).
• This power reigns when we are separated from God (Rm 5:21).
• That is why, even wanting to do good, we end up trapped in evil (Rm 7:19).

A simple image: sin is like an internal magnet pulling in the wrong direction.

3) What the Bible calls "death"

• It is not only the biological end; it is a state of separation from God (Ef 2:1).
• It is called the last enemy (1Co 15:26), a dominion that surrounds and presses on humanity.

A simple image: death is like polluted air outside; we breathe it without realizing it harms us.

4) Where this meets our experience

• On the inside: sin distorts desires, thoughts and affections.
• On the outside: death creates an environment of fear, vanity, power and deception.
• Result: human impossibility. We can even improve our habits, but we do not break the power of sin and death on our own (Mt 7:11; Mc 10:18; Rm 7:19).

5) How Jesus overcame (the point that changes everything)

• He became human (Fp 2:7).
• He received the Spirit (Lc 3:21-22).
• He was led by the Spirit (Lc 4:1) and, in the power of the Spirit, fulfilled his mission (Lc 4:14).
• He condemned sin in the flesh (Rm 8:3), disarmed principalities and powers (Cl 2:15) and destroyed the devil who has the power of death (2Tm 1:10; Hb 2:14).

In other words: as an ordinary human being, indwelt and led by the Spirit, he overcame the internal power (sin) and the external dominion (death). That is why he said: "I am the way."

6) How this victory reaches us today

• New government: the Holy Spirit dwells in us (Rm 8:9) and works in us the law of the Spirit of life (Rm 8:2).
• Breaking of the dominion: sin no longer reigns as before (Rm 6:14).
• Life in the present: salvation is real and present liberation from the power of sin and death, with a future promise of glorification.

Practical summary: without the Spirit, it is impossible. With the Spirit, God's impossible happens, TODAY.

7) Some practical signs of this liberation

1. New desire: a sincere wish to walk in the light (Rm 8:5).
2. Broken cycles: habits that seemed unbeatable lose their strength (Rm 6:11-14).
3. An enlightened mind: clearer discernment about deceptions, our own and those of others (Rm 12:2).
4. Living belonging: fellowship with "those of the Way" (At 9:2).
5. Solid hope: certainty of life in Christ, now and forever (1Co 15).

8) A provocative question

If Christ has already overcome sin and death, why do so many live as if they were defeated?
Because without the Spirit everything becomes impossible again.

But the good news is that the Spirit was given, and he is the one who makes Christ's victory real in us.

9) The light that breaks the darkness

"The people who lived in darkness saw a great light; on those who lived in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned." (Mt 4:16)

"God said: Let there be light! And there was light." (Gn 1:3)

This is salvation: the light of God shining on the inside (against sin) and on the outside (over death), bringing life where there was only darkness.

It is our faith that gives us victory in this world.
Therefore, we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
Christ overcame the world, and we too can overcome, when Christ lives in us.
This is the hope of glory.