But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. For he will not speak on his own authority, but will speak whatever he hears, and will tell you what is to come. He will glorify me, because he will receive from me what is mine and will tell it to you….”
“In a little while you will see me no longer; again after a little while, you will see me…. I tell you the solemn truth, you will weep and wail, but the world will rejoice; you will be sad, but your sadness will turn into joy…So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you… I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In the world [order] you have trouble and suffering, but take courage—I have conquered the world [order].”
If I were the disciples, I would have questions. If Jesus had conquered the world order, why would they still have trouble and suffering? The Greek word “conveys the idea of triumphing over adversities, challenges, or enemies.”[1] Yet those things were still present when Jesus said that, and even after he left. So what’s being conveyed here? I think the broad point is that God’s plan will win in the end. His Kingdom will come, and His will will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
So, let’s talk about Christ, The Victor, who has conquered the world.
God, through Jesus, accomplished a lot of things on the cross. There are numerous atonement theories; collectively, they point toward more than one thing. On the cross, God…
·revealed His love (Romans 5:8, John 14:7-10);
·reconciled all things to himself (2 Corinthians 5:18-19; Col 1:20-22)
·forgave our sins (Acts 13:38; Ephesians 1:7)
·healed us from our sin-diseased nature (1 Peter 2:24)
·defeated death, the devil and the devil’s works (Hebrews 2:14; 1 John 3:8; 12:31).
“disarmed the rulers and authorities…made a public display of them, having triumphed over them.” (Colossians 2:15).
rendered judgment on the “world order” (John 12:31)[2]
drew all people to himself (John 12:32)
·gave himself as a ransom for the sins of all people (1 Timothy 2:6; Mark 10:45; Hebrews 9:15).[3]
gave us an example of ‘cruciform’ Kingdom living (Ephesians 5:1-2; 1 Peter 2:21) by overcoming evil with love.
St. John Chrysostom’s (300s) wrote of what was accomplished in Jesus’ death and resurrection I one of his commentaries:
“O Death, where is your sting? O Hell, where is your victory? Christ is risen, and you are overthrown. Christ is risen, and the demons are fallen. Christ is risen, and the angels rejoice. Christ is risen, and life reigns…To Him be glory and dominion unto ages of ages. Amen.”
That’s the idea. When Jesus told his disciples that he had overcome the world order, I believe he is focusing on a particular aspect of what was accomplished on the cross. This is known as the Christus Victor (“Christ the Victor”) view of the atonement. It is one way to think about what Jesus did on the cross.
“In the New Testament, the saving effect of Jesus’s death is represented primarily through five constellations of images, each of which is borrowed from the public life of the ancient Mediterranean world: the court of law (e.g., justification), the world of commerce (e.g., redemption), personal relationships (e.g., reconciliation), worship (e.g., sacrifice), and the battleground (e.g., triumph over evil).” (Mark Baker)
The battleground imagery is the Christus Victor model.
From the beginning, the Bible records the on-going conflict with enemies visible and invisible (realms seen and unseen).[4] The Old Testament uses common cultural images of the dreaded Deep of the sea and the epic sea monsters in it. It was just an image for evil, pain and chaos. Yahweh stood out among the ‘gods’ of the surrounding nations because the God of the Israelites controlled, and demolished them (Psalm 29:3-4, 10; 74:10-14; 77:16, 19; 89:9-10; 104:2-9; Job 7:12; 9:8, 13; 26:12-13; 38:6-11; 40:-41; Ezekiel 29:3; 32:2; Jeremiah 51:34; Habakkuk 3:8-15; Nahum 1:4). Nonetheless, the conflict was real.
We also read that when Israel was in conflict with other nations, it was more than just people fighting; there was a war in the unseen realm as well (2 Samuel 5:23-24; Judges 11:21-24).
The Prince of Persia delayed the angel Michael in Daniel 10
The freeing of Israel from slavery in Egypt wasn’t just a conflict between Pharaoh and Moses. It was between Yahweh and the Egyptian gods.
When the Philistines took the Ark of the Covenant and put it in one of their temples next to Dagon, Dagon kept falling and breaking and the people suffered sickness until they moved it. (1 Samuel 5:2-7)
There is a history of Yahweh’s victory over these forces seen and unseen. When Jesus arrived, he talked about “the archon of this world” (Jn 12:31; 14:30; 16:11), which typically referred to those in authority: the king, the local governor, the Sadducees. Behind that “world order” was Satan, a spiritual archon to whom God had granted some kind of power and impact in the world.
When Satan tempted Jesus, he offered the kingdoms of the world because “it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to.” (Luke 4:5-6).
In Revelation 13, the Beast “was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation.” If you remember our Revelation series, I believe the Beast is Rome/Nero, but Satan is clearly depicted as the real power behind it all.
John wrote that the entire world is “under the power of the evil one” (I John 5:19);
Paul calls Satan “the god of this age” (2 Corinthians 4:4) and references the “ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.” (Ephesians 2:2).
Paul taught that whatever earthly struggles were a shadow of the real struggle against “the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12)[5]
In the death and resurrection of Jesus, he showed his powerful triumph over evil through self-sacrificial love, and ransomed the spiritual captives of the Unseen Pharoah from the Unseen Egypt (I mean, that observation of Passover at the Last Supper wasn’t coincidental). The result?
“The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah.” (Revelation 11:15)
God’s became flesh to overthrow the power of the Devil and bring an end to his works (Hebrews 2.14f.; I John 3.8). When Jesus heals the sick and drives out evil spirits, Satan’s dominion is departing and God’s kingdom is coming (Matthew 12:22-29; (Ac 10:38). He came to “destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil” in order to “free those who all their lives were held in slavery by the fear of death” (Hebrews 2:14-15). When the disciples cast out demons, Jesus “saw Satan fall from heaven like lightning” (Luke 10:18).
I have heard Jesus’ death and resurrection compared to D-Day. On that day, the outcome of the war was established. It didn’t mean there was no more battle left to fight. It just meant that the ending was sure. Perhaps we should think of the triumph of the cross as the downpayment on the promised restoration of all things in which, ultimately, God would “put all his enemies under his feet” (I Cor 15:25).
For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.
For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.” (Colossians 1:13-23)
Jesus wasn’t here only to solve the problem of our personal sin, though he certainly did that! He was here to overcome the kingdom of darkness, to reconcile all things to himself, to redeem the entire fallen system from top to bottom. Jesus came to….
“…open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me” (Acts 26:17-18).
free Gentiles from “the god of this age” who had “blinded the minds of the unbelievers” (2 Corinthians 4:4).
free us “from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will” (2 Timothy 2:26).
“set us free from this present evil age” (Galatians 1:4) and from “enslavement to the elemental spirits of the world” (Galatians 4:3, Romans 6:18, 8:2; Galatians 5:1; Colossians 2:20; Hebrews 2:14-15 ).
bind the Strong One, “spoil his goods” and “plunder his house.” (Mark 3:27)
Jesus promised that his disciples would be given authority to trample on snakes and scorpions (#imageryofevil) and to overcome the power of Satan (Luke 10:19).
set us free by “the law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus” from “the law of sin and death” (Rom. 8:2), the “old written code” (Rom. 7:6) that allowed the “law of sin” to place us in captivity (Rom. 7:23, 25).
We often talk about sin as only an issue involving our personal decisions. We certainly do make sinful choices, but these verses remind us that the god of this age blinds us; the Strong One has bound us; a “law of sin” places us in captivity; we have to be freed from the powerful captivity of Satan and the elemental spirits of the world
This doesn’t mean we can simply say “the Devil made me do it,” because even people in captivity can fight to be free. I’m just pointing out that in addition to our own sinful tendencies, there is a systemic problem. The world’s system and the spiritual powers behind them are actively working to deceive, bully, coerce, frighten, allure… whatever they can do to draw us into the chains of sin and the kingdom of darkness.
This is why, in addition to personal rescue, we need a liberation and restoration of the entire cosmos that had been “groaning in labor pains” because it was subjected to “the bondage of decay” (Romans 8:18-22) This, too, was addressed on the Cross.
* * * * *
Let’s summarize so far. We have been liberated from the bondage of sin and evil and restoreed into the “new humanity” (Ephesians 2:14-15) that God always intended for us to participate in, a humanity filled with His Spirit, united by and in the love of God, participating in His ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18-20) the intends to reconcile all things to Himself.
We are saved from the destruction that would have been the inevitable consequences of our sin, saved from our fallen inability to live in right relatedness with God, saved from the idolatrous, futile striving to find “life” from the things of the world, saved… to forever participate in the fullness of life, joy, power and peace that is the reign of the triune God. (Greg Boyd)
Jesus’ life was dedicated to delivering us from slavery to our sinful nature and slavery to the “world order” with all its spiritual and practical implications. And what is the path to this freedom? Is there a way we can participate in the conquest and the freedom that follows?
The ultimate expression of what this battle looks like happened on Calvary, where Jesus’ self-sacrificial love revealed the way this battle will be won: through a cross-shaped love, a “cruciform” love. So much of what Jesus did expressed the sacrificial servant’s heart. Let’s look back on Jesus’ life.
When Peter cut off a guard’s ear, Jesus healed the attacker’s ear and rebuked Peter (Luke 22:50-51). #notthatway
He washed the feet of his disciples, who would abandon him in a couple of hours (John 13:3-5). #thisway
And don’t forget Judas, whom he loved until the end (John 13:1). #thisway
Jerusalem welcomes him as a Zealot Messiah, and Jesus weeps (Luke 19) #notthatway
·“Can we call down fire on the Samaritans?” (Luke 9) #nonotthatway
Instead, Jesus converts the Samaritans (John 4) #thatway
The kingdom of God is fundamentally rooted, grounded, and expressed in cruciform love. This is how we fight our battles. This is how we participate in the conquest of evil that Jesus initiated. Jesus was all about overcoming evil with good. It is the loving reign of God expressed in the loving ministry of reconciliation by his people that will defeat the powers that resist it. The gods of the age are overcome through radical, Calvary-like, self-sacrificial love.
“According to the New Testament as a whole, God sent his Son in the flesh…. as a suffering servant; and the power that Jesus unleashed as he bled on the cross was precisely the power of self-giving love, the power to overcome evil by transforming the wills and renewing the minds of the evil ones themselves.” (Thomas Talbott)
“I’ll remind you of just one beautiful image of God, evident in the Christ of the Gospels: he’s the Restorer of lives. Jesus is the One who sat by the well and restored the Samaritan woman to her place in her community. He restored Zacchaeus’ integrity and offered him friendship. He saved and restored the woman caught in adultery to morality and life. He restored the paralytics, the blind and the deaf to wholeness. He restored outcasts such as lepers and the bleeding woman. He restored the sanity of the demonized. Even harshest rebukes were offers of restoration to the unrepentant. When we see Jesus in action, we are seeing the true heart of God, the Restorer of lives.” (Bradley Jersak)
We have to make a choice: will we participate in Christ’s victory or not? Because if we want to, it means we will have to not only have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16), but the methods of Christ. Not only the heart of Jesus, but the hands of Jesus. We always, relentlessly, overcome evil with good, trusting in the power and provision of our cruciform Savior’s love.
This is why God kingdom can never come by coercion, force or threat. God’s Kingdom invites and compels through steady witness to the transformative, saving power of cruciform love on display in our lives. The Kingdom of God through Christ comes through love, so the kingdom of God persuades by witness of our words and lives, by compassion, by the fruit and through the gifts of the Holy Spirit, through sacrificial love.
“For the earliest Christians, the story of salvation was entirely one of rescue, all the way through: the epic of God descending into the depths of human estrangement to release his creatures from bondage to death…to set the captives free and recall his prodigal children and restore a broken creation… We were born in bondage, in the house of a cruel master to whom we had been sold as slaves before we could choose for ourselves; we were born… corrupted and enchained by mortality, and so destined to sin… we were ill, impaired, lost, dying…But then Christ came to set us free, to buy us out of slavery, to heal us, to restore us to our true estate.” (David Bentley Hart)
How do we join the mission of Christ the Victor? Well, we sign up. I was raised in a church that stressed the importande of the Sinner’s Prayer, a spiritual Pledge of Allegiance to God. It looked something like this.
“Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner. I believe You died for my sins and rose from the dead. I turn from my sins and invite Your Holy Spirit to dwell in me. I want to trust and follow You as my Lord and Savior.”
But we have to be careful that we don’t think Jesus is calling us to say words and move on with our lives. It’s possible to know and say the right things and not be on mission with God (Matthew 25; James 2). We demonstrate that we truly believe what we said by joining in with the mission of Jesus by learning how to have his heart for the world, then expressing that heart with our hands.
It’s worth noting that not everyone who began to follow Jesus in the Bible are recorded saying just the right words. Maybe they did, but many of the stories focus on their changed lives. They were different. They wanted to be like Jesus, so they followed in his footsteps. They wanted their lives to look like Jesus’ life.
More than once Jesus tell his followers that people will know they are following him when they love like He does. (John 13:35) This translated into obedience, which is just another way of saying that we are committed to doing what Jesus says will help us look more and more like Jesus.
Our words can and should be a consistent testimony, but our lives are probably the testimony that speaks louder. Constantine was famous for using the cross as an emblem of war. “In this sign, conquer.” He could not have been further from the spirit of what Jesus did on the cross.
Jesus conquered sin, death, hell, the devil and the grave with cross-shaped, sacrificial love. He’s in the process of restoring all things.
Let’s join him.
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[1] Strong’s Lexicon
[2] “Therefore when Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out, and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called The Pavement, but in Hebrew, Gabbatha.” (John 19:13). Who sat in the ‘judgment seat?’ In English—and in many paintings—it looks like Pilate is seated there. But in Greek, John intentionally makes it ambiguous—it could also be Jesus sitting in Pilate’s seat as the governor runs in and out, between Jesus and the crowd (like a servant) seven times! (Brad Jersak)
[3] I don’t think we should get hung up on who received this ransom (Was it Satan? God?). The Bible says God paid a ransom for Israel to be free of Egypt, but God did not pay Egypt a literal amount of money to redeem Israel from slavery. God just liberated them. (Isaiah 43:1) I think it’s just imagery that the people understood: they were in bondage; someone set them free.
[4] I am borrowing my basic outline in this portion of the message from an excellent article by Greg Boyd on the Christus Victor model (https://reknew.org/2018/11/the-christus-victor-view-of-the-atonement/.). I want to be very clear that I do NOT agree with all of Boyd’s theology, particularly his view on Open Theism. However, his explanation of Christus Victor is one of the best short form explanations I have read. Props for compiling all the Scripture references for me to use :) N.T. Wright has a book length explanation in The Day the Revolution Began: Reconsidering the Meaning of Jesus's Crucifixion.
[5] “See also passages about “rulers,” “principalities,” “powers” and “authorities” (Romans 8:38; 13:1; I Corinthians 2:6, 8; 15:24; Ephesians 1:21; 2:2; 3:10; 6:12; Colossians 1:16: 2:10, 15) along with “dominions” (Ephesians 1:21; Colossians 1:16), “cosmic powers” (Ephesians 6:12), “thrones” (Colossians 1:16), “spiritual forces” (Ephesians 6:12), and “elemental spirits of the universe” (Colossians 2:8, 20; Galatians 4:3, 8-9).” I got this list from a commentary on BibleHub that I failed to keep track of.