Tonight was fun as we began our new series, “Becoming a Contender!” To start, we played a few rounds of Super Smash Bros Ultimate! The students got really into the competition as they chose their favorite characters and went to town, becoming the greatest contender. Selfishly, I must admit, I entered the fray for at least one round.  But that was only after one of our students began to… think higher of himself than he should, as he had won two rounds against the others. Besides that, what was the point?

The Lesson

We live in a time of regular conflict. Some actively oppose Jesus’ teachings or twist them for their own purposes. In schools, workplaces, and other areas of life, more and more believers in Jesus are facing opposition against their faith in Jesus. They are being pressured to walk away from their faith and bend to the world’s status quo. Considering that conflict, is it easy for us to get frustrated and push back against people? But are those people really the ones we are really in conflict with?

In Ephesians 6, Paul gives the church some final instructions and closing out his letter. But amid this closing, he begins to speak about what is known as the “armor of God.” See what he has to say about who our conflict as believers in Jesus actually is.

Have a student read: Ephesians 6:12

Ask: According to Paul? Who do we “fight” or “wrestle” with?

According to this passage, our conflict is not with people but against a very real spiritual world. So the question then becomes, how do we fight or war against these things?  Who can we become a true contender in this battle against spiritual things?

The first thing we must do is understand our true Identities.

Let’s look back at our game, Smash Bros. The first thing you must do is select a fighter to use. Like in many fighting games, we have many characters with various strengths and weaknesses. In Smash Bros, you have 86 total fighters. Each fighter falls under three Archetypes: Offensive, Defensive, and Flexible.

Then, under that, you have several subgenres. For example, under Offensive, you have 12 different subs, such as Balanced, which has balanced stats—not great at anything but not super weak at anything. This would include fighters like Mario and Yoshi. Heavy Weights like Ganondorf and Donkey Kong are large and do fantastic damage but can’t recover from hits very well and have MASSIVE hits, making them easy targets. At the same time, you “Hit and Run” characters like Captain Falcon and Greninja that are designed to get in close to get a few hits in, then back out quickly.

Defensive archetypes have eight different subgenres.  Included are “Keep away” characters like Samus and Steve, who are great at keeping their opponents away from them and not letting them react. As a tradeoff, they don’t do much damage. You have “Trappers” like Snake and Pac-Man who are more defensive and set up “traps” on the stage to attack their enemies.

Finally, you have Flexible Archetype, which has four different subs. This would include “Dynamic” characters relying on power-ups and quirky behavior to remove their opponents. This would be Characters like Cloud or Joker. You also have “Precision” characters like Ridley and Zelda, which require you to have pinpoint accurate hits or be in particular locations to really be effective.

When picking a fighter for the game, you need to know who you’re picking and what they can do. Selecting blindly, you can button mash and maybe make your way through. But true contenders work hard to understand the identity of the Characters. They know their limitations and the things that make them great so that they can give them the best fighting chance they can.

So now we have to ask, if we are going to be the best contender we can be for the spiritual matches we face, what is our identity?

Ask a student to read John 1:12

Ask: What does John tell us about our identity as Christians?

Ask: What is John’s qualifying statement about what it takes to be a Child of God?

In this passage, John says that those who accept Jesus are called Children of God. Accepting Jesus means that we accept his sacrifice and his Lordship.  

Read 2 Corinthians 5:21

Here, Paul explains to the church in Corinth that Jesus’s sacrifice was incredible. He never knew sin, yet he took on the punishment for our sins so we could be made right with God.  Why did Jesus have to do that? He did it because God is just and righteous. By nature of this He MUST punish sin. The problem is that no one is righteous (Romans 3:10). Jesus, who is righteous, had to take on the punishment so that we could be forgiven for our sins and be called Children of God. This is why John says that Jesus I the “propitiation for our sins” (1 John 2:2), meaning Jesus satisfied God’s righteous and just wrath.  

So, a key part of our identity is that we are forgiven of our sins, meaning God doesn’t hold them over us anymore, and we are redeemed, meaning we no longer have to live according to a sinful world’s standard. So when faced with opportunities to sin, or if someone tries to use our past against us, we can stand firm in the fact that God has already forgiven us and restored us, and we don’t have to walk in that shame, guilt, nor do we have to return to a sinful lifestyle.

Another aspect of us being Children of God is that God loves us.

Read Romans 8:31-39

Here, Paul illustrates the depth of God’s love for us. He says that nothing can separate us from his love for each of us. The enemy will attempt to play mind games with you, make you question your identity in God, and make you believe that he doesn’t love you at all. But if we stand firm on scripture and keep in mind that according to the archetype of our identity, God loves us, and nothing will ever cause Him to cease loving us, then the enemy cannot stand.

In our game, knowing who your character makes it so that you can position yourself where you need to be, do what you need to do, and avoid the things that go against your character’s archetype. If you have a character archetype that requires it to get in but get out quickly, you won’t allow yourself to be in a position where you can’t get away. Yes, it helps to know about the other characters and archetypes, but if you don’t have this foundation of knowing yourself, then you can’t hope to be a good contender. In this spiritual battle, if you want to be a good contender or a successful Christian, you need to focus on understanding your archetype as a Christian.

Challenge: Every day this week, take 5-10 minutes to read and reflect on one of the Bible passages we discussed today (Ephesians 6:12, John 1:12, 2 Corinthians 5:21, or Romans 8:31-39). Write down one truth about your identity as a Child of God that stands out to you, and then ask God to help you live in that truth as you face challenges throughout your day.

By the end of the week, you’ll have a list of truths that remind you of who you are in Christ—something you can hold onto whenever you feel doubt or fear.