The fatal blow struck against the serpent is foretold as early as Genesis 3:15.

From there the trajectory runs right through Scripture. Psalm 68:18, quoted in Ephesians 4:8, speaks of Christ carrying off the spoils of war and giving ‘gifts to men.’ Isaiah 53 concludes with the triumph of the suffering servant, ‘dividing his spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death’ (v 12).

‘Clothed with our flesh he vanquished death and sin together, that victory and triumph might be ours.’

The Battle in the Gospels

In the temptation narratives of Matthew 4 and Luke 4, the devil comes in person to deceive, entice and overthrow Christ — a battle signalling the beginning of Satan’s downfall, fought and won by Jesus on our behalf.¹Refer to the excellent article by M. J. Wilkins, ‘Temptation of Jesus,’ in Joel B. Green ed., Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels, Second Edition (IVP, 2013), 952-959.

When the seventy-two disciples ‘returned with joy,’ saying, ‘Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name,’ Jesus ‘said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven”’ (Luke 10:17-18). And at his arrest he issued what amounts to a call to war: ‘Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand’ (Matt 26:46).

John’s Gospel includes neither Jesus’ temptation by the devil nor his expulsion of evil spirits — yet it dramatically portrays the greater conflict: ‘Now is the judgement of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out’ (John 12:31); ‘the ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me’ (14:30); ‘the ruler of this world is judged’ (16:11); ‘take heart; I have overcome the world’ (16:33).²See Edward W. Klink III, ‘Gospel of John,’ in T & T Clark Companion to Atonement, 515-22.

All those sayings fall within the context of the cross and resurrection as Satan’s defeat — ‘he who is in you [the Spirit of Christ] is greater than he who is in the world’ (1 John 4:4).

Other passages place particular weight on the idea that the very purpose of the incarnation and atonement was the devil’s defeat (Heb 2:14-15; 1 John 3:7-8). Hebrews speaks of Christ’s coming ‘that he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil.’ Colossians 2:15 stands as a pinnacle text of the victory theme, together with 1 John 3:8: ‘The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.’

‘In short,’ comments Calvin,

‘neither since as God could he feel death, nor as man alone could he overcome it, he coupled human nature with the divine to atone for sin he might submit the weakenss of the one to death; and that, wrestling with death by the power of the other nature, he might win victory for us. … our common nature with Christ is the pledge of our fellowship with the Son of God; and clothed with our flesh he vanquished death and sin together that victory and triumph might be ours.’³Calvin Institutes, 2.12.3; Battles ed., 466—67.

The First Five of Seven Dimensions

1. The destruction of the devil. ‘The whole world lies in the power of the evil one’ (1 John 5:19), and apart from Christ all are, in this sense, ‘children of the devil’ (1 John 3:10). In Christ, Satan has lost his claim and hold on the believer.

Oscar Cullmann’s D-Day illustration fits here: Christ’s death and resurrection mark the decisive turning point of the war, won at enormous cost, even though offensive operations continue toward a final resolution.⁴Oscar Cullman, Christ and Time (SCM Press, 1951), 84. ‘That is like Jesus’ decisive battle with the powers of darkness on the cross, where the New Testament makes it very clear, Satan was irreversibly defeated, the place of human beings in God’s kingdom was secured, and a hole was punched in the wall of death.’⁵Seccombe, Gospel of the Kingdom, 74.

2. The dominion of Christ. Christ is enthroned, powerful, assuming all authority — and this grounds the believer’s assurance.

Paul writes of him being ‘highly exalted’ by God because of his obedience unto death, given the name above every other name, before whom ‘every knee should bow’ (Phil 2:8-10). He depicts Christ as supreme — ‘head’ and ‘beginning,’ above all created ‘thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities,’ ‘the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent’ (Col 1:15-18). John sees the Lamb standing ‘between the throne and the four living creatures’ (Rev 5:6).

That total and settled dominion is the ground of the believer’s confidence.

3. The launch of a new age. Christ’s conquest ushers in a new age — the last days, the ultimate endpoint toward which God is moving history, have penetrated and impacted the present.

From Pentecost onward, the church and the world live in ‘the last days’ of which Joel, Peter, Paul and James spoke (Joel 2:28-32; Acts 2:17; 2 Tim 3:1; Heb 1:2; Jas 5:3), a period marked by tribulation (Matt 24:21, 29). John too speaks of the last hour (1 John 2:18).

On the basis of Christ’s victory and his gift of the Spirit, believers are established as a future-oriented people, ‘who live the life of the future in the present as they await the consummation.’⁶See Graham A. Cole, ‘Eschatology,’ in T & T Clark Companion to Atonement, 473-78. Then Gordon D. Fee, Paul, the Spirit, and the People of God (Hendrickson, 1996), 49-62 (49). Also consult Gregg R. Allison and Andreas Köstenberger, The Holy Spirit (B&H Academic, 2020), 457-461; Sinclair B. Ferguson, The Holy Spirit (IVP, 1996), 175-182, 248-255; and Dennis E. Johnson, ‘Holy Spirit, Eschatological Role of,’ in Dictionary of the New Testament Use of the Old Testament (Baker Academic, 2023), 331-336.

4. The promise of a total final destruction of evil — encompassing the resurrection of the dead, the final judgement, and the new creation.⁷See Matthias Grebe, ‘The Problem of Evil,’ in T & T Clark Companion to the Atonement, 707-712.

In a fascinating passage reflecting on Jesus’ promise that in the new world human beings will be ‘equal to angels’ (Luke 20:36), Augustine suggests ‘the repopulation of heaven’ as a goal of Christ’s victory:

‘Since it was not the whole company of angels that had perished by deserting God, those who had perished should remain in perpetual perdition, while those who had preserved with God … should have the joy of knowing that their future happiness was assured; as for … humankind …, since they had totally perished by reason of their sins and punishments, … some of them should be restored to fill the gap left in the company of the angels by the devil’s fall.’⁸The Augustine Catechism: The Enchiridion on Faith, Hope, and Love, trans. Bruce Harpert (New City Press, 1999), 59-60; cited in Cole, Against the Darkness, 158. See also, Adam J. Johnson, ‘Angels,’ in in T & T Clark Companion to Atonement, 365—70.

5. The end of sin’s reign in the lives of believers. ‘For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace’ (Rom 6:14).

John Owen argued that our transferral to the kingdom of Christ has a twofold pastoral application: convincing unbelievers that they remain under the power of sin, and convincing believers that they are no longer under that power but under the dominion of Jesus — though sin still remains present in them.⁹John Owen, The Dominion of Sin and Grace, Goold ed., 7:500-560, esp. 552-560; idem, Overcoming Sin and Temptation, Kelly Kapic and Justin Taylor eds. (Crossway, 2006). See Kelly Kapic, ‘John Owen,’ in T & T Clark Companion to Atonement,’ 659-664.

And, in the next article we examine two further ways Christ’s victory reaches us.

—

• 1
  Refer to the excellent article by M. J. Wilkins, ‘Temptation of Jesus,’ in Joel B. Green ed., Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels, Second Edition (IVP, 2013), 952-959. ↩︎
• 2
  See Edward W. Klink III, ‘Gospel of John,’ in T & T Clark Companion to Atonement, 515-22. ↩︎
• 3
  Calvin Institutes, 2.12.3; Battles ed., 466—67. ↩︎
• 4
  Oscar Cullman, Christ and Time (SCM Press, 1951), 84. ↩︎
• 5
  Seccombe, Gospel of the Kingdom, 74. ↩︎
• 6
  See Graham A. Cole, ‘Eschatology,’ in T & T Clark Companion to Atonement, 473-78. Then Gordon D. Fee, Paul, the Spirit, and the People of God (Hendrickson, 1996), 49-62 (49). Also consult Gregg R. Allison and Andreas Köstenberger, The Holy Spirit (B&H Academic, 2020), 457-461; Sinclair B. Ferguson, The Holy Spirit (IVP, 1996), 175-182, 248-255; and Dennis E. Johnson, ‘Holy Spirit, Eschatological Role of,’ in Dictionary of the New Testament Use of the Old Testament (Baker Academic, 2023), 331-336. ↩︎
• 7
  See Matthias Grebe, ‘The Problem of Evil,’ in T & T Clark Companion to the Atonement, 707-712. ↩︎
• 8
  The Augustine Catechism: The Enchiridion on Faith, Hope, and Love, trans. Bruce Harpert (New City Press, 1999), 59-60; cited in Cole, Against the Darkness, 158. See also, Adam J. Johnson, ‘Angels,’ in in T & T Clark Companion to Atonement, 365—70. ↩︎
• 9
  John Owen, The Dominion of Sin and Grace, Goold ed., 7:500-560, esp. 552-560; idem, Overcoming Sin and Temptation, Kelly Kapic and Justin Taylor eds. (Crossway, 2006). See Kelly Kapic, ‘John Owen,’ in T & T Clark Companion to Atonement,’ 659-664. ↩︎