Reason 8: Christ Shares His Victory
REASON 8
WHY GOD BECAME MAN
Christ Shares His Victory
Romans 16:17-20
17 I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them.
18 For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people.
19 Everyone has heard about your obedience, so I rejoice because of you; but I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil.
20 The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.
Liberal Christianity
Liberal Christianity, also known as liberal theology, emphasizes the humanity of Christ and does not see Jesus as God incarnate, but rather as a man with divinity. One self-proclaimed radical liberal Christian, when asked if he denied the divinity of Christ, replied, “I have never denied the divinity of Jesus Christ, just as I have never denied the divinity of any other being.” This statement is deceptive because it simply means that Jesus was “not” God incarnate, but rather an ordinary man like any other man. This idea is blasphemous from a Christological point of view.
Liberal Christians generally do not grasp the truth that “Jesus is God who became man.” The concept that Jesus is fully God and fully man is not shared by many liberals. They do not accept the idea that God took human form, and they also reject the idea that Jesus came into the world to reveal the kingdom of God, to show God’s glory through miracles and the hope of a better world, and to bring salvation to mankind.
A Lowered View of the Bible
On the other hand, Christian evangelicals are not without fault. One challenge of our time is that the Christian community has traditionally fixated on the message of salvation and has largely neglected the broader purpose of why God became man. It is certainly good news that we are saved, but it is not the whole story. Salvation is more than just redemption.
Christ’s death and resurrection
were not only
to save people from something,
but also to restore people
to something.
Sadly, modern Christians are not only shallow in their knowledge of the gospel, but most likely faithless. Many Christians look and act like everyone else in the world, with a little “God talk” peppered in. When asked why Jesus came, some might simply answer “to save us.” But why did Christ emphasize the kingdom of God so prominently in coming to this world? This question should lead us to explore the broader and deeper purposes behind God’s incarnation. In doing so, we might seek to proclaim and live out the whole story of God’s plan for the world.
We’ve explored seven reasons, and now we’ll look at the eighth reason why God became man. Those who grasp the depth of the Bible are those who truly understand the significance of the overarching themes discussed. As Christians, we should strive to better understand these concepts as they are presented to us through the teachings of the Bible.
The True Knowledge of God
In our pursuit of knowing God, we will encounter a God who is willing to reveal Himself. We will gain a deeper understanding of a life that is intricately intertwined with our existence, identity, and purpose in life. Seeking to know more about God not only leads to a richer spiritual life, but also enhances our understanding of humanity and our relationship with Him. God is not an abstract concept, but a relevant, real, and interconnected force in our lives – a point often misunderstood by many.
The God of the Bible is a God of purpose. He does not do things by chance or haphazardly. Some people demand proof of God’s existence; they set conditions that limit the proof to worldly standards. Others seek proof in ways that are unusual for this world. Both of these approaches miss the essence of God, who exists beyond the boundaries of this world.
Our deeper knowledge of God
will make us better people.
As we approach our need to understand God, it is important that we do so in the context of God’s larger purposes and to recognize His active role in the world He has created. We need to seek knowledge of God in a way that facilitates our growth into better people, people who understand our identity and calling. In practical terms, this means committing ourselves in advance to trusting God and doing His will whether we like it or not.
We must resist the tendency
to rely on our own understanding
and learn to integrate into our lives
every aspect of the understanding
that God has graciously given us.
The Incarnation of Christ and the Hope of this World.
Why did Jesus perform many miracles during His earthly ministry? What do these supernatural acts mean for our lives today? The Bible indicates that the miracles served as “signs” pointing to a greater reality. The reason Jesus performed miracles was to show us that the life we are currently living until the end of our life on earth is not the ultimate and perfect life.
Just when we think that this life is all there is, we should remember that God has greater plans than our present existence.
The supernatural works of Jesus
emphasize that God
is not only focused on our present life,
but is orchestrating a life
that will fulfill and perfect our life here.
Notice the comparison between these two conditions:
1. The life to come is not identical with our present life, but serves to perfect our present existence.
2. The life to come is not a completely different life from the one we are living now, but retains a connection and continuation of our present life.
The Bible explicitly teaches these principles and emphasizes the importance of God’s incarnation. It is a testament to His concern for what is happening in this world and His commitment to bring it to perfection. God’s incarnation is a declaration that the events of this world are part of a larger plan that will reach its ultimate fulfillment. Why did God come to Earth if the only purpose of our existence in this world is to go to Heaven?
Works by scholars such as Louis Berkhof and Herman Bavinck have extensively discussed and envisioned the ultimate hope not only in Heaven, but in the “new Heavens and a new Earth.” There are so many different views of eschatology. The hope of a “new Heaven and a new Earth” characterizes the eschatological hope of Reformed theology.
The hope of the end of the world
is not in Heaven,
but in the new Heavens
and the new Earth.
This understanding is rooted in the teachings of figures such as John Calvin, who emphasized the importance of order, peace, and the restoration of the world. It is crucial to grasp this eschatological perspective in order to gain a full understanding of the theological concept of Heaven.
The Restoration of the Earth
This world and everything in it is constantly drifting toward chaos. Calvin once said that when God speaks of “judgment” in the Old Testament, the underlying concept is that of “bringing order out of chaos.” Therefore, the understanding of God’s judgment is consistent with bringing order out of chaos. This idea reflects God’s character as the One who transforms chaos into order.
The notion of Christians living forever in Heaven is so prevalent in our culture and churches that the call to repair the world may seem absurd. While it is true that we will leave this world when we die, the Biblical perspective shows that “we shall return.” Throughout the Bible, the ultimate hope for humanity is life, not in Heaven, but on a renewed Earth.
God became man
because our lives on Earth matter.
If life on Earth is not important, why did God become a man? On the other hand, if life on Earth is important to Him, why is Christ now in Heaven? While the first view ignores the importance of the world and places undue emphasis on salvation and the afterlife, the second view overemphasizes the importance of everything on Earth. These two approaches have yet to converge.
The World Belongs to God
What kind of God do we worship, and what kind of creation has He made? The God of the Bible is a God who hates evil, abhors sin, and Satan is His adversary. God created the Heavens and the Earth to be His cosmic sanctuary, where He sovereignly rules and dwells. It begins in Eden where God dwells among His people. It is His purpose that from Eden, His presence should be extended to the ends of the world. The entire creation is designed to house the glory of God.
God intends to dwell with a holy people in a holy land. God created Adam and Eve as kings to rule in His name and as priests to serve and mediate His glory. It seems clear that a war was going on in the Earth when God said, “Fill the earth and subdue it.” This realization, therefore, implies that it was God’s will and desire for Satan to enter the Garden of Eden and tempt Adam and Eve. Adam should have crushed the head of the evil serpent on the spot, instead of going along with it. But that did not happen.
From the beginning,
God placed man in the world
in a war state.
A war to rule over
the world and Satan.
It was God’s intent for Adam to defeat Satan and to expand Eden to encompass the whole Earth. But, instead of protecting the garden and casting Satan out of it, Adam and Eve succumb to his temptation. And just like Satan, the original couple wanted to be “like God.” The results of their sin were cataclysmic. For centuries Satan had been opposing God and His plans in the world.
In short, we are now at war with Satan. Satan is still active and has not yet been cast into Hell. It is important for Christians to be aware that spiritual warfare is going on around us. After all, how would we know if we were being attacked? God has commissioned us to fill the world with His glory and to defeat Satan. This requires conscious effort and consistent engagement in the spiritual warfare that is taking place.
As Christians, we are called to wage war against the enemy, whether we see ourselves as spiritual warriors or not. This enmity is one of unimaginable cruelty, which we ignore at our peril. A pastor once said, “If we don’t realize that we are at war, our priorities will be confused, lacking in fighting spirit, and complacent. Those who assume a state of peace when they are on the brink of war are bound to lose. Such people will not take up arms because they think “all is well.”
To win over Satan,
we must proclaim ourselves
as God’s and obey God
by living a life according
to the God’s word.
Know Your Enemy
While the Bible doesn’t spend much time talking about Satan, it does drop hints here and there about where he comes from. In the third chapter of Genesis, the serpent suddenly appears and becomes a major player in the drama of the garden. Of course, questions emerge: Why did the serpent get in? Why didn’t God build a fence with little holes to keep the serpent out? Why not protect the garden with an electric current to shock and kill the serpent? Although the serpent is not specifically identified in the book of Genesis, he is identified as Satan in the last book of Scripture.
In his book, A New Testament Biblical Theology, leading New Testament scholar Gregory K. Beale argues that God deliberately allowed the serpent into the garden. Beale explains that Adam was the priest-king, and he was to faithfully obey God and defeat the satanic adversary. Instead of defeating the serpent, he was defeated by the serpent. And of course, we get Genesis 3:15, which looks forward to a time when One would do what Adam should have done to defeat the serpent.
The Battle in the Garden of Eden
The Garden of Eden was created by God and it is where He placed Adam, whom He created for companionship. It was a paradise for Adam and Eve. All the beautiful creatures and creations were in one place. In Genesis 2, God said:
“16 And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden;
17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”
(Genesis 2:16-17)
In his deception, Satan caused Eve to question God’s Word. She bought into the lie and things were changed forever. The serpent said:
4 “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman.
5 “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
(Genesis 3:4-5)
The serpent deceived them into believing that by eating the forbidden fruit they could gain knowledge similar to that of God. This led to disobedience and spiritual separation from God, symbolized by death. Adam and Eve chose to listen to the words of the serpent, whose credibility was uncertain, rather than God’s clear and trustworthy instructions. It is important to remember that this pattern continues in human behavior to this day.
In the Garden, Adam should have affirmed God’s command by speaking God’s words to Satan that eating the forbidden fruit would result in death. By sticking to God’s word, Adam would have been able to make Satan flee. This is the method that Jesus used to be victorious when He was tempted by Satan in the wilderness.
The Battle Between Jesus and Satan
The Bible provides clear answers to what Adam did wrong and what Jesus did right. Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness to face the devil. He had to be tempted in all ways like Adam and Eve. Notice how Jesus fought Satan’s words with God’s words:
3 The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”
4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple.
6 “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written: “‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”
7 Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor.
9 “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”
10 Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”
(Matthew 4:3-10)
In every temptation, Jesus overcame Satan just by quoting the Scriptures – no discussion and no argument. Unlike Adam and Eve, Jesus was obedient to God and won against the devil by strictly following the Word of God. These are powerful words because they are the words of God. Jesus was willing to submit Himself, even to the point of death. Death could not hold Him because He had not sinned.
One of the purposes
of God’s incarnation
is to destroy Satan.
Since God gave man authority over the earth, only man could take it back from the devil. The incarnation of God is the only means by which Satan is finally defeated and made His footstool. It is one of the reasons Jesus had to come to earth as a human being. He came not only to save us, but also to destroy the power of Satan and to defeat the work of the enemy. The destruction of Satan’s stronghold has been guaranteed through Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection from the dead.
Christians will live a divided life
if our faith is reduced
to a simple belief
that only promises entry into heaven.
Taking cues from Romans 16:20, Paul says that God will crush Satan under the feet of Christians. The Word of God is clear about the power and authority of those who are born-again of the Spirit. 1 John 4:4 says, “Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world.” Who is in us? Christ Jesus took up residence in our hearts. The battle is already won, and our victory is secure.
Prepare for the Battle
So we are at war. In light of these words of truth, we must choose to be on God’s side in this great battle between God and Satan. We are not powerful in our own right or in our own strength. We can’t fight on our own, but because Jesus has already fought for us on the Cross, we are filled with God’s Holy Spirit and armed with God’s words. Our obedience is what will ultimately bring victory in our spiritual battle.
Consequently, we need to know our enemy, and this can only be found through the study of God’s Word. Most Christians do not understand spiritual warfare. Either they are unaware of the invisible battle, or if they recognize its importance, they do not focus on the central issue but are distracted by a secondary concern. The very first step in arming ourselves for the battle against the devils is to gird our loins with the truth. We must fill our minds with so much truth that lies have no place.
Salvation in Jesus is not an end in itself, but rather a means for us to represent Him in every aspect of our lives. Reformed theology offers a comprehensive perspective that includes our relationship with God, His kingdom, and life in the present and future.
Jesus gives us salvation,
not just to go to Heaven,
but to represent Him on Earth
Our responsibility to represent God stems from the purpose inherent in our creation. God did not bring humanity into existence without a clear purpose or goal. The purpose of our creation is for us to live on Earth for God. This divine purpose includes being freed from the influence of Satan, breaking free from the power of evil, and escaping the bonds that seek to destroy life on Earth. We uproot the enemy’s lies with the truth of God’s Word, so the more we know it, the better we will be in the battle.
Satan has exerted his influence and power over this world. As a result, we now live in a world where we face a clash of values over who is in charge of this earth. If the basic strategy for Satan’s spiritual assault is spreading lies, then the most potent weapon we can wield in the battle against him is its opposite: spreading the truth.
The Invisible Battle
Adam and Eve were given the authority to rule the earth. But everything went terribly wrong on the first attempt. God tells Adam what he can and can’t do. The consequences of overstepping His authority are also clear. Later, Cain, who has great knowledge and accomplishments, also lost in the battle. Despite his greatness, Cain was under the influence of Satan.
Since the Garden of Eden, Satan’s “modus operandi” – that we exchange the truth of God for a lie – has not wavered or changed. And why would he change his strategy when it has served him so well for so long? What began in the garden all those years ago was a deception that has endured through the ages – a deception that still affects us today.
Satan will tell us anything
that negates and twist
the Word of God.
Behind the visible world, there are ploys and schemes in the invisible world that work to blind the multitudes. And the spiritual consequences of this blindness are devastating. Satan corrupts the order of life and wreaks havoc in the world that God created. God’s good creation has been corrupted by his deception.
Today, simple truths are no longer clear to the multitudes. In fact, they are aggressively denied by hordes of otherwise intelligent people. Satan excels at distorting facts and truths that lead to the destruction of the world, humanity, and order. These lies are driven by a hidden power in an invisible place because Satan rules over mankind, and the earth is filled with people who serve Satan.
Aggressively, Satan, his fallen angels, and demons exercise acts of evil in myriad forms, manifesting in the physical and spiritual realms and in the recesses of the human mind. The dark and demonic forces manifest themselves in people, relationships, and even churches. Their seemingly subtle and benign forces are behind the breakdown of relationships between people, false religions, and all wrongdoing. Satan presents it as if everything has been destroyed by him, making it seem as if the only choices in life are to follow him or to die.
The good news is that we have the power and authority of Christ to resist the devil and his evil schemes. God has not given us a spirit of timidity or cowardice, but rather a spirit of power. We will not be easily intimidated by hardship, let alone seek our own ease and comfort.
God wants man to live on this Earth
to endure hardships,
not to run away from it.
God wants man
to fight against Satan,
and win over him.
The Faithfulness of God
In this situation of general delusion, God continues to teach us through His love, His presence, and the promise of victory that this world still belongs to Him. And how does He do this? By withholding a small portion of the goodness He reveals in abundance. As Michael Welker puts it, one of the most beautiful things that God preserves in this world is His love.
What was God’s first promise? To fight and defeat Satan. Also, recall that God declared in the book of Isaiah 48:11, “For My sake, for My sake, I do this. How can I allow myself to be defamed? I will not give My glory to another.” Therefore, the birth of Christ shocked the kingdom of Satan. As a man, Christ defeated Satan and brought him to nothing. God has fulfilled the ancient promise that He made in the Garden of Eden.
God became man
to confront and destroy Satan.
After the strongholds of Satan’s earthly kingdom were broken and subdued, Jesus said to His disciples, “I see Satan being thrown to the earth like thunder.” What He meant was that Satan’s fall is as quick as a flash of lightning. Satan’s power has been destroyed because man now has a new ruler.
Christ came as a weak baby. But in His weakness was the greatest power to defeat Satan. The great power that made Him walk obediently to the cross. Here we find the epic grandeur and greatness of Jesus Christ. He did not turn away from His calling. He did not seek another way. Christ came to fight with Satan and He won. Where Christ is, Satan cannot stand.
Our mission now is to fight Satan, to fight sin, and to strive to restore all that has been distorted by Satan. This world is not the place of Satan and his work. Wherever true Christians live, Satan and every demon must flee. The more we live in obedience to God, the more powerless Satan becomes.
God has already
won the war through Jesus,
and we will not be overcome
by the evil world
when we are in Him.
The Way of Christ
Through His sacrifice on the cross, Christ has triumphed over the world and won His elect. He establishes a new order and sets in motion the fulfillment of God’s original purpose. The renewal will spread to the four corners of the earth and subdue it. The victory is won. We can proclaim it and make it real to the enemy wherever we are and wherever we go!
Revelation 19 and 20 point to God’s restoration of His creation. The chapter tells us about the thousand years – the entire period between Christ’s first and second coming, which is now. In the power of Christ, Satan cannot stop the progress of the gospel. The gospel is unstoppable.
In the conflict
between God’s authority
and Satan’s power,
the Church stands for God
and gives no ground to Satan.
In places where persecution is rampant, the church is there. There are dozens of examples in Church history where the blood of martyrs waters the seeds of the Church. It’s true that the Church has faced oppression. Powerful empires have tried to destroy Christianity.
During the reign of Lenin, when Russia became communist, Christians were persecuted. The church became illegal and Christians were disenfranchised. But Christianity cannot be destroyed. Even in oppressive regimes that try to crush Christianity, the Gospel continues to take root and Christians continue to worship God even under threat.
Christ came to destroy Satan’s power. He will liberate our hearts from fear and pull us out of the deceptive quicksand of comfort. We will see more of God’s power displayed in our weaknesses for the world to see. We ask God to use our time and talent and enable us to demonstrate in the way we live that all brokenness and chaos is transformed into a reflection of God’s character.
Does that mean we are going to fix the world with all the things we do before God comes a second time? No. Then what is the point of fighting? We fight to proclaim the restoration that God wants us to do now in our context, whether it be our career, our family, or our community and so on-even though we will never fully restore it. Christ is the one who will accomplish that restoration when He returns the second time.
The victorious Christ
is the head of the people
who are fighting Satan here on earth,
and when He returns
for His final victory,
He will share the victory with them.
We will close this chapter and come full circle to Paul’s opening exhortation:
17 I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them.
18 For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive.
19 For your obedience is known to all, so that I rejoice over you, but I want you to be wise as to what is good and innocent as to what is evil.
20 The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
The final outcome of the gospel will be seen in Christ’s return. It is important, as believers, that we understand that the time of God’s triumphant proclamation of victory is drawing near. This victory will be shared with us and demonstrated in us. Soli Deo Gloria.
