Satan is Defeated Through the Life, Death, Burial, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ
In 1 John 3:8, we learn that “the reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.” Here, the word “destroy” means much more than limiting Satan’s power or even limiting his ability to deceive. Jesus completely destroyed the wicked schemes, devices, and tricks of the devil as well as defeating his abilities at deception. Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance says that destroy comes from the Greek word “appolumi” #3089 and means “to abolish, put out of the way entirely, put an end to and to render useless. Wow, that is really direct, and at first reading, it is almost impossible to grasp.
What about evil in the world? More about that later. Another verse to review is John 12:31, “Now judgment is upon this world; now the prince of this world will be cast out.” Satan is cast out, but where was he cast out from? If he is cast out, has Satan been cast out of a physical place? In John 16:11, we read another way to view Satan’s demise, “the prince of this world has been condemned.” Since Satan is a fallen angel and is, therefore, a spiritual being, there is no physical place that he can be cast out of. In other words, do not think of terms like a literal jail with bars on it and a large lock where the key is in God’s hands. We, therefore, approach this subject from a spiritual standpoint.
Redemption and reconciliation of Christ by His death and resurrection are two important theological concepts. They are of utmost importance and have been a longstanding cardinal doctrine of the Reformed Church. The part that is not readily spoken of is what has happened theologically speaking to the works of the devil. While I agree totally with the Theologians’ synopsis on Redemption and Reconciliation, I have to go back to John 12:31 to understand the works of the devil.
“The prince of this world will be cast out” seems to mean removal. At the same time, Satan has an influence on people in the here and now, and sometimes to such an extent that we notice evil on all sides with no remedy in sight. An understanding of these issues is needed. The authority and power that Satan once had is broken by the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and Jesus’ blood frees mankind from all the works of the devil. Satan is also condemned and defeated in our present age, meaning in the here and now, his powers are broken.
My favorite verse on this subject comes from Col 2:15: “And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. Disarmed means to “strip off” or “remove.” This verse speaks volumes. Jesus stripped the enemy of his powers by making a show of them openly on the cross. He took Satan’s greatest power away—deception. To reflect on destroyed means also cast out, condemned, disarmed, and triumphed over. In this sense, he is securely chained. Remember, we think in terms of the spiritual and not physical.
The reason I like Colossians 2:15 so much is its words—“powers and authorities.” In Ephesians 6:12, Paul mentions four types of adversaries that Christians can overcome through Christ—1) principalities, 2) powers, 3) rulers of darkness, and 4) spiritual wickedness in high places. The word for “rulers” comes from “archos” and simply means “one who is in charge.” Then, the word for power is “exousia,” which means authority. Simply put, it means those who rule with authority. In context, Paul says that we have power over these ruling demonic authorities. Spiritual wickedness in high places implies things happening in Earth’s atmosphere.
Satan Is Defeated!
The explanation for this notion is not difficult to understand, but in practice, many believers fall short. Stepping back to the question I raised earlier, “Why so much evil in the world if Satan is defeated?”
Throughout my lifetime with Jesus, I have worked on and attempted to practice what full surrender to Jesus looked like in my daily walk. I would read, “Do not worry,” and I would worry. “Do not take thought for your life,” and I would think about my physical life all the time. “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not to thy own understanding” is a well-known verse in Proverbs 3, yet I fell short so much of its intention. Paul says in Galatians 5:1, “It was for freedom, Christ sets us free. Therefore, keep standing firm and do not be subject again to the yoke of slavery.” (NASB 1995)
After a number of years of success and failure in practicing the fundamental truths, I had a revival of heart to their meaning. I learned not to be concerned about tomorrow or how to cast all your cares on the Lord, for He cares for you. In addition, where the scripture says not to worry, I learned not to worry. I have an answer for the many questions Christians have on this topic. The last few years have been wonderful in the treatment of the truth that “whom the Son hath set free is free indeed.” I believe that after all this time, it has become clear how to approach the subject of freedom in Christ. That is why I feel it is necessary to share it in this article. Getting to where I am today has not always been fun and easy, but my life experiences have taught me very much, and I praise the Lord for that.
It goes back to Jesus’ authority defeating all forms of darkness through His death on the cross and His victorious resurrection. Jesus has all authority. Then, He handed over His authority to the church in the form of the “keys to the Kingdom.” Peter and thus the church have the same authority as Jesus and this power is the key in order for God’s children to go against the darkness of the world.
If you, like me, attend an excellent church, then listen to the songs sung each Sunday. Many songs speak of the power we have over the enemy. They herald that we have power over sin. Other songs encourage us. We sing victory over death and victory over all kinds of evil. Then, in practice, so many of us fall far short. I once looked for a quick fix to my lack of trust in Jesus. The answer never came quickly, but over a period of time, precept upon precept, line upon line, here a little, there a little, the answer came.
If we love our lives more than we love Christ, then every little problem, bump in the road, and a situation that does not make our flesh feel good brings a human response to fix the problem. Let me explain myself here; we are not to love our lives even unto death is the way Jesus said in Revelation 12:11. We overcome sin by the blood of the lamb (Jesus) and the word of our testimony. While we do not have a cavalier attitude about taking care of this physical body, it must be put in its place if one is to succeed in full trust in Jesus. To put the body in its place is not to raise its needs to an unnatural height. Our first and utmost importance is the soul and spirit. The peace of God will take over where fear once lived. Jesus said that He would give us peace, but not as the world gives.
Our physical bodies house the Holy Spirit, who abides in our innermost being. He, the Holy Spirit, lives in our hearts. When Paul said that our bodies are the Temple of the Holy Spirit, he knew what he was talking about. I do not think of my flesh in terms of it being good or evil. I think of our bodies as the means to live on Earth. In that sense, it is utilitarian in function. Our bodies are adapted to our surroundings, such as our need for air, water, food, sleep, and exercise. When our bodies are neglected, our health diminishes, our quality of life is affected, and our lifespan may be cut short. Many prayers are offered for the health of these earthly vessels and are always encouraged. There is a fine line between properly taking care of our bodies and living in excess.
The three areas of our beings are spirit, soul (mind), and body. If you are a believer, your spirit is safe. It has been reborn in Jesus and communes in perfect harmony with the Lord. In this way, it is perfect. The soul, on the other hand, houses our emotions, feelings, our will, and our identity. The soul is also likened to our consciousness. The mind is another word for soul. The mind must either yield to God and be trained in righteousness and truth or it yields to sin and death. A moral or immoral life does not start in the deepest heart but in the mind. Therefore, the mind must be nourished with God’s Holy Word. The mind can attain bad thoughts, which lead to destructive actions. This is the area that Satan can manipulate. He looks for willing vessels.
What’s going on?
Satan attacks the mind. Some call this mind games and tempt us to blame God for all the bad stuff going on. I assure you it is not a game for death and life are in the power of the tongue. And they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.” (Proverbs 18:21) I can think of no other way Satan controls the wills of people but by way of the mind. We do the rest on our own. If people control their tongues, they control their future.
Another important point is that Satan does not have powers equal to God. He cannot be in two places at the same time. He does not know everything there is to know. His ability to work within humankind is limited in scope and resources. He is right now defeated. So, how does Satan get away with the spread of evil across this world?
The knowledge of the enemy’s tactics is priceless. If one does not understand how the enemy works, they may be a target of the enemy’s devices or schemes. Strengthening the mind through the Word of God is the answer. In Romans 12:1-3, Paul says:
“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
We learn that the mind can be renewed. Another way to understand the health of the mind is Philippians 2:1-5:
Therefore, if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility, value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus.
The two verses speak volumes. First, the mind can be renewed, and then it can be trained to be like Jesus’ mindset. The next area to study is that the mind can be blinded.
The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers so they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”
2 Corinthians 3:4
There is a remedy for this blinding. “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:5) Here, notice the words knowledge and thought. Both of these deal with the mind.
I can think of nothing more destructive than negative speech, whether prompted by the enemy or from within us. In psychology circles, it is referred to as “self-fulfilled prophecy.” Phrases like “I can’t,” “I won’t,” “It’s too hard,” “I’m a failure,” “my parents said I would never amount to anything,” or even “I don’t want to,” are words that destroy our minds. Jesus said, “For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.” (Matthew 12:37) You have heard it before, but it bears hearing again—words have power. One lie can destroy a life for decades. One judgmental opinion can influence how a person looks at another person for a long time. One negative viewpoint is hard to counteract, and the seed of one small negative perspective can last a lifetime. Bless and do not curse, Paul said in Romans 12:14. Jesus said to bless and not curse our enemies. (Matthew 5:44)
Sometimes, we are the ones at fault. Our own thoughts rob us of victory. Satan does not even have to be near us, in the same room, or even in the area for the human mind to self-talk into a pit of despair. At times, we cause our own downfall by negative thinking and terrible uncontrolled inner thoughts. Of course, when I say “Satan,” it is a general term. As I said before, he is not God. In conclusion, Satan’s devices can only affect the mind by way of negative thoughts that eventually lead to negative actions. Secondly, our own words can lead us into destructive behavior. I cannot easily separate these two concepts. My advice is to train the mind through the scriptures, be aware of your own negative thought processes, and remember that any bad habit takes about a month to engineer positive change. This article did not speak about deeper forms of Satanic manipulation upon one’s whole being, most notably demonic possession. Even in those cases, the way into a person’s life is through the mind and then yield to the other physical senses.