Christ and his Victory
Or
how Satan exists to make much of Jesus (he just doesn’t know it!)
It
is a real but strange tension - between knowing and behaving like we are at war
and knowing and behaving with Christ as the victor.
We
are told that ‘our struggle is not against flesh and blood’ but is a battle
against ‘the devil’s schemes’ (Ephesians 6:10-12). We are told that the devil ‘prowls like a
roaring lion’, sly in the undergrowth, dangerous and deadly. Even that he terrifies like a dragon (Revelation
12:2-3). He
is real and he is active and he is an enemy.
Yet
at the same time the Bible blazes the brilliance of Jesus’ all-conquering
victory. He is the death death-defeater,
sin-slayer, and satan-crusher. We are
told he is ‘far above all rule and authority’, with ‘all things under his feet’. (Ephesians 1:20-23) That the very ‘reason the Son of God appeared
was to destroy the devil’s work.’ (1 John 3:8)
Jesus’ rule is so absolute that we are remarkably told his victory is
ours: ‘The God of peace will soon crush
Satan under your feet.’ (Romans 16:20)
It
is a strange tightrope. ‘The witness of
the New Testament is clear. Satan is a
malignant reality, always hostile to God and to God’s people. But he has already been defeated in Christ’s
life and death and resurrection, and this defeat will become obvious and
complete in the end of the age.’[i]
What
kind of victory is Jesus’ over Satan?
How does it affect our living today?
A revealing therefore greater victory
Jesus’
victory over Satan is done in such a manner to most fully reveal Jesus’
splendour and power.
Why
does God allow evil to remain? Here’s one hypothesis the Bible steers us toward: God
allows Satan to remain so that Jesus might be shown more clearly as he truly
is. Evil is permitted so we can see the
full extent of Jesus’ supremacy in contrast to satan’s feebleness. The influence of evil is a canvas upon which the splendour
of Jesus can be more vibrantly displayed.
The devil is like the jeweller’s black velvet which allows us to truly
perceive the diamond’s true beauty. So
the power and love of Jesus blazes most brilliantly against the darkness of the
feebleness and hatred of the devil.[ii]
We
see this in Jesus’ approach to demons and evil.
He is so utterly in superiority over them one word from him leaves them
begging and pleading in surrender. They
are amazed that ‘he gives orders to impure spirits and they obey him’. No wonder ‘news about him spread quickly.’ (Mark 1:27-28) Even a legion of demons (military language
for between 3-6000 armed soldiers) ‘beg Jesus again and again’ for mercy
because ‘Jesus had said to them, ‘Come out of this man you impure spirit!’
(Mark 5:7-10)
Dr John
Piper sees this revealing of Jesus’ supremacy maybe more clearly than any
contemporary theologian: ‘The glory of Christ is seen in his absolute right and
power to annihilate or incapacitate Satan and all demons. But the reason he refrains from destroying and
disabling them altogether is to manifest more clearly his superior beauty and
worth…If God had simply terminated Satan, then it would not have been clear
that God is both stronger and more to be desired than Satan.’[iii]
Do
you see Jesus identity more because of Satan’s presence experienced?
A sacrificial therefore complete victory
Secondly,
Jesus’ victory is through his sacrifice, and because of that is fuller and
further.
The
writer of what we call Hebrews is able to say ‘that by his death he might break
the power of him who holds the power of death - that is the devil.’ (Hebrews 2:14) Christ’s victory over Satan is not one of
power (though Jesus has infinite power to crush Satan) but one of
sacrifice. The death of Satan is brought
through the death of Christ. John Stott, for 50 years Rector of All Souls,
Langham Place, London and among many honours was chaplain to the Queen, in his
classic ‘The Cross of Christ’ grasps this for us: ‘Crushed by the ruthless
power of Rome, he was himself crushing the serpent’s head…The victim was the
victor, and the cross is…the throne...’[iv]
Paul
shows us this: ‘[Jesus] disarmed the powers and authorities [and] made a public
spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.’ (Colossians 2:15)
One
of my personal role-models, Dick Lucas captures it brilliantly in his commentary
on Colossians 2:15: ‘these evil spirit powers, these terrorists from hell [are]
stripped of their weapons…true spiritual freedom was won for all God’s people
through the cross of Christ.’[v] H.M. Carson, a commentator from yesteryear is
as strong: ‘in Christ crucified…God has affected his final victory.’[vi]
Satan
is slaughtered by Christ’s sacrifice. Satan’s
weaponry is torn from his hand at Christ’s death. ‘To take sinner’s out of Satan’s hands by
virtue of Christ’s sin-bearing sacrifice…was more glorious victory than mere annihilation
of the enemy.’[vii]
Stott
concludes rightly, ‘So the victory of Christ…was decisively won at the cross.’[viii]
Do
trust in Jesus’ death more because of Satan’s power defeated?
A delayed therefore ultimate victory
Thirdly,
though won at the cross (a past event) it will not be experienced fully until
Jesus’ return (a future promise). Mark
Meynell articulates this tension: ‘[Satan’s] decisive and unequivocal defeat
was achieved at the cross. His demise is
guaranteed…In the meantime, however, he strives and struggles, refusing to accept
the inevitable and determined to cause as much damage as he can. The reason it is delayed is to provide the opportunity
for all to turn to Jesus.’[ix] This is the tension we live in. Satan, defeated with a certain death wound,
still wildly swings his blunted mace at those who follow Jesus.
But these final slashes from Satan are only a delayed reality – he is ultimately crushed
by Jesus, standing no chance against
Jesus’ power. This is our certain
confidence of Christ’s supremacy. We
know that the devil ‘is not strong enough’ and he will be ‘hurled down’, ‘thrown
into the lake of burning sulphur’. (Revelation
12:9, 20:10) This ‘eternal fire prepared
for the devil’ Jesus reassures us. (Matthew 25:41)
Do you serve Jesus’ cause more because of Satan’s
defeat?
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