How can believers be both sheep led to the slaughter and conquerors?
Believers can be sheep led to the slaughter and still conquerors because their victory is not in fleshly strength. They may suffer quietly, meekly, and under persecution, yet in the end they are more than conquerors through the One who loved them, assured that nothing can separate them from eternity with their Creator God.
Les explains the apparent contradiction with the analogy of sheep going quietly down an alley to their death: they are still conquerors. The chapter 8 passage says believers are led like sheep to the slaughter, but the next verse says they are conquerors. Les says believers do not have to mind being meek, quiet, or coming under persecution, or doing it without squealing like a hog, because in the end they are still more than conquerors through the One who loved them. That victory is not produced by human effort; in the energy of the flesh, people can do nothing and are nothing. Paul then says he was persuaded—totally convinced. Les compares that to King Agrippa in Acts, who said, “Almost, Paul, you have persuaded me,” but, as Les reads it, likely never truly believed. The assurance rests on the fact that nothing can separate believers from spending eternity with their Creator God.
As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
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How can Christians be conquerors if they are led like sheep to the slaughter?
There is no contradiction between being led like sheep to the slaughter and being conquerors: the analogy is that the sheep go quietly down the alley to their death, yet the next verse says they are conquerors.