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Colossians 2:13–15
“[Jesus] disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him” (v. 15).
Understanding the significance of the passive obedience of Christ—His suffering—as rendered ultimately in His crucifixion requires us to consider the various ways that Scripture describes the atonement. Having looked at two inadequate theories of the atonement, the moral-government and moral-influence views, we are now ready to consider views of the atonement that have thorough biblical support. The first of these is commonly called the Christus Victor theory of the atonement.
Dr. R.C. Sproul gives us a good definition of the Christus Victor view in his book Truths We Confess. He writes that the Christus Victor view “states that on the cross, Christ was victorious over the powers of Satan and the powers of darkness. This view has its roots in God’s promise in the garden of Eden that the seed of the woman would crush the head of the serpent and in the process have his heel bruised (Gen. 3:15).” The idea that the death of the Messiah (the bruising of the Messiah’s heel) would mean the defeat of the devil (the crushing of Satan’s head) goes back to the very first announcement to mankind of God’s plan of redemption.
Today’s passage gives us one of the clearest presentations of the Christus Victor view that we find in the New Testament. Describing the crucifixion in Colossians 2:13–15, the Apostle Paul says that by His death Jesus “disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them.” Here, “rulers and authorities” refers to demonic powers and the sin that they brought into the world and its consequence of death. We also note that Paul does not have merely the death of Jesus in view here, because if Jesus had stayed dead, there would be no victory. The Apostle has in mind also the resurrection of Jesus.
Various actors were involved in the crucifixion of our Lord—Satan, the Jewish and Roman authorities, and even God Himself. Each acted according to a specific purpose, and Satan’s work in the crucifixion was purely evil. The devil threw all his power against Jesus, helping to animate the hatred of those who opposed Him (e.g., see Luke 22:3). Satan did his worst, and Jesus died. Yet death did not permanently claim our Savior, for He rose again in power on the third day (Rom. 1:4). In so doing, He proved that the worst that Satan could do was no match for Him, and He destroyed the sting of death from the inside out (1 Cor. 15:54–55).
Coram Deo Living before the face of God
Across the globe, many people live in fear of demons. Even Christians can be afraid that Satan and his minions will have victory over believers. The Christus Victor view tells us otherwise. Jesus has defeated Satan decisively, and though he may throw his worst at those who trust in Christ, the devil will not have the final triumph. Jesus has power over him, and He restrains and conquers him for our sake.
For further study
- Hosea 13:14
- Matthew 12:28
- Hebrews 2:14–15
- 1 John 3:8
The bible in a year
- Psalms 112–115
- 1 Corinthians 1