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THE CROSS AND THE WISDOM OF GOD

by bruno sebrechts
5/02/2021 / Bible Studies

The crucifixion of Christ was the focal point of the conflict between light and darkness. When Jesus was captured, he declared: “this is your hour, and the power of darkness” (Luke 22:53), but also “now the prince of this world [the devil] will be cast out.” (John 12:31).

In relating baptism to the transition to the new kingdom (Col 2:12), Paul identified the remission of our sins at the root of our deliverance from the power of darkness (Col 1:12).[1]

The principal transition from “the power of darkness” to the new realm is the result of sharing in the death and resurrection of Christ, who is, after all, our representative and forerunner: “The firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have preeminence” (Col 1:18).

In the context of baptism/death/resurrection, Paul assures the victory of Christ over the principalities and powers (Col 2:12–15, see also 1 Pet 3:21–22). Jesus’ sufferings and death were an adequate (vicarious) punishment and ended the claims of the enemy. (This is not just biblical logic. Even in our legal system, the burdens of a newly adopted child will fall on the new parent, who may pay for existing debts). Bearing our sins and undergoing the attacks of evil powers, he rid himself of these powers by his death, and entered the realm of the new creation by his resurrection.[2]

Having neglected these precious truths, the Colossians went back to philosophical and “spiritual” wisdom, and became vulnerable to deceptive spirits ("elemental spirits,” Col 2:8–20 NET, or more literal “elements of the world”. Paul used the Greek term stoicheia, in the ancient context referring to basic elements co-opted by demonic powers in idolatrous worship).[3] Becoming seduced by so-called superior knowledge, they became more geared to an alternative spirituality than to Christ. Paul warned them that “elemental spirits” displace the centrality of Christ as the wisdom of God. In reality, a kind of idolatry had crept in.[4] Christ’s method of overcoming the enemy contrasts sharply with the approach of their teachers; boasting in human wisdom and achievement clashes with the “inner circumcision” of the heart. God honors the person who abandons all pretenses and puts his hope in the cross—the only way to conquer the powers of evil (Rom 2:29; Col 2:11–15).

The Powers of Darkness and their Miscalculation

Right from the beginning, Satan’s tactic has been to drive a wedge between God and humanity, who, after all, is the object of God’s love. His interference in the Garden of Eden was an initial success, for since then the problem of sin has repeated itself in every human. Indeed, Satan thought he had a strong asset—an endless list of offenses against God's law resulting in a final separation from God.

Paul referred to the (Mosaic) law as “the handwriting in ordinances … against us” (Col 2:14). The kingdom of darkness seemed to have succeeded in separating humanity forever, having smothered God’s love—through the use of God’s ordinances. Had God been outsmarted?

God had chosen to work within guidelines of wisdom, faithfulness, and eternal love as he deals with humanity,^[5] sticking to his intentions and revealed words. He will never deny his own statements. So the accuser seemed to have a very strong case, for God's word has stated: “He who justifies the wicked, and he who condemns the righteous, both of them alike are an abomination to Yahweh” (Prov 17:15). How could God act in accordance with such a statement? How could he consistently keep his own word—even those words uttered as curses? The following verses illustrate this problem:

“Cursed be he who doesn’t confirm the words of this law to do them” (Deut 27:26); “Woe to the wicked! Disaster is upon them; for the deeds of his hands will be paid back to him” (Isa 3:11); “Now is the end on you, and I will send my anger on you, and will judge you according to your ways; and I will bring on you all your abominations” (Ezek 7:3); “The soul who sins, he shall die ... the righteousness of the righteous shall be on him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be on him” (Ezek 18:20); “What are the multitude of your sacrifices to me?” says Yahweh. “I have had enough of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed animals. I don’t delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of male goats” (Isa 1:11).

Knowing that God would stick to his words, the powers of darkness imagined that they had the victory, for the severest blood debt that humanity could ever load on itself was the crucifixion of the Son of God. To shift this guilt to an innocent animal and to sacrifice that animal, as Moses had learned, was not an option. Nothing could compensate for this injustice, for God is ultimately the one who avenges blood debt (Ps 9:13). We can imagine the powers of darkness—with no idea of God’s wisdom behind it all—ready to celebrate their victory. “None of the rulers of this world has known. For had they known it, they wouldn’t have crucified the Lord of glory” (1 Cor 2:8).

Because the rulers in the previous verse seem to be both the earthly rulers and the demonic powezrs behind them, the earthly events of the crucifixion offer a glimpse of the hidden spiritual world.

The Pharisees hoped that the crucifixion would finally destroy the reputation of Christ, but the opposite proved to be the case. Imagine the astonishment of the evil powers when they discovered that God had not been run off the road. His crucifixion actually fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies about the promised deliverer! This was the deeper meaning of the rituals and sacrifices, all of which foreshadowed his crucifixion.

The covenant with Abraham regarding the blessing of humanity had already announced that God would bear the consequences if it were ever violated. In a strange ritual, it was not Abraham who passed among the pieces of the sacrificial animals, but was, against all odds, a flaming torch—the image of God's presence (Gen 15:17). God himself would go through death in the case of violation, which happened at Golgotha.

The Victory of God’s Word

God triumphed by remaining true to his word. He condemned sin and put the death sentence on Christ instead of on the wicked, as the Scriptures foretold. Juridically, his death and resurrection transferred the dying humanity to new life.^[6]

How could one man’s death sufficiently substitute when the whole of humanity deserved to die? Jesus’ death was not merely a sad event, but a punishment for the sins of the world. He—the sinless one—chose to die, taking our punishment though he did not deserve it in any way. His blood is a sufficient redemption price for all humanity because he is God, and the value of the Creator always exceeds that of the creatures. God’s ways and solutions are perfect. The sacrifice of Christ was surely a perfect and priceless sacrifice that surpassed every human imagination. Who would have thought that God was willing to swallow such an abomination and take this curse on himself?

Does forgiveness based on vicarious punishment promote laziness and opportunism? It might, if gratitude and love for Christ do not arise, for then the believer cannot benefit from Christ’s sacrifice. It would just leave him cold. Christ bore the judgement, and when we respond to his love, we start a new way of living in the power of the Spirit (2 Cor 5:14–15). But when we don’t start to love him, we bear our own judgment (1 Cor 16:22).

The Claim is Broken

“He made you alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, wiping out the handwriting in ordinances which was against us; and he has taken it out of the way, nailing it to the cross” (Col 2:13–14).

Just as a document declaring the sentence was placed on a cross above a criminal’s head (Mark 15:26), so the whole law, having been violated in every respect and thus symbolizing the sins of the world, was figuratively nailed above the Son of God.

Jesus had accepted the blame and paid the penalty in accordance with all announced conditions.

The law revealed the depth of sin. Yet Christ upheld the holy standard of the law. On the cross, by becoming a sacrifice for our sins, he realized what the salvific rituals of the law foreshadowed.

Moreover, after the cross came the resurrection, which reveals the new creation.

The devil had hoped to benefit from the crucifixion, but it became his pyrrhic victory. The light of truth broke through and humiliated the powers of darkness: “the powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them” (Col 2:15).

After his death, Jesus’ victory was seen by the angels in the heavenly realms: “God was revealed in the flesh, justified in the spirit, seen by angels, preached among the nations, believed on in the world, and received up in glory” (1 Tim 3:16).

God was not caught in a vicious circle of frustration, for the revealed truth overcame every indictment. Despite their brutal attacks, the dark forces were unable to catch Jesus in their craftiness. They achieved his crucifixion, during which three hours of darkness covered the whole earth. As sophisticated as their plan was, even more convincing was their defeat when Christ was bodily resurrected. What a shock to see how all the pieces of Scripture they had not understood were now fitting together (1 Pet 1:12)!

It turned out that Satan’s ultimate weapon, the crucifixion of Christ, served to fulfill God’s plans (Acts 4:28) and completely thwart his own. Christ conquered evil, not by blowing it away but by turning it into seeds of its own destruction.

In being raised from the dead, Jesus surpassed the sphere of the evil powers’ dominion. The devil is still called “the god of this age,” but Jesus starts a new age at a new and higher level that believers may share when they share in his death and resurrection. In this sense, we are not to overcome the evil powers as such but rather to grow in Christ to partake actively of our inheritance.

Jesus broke the seemingly legitimate rule of the dark powers. To achieve this, he had to enter their domain and withstand their confrontation without sinning. In doing so, he became the prototype of a new humanity. The rebellion of the first Adam had welcomed darkness into the world, but the faithfulness of the second Adam started a new society where all darkness will be excluded.

The beginning of the decline of a rule often starts on the day when its rulers lose their credibility and moral authority. Likewise, the cross initiated the downfall of the rulers of darkness.

This article is available in Spanish, Portuguese, French, Dutch, Chinese, Russian, Arabic and Farsi.

[1] On baptism: “As always there is the tension between the ‘now’ and the ‘not yet.’ ... There was a constant temptation to fall back into some of the old pagan ways that they were supposed to have left behind, or to accept religious obligations that were superfluous to the Christian faith as they had received it from the apostles. These temptations are connected, according to St. Paul, with the subtle operations of the powers of evil in their various forms.” Roy Yates, "The Powers of Evil in the New Testament," 'The Evangelical Quarterly 52' (1980): 110–11.

[2] Let us compare it with the raid of a royal procession, whereby the king (Jesus) offers his crown (heavenly position) and royal robe (earthly life) as ransom. The robbers imagine that by obtaining thes*e symbols they have become kings themselves, but they fail to conquer the throne.

[3] “Elemental sprits,” Stoicheia tou Kosmou: O’Brien gives an overview of the pros and cons of this interpretation, and agrees with the majority of modern commentators that these stoicheia are personal spiritual powers. See Peter O'Brien, 'Colossians–Philemon', WBC 44 (Dallas: Word, 2002), 110, 129; Arnold also concludes that the interpretation of “personal spiritual entities” is the most compelling view. See Clinton E. Arnold, 'Powers of Darkness: Principalities and Powers in Paul's Letter' (Madison: IVP, 1992), 54; R. Moses combines the first meaning (elements) with the derived meaning (gods). In his view, stoicheia are basic elements co-opted by higher powers in idolatrous worship: “Paul’s argument in Galatians is built on association of the stoicheia with high powers, not an equation of the stoicheia with the higher powers.” R. Moses, 'Powerful Practices: Paul’s Principalities and Powers Revisited', 199, 209.

[4] On Col 2:8–23: “The typical biblical rhetoric against idolatry is paralleled, item by item, in Paul’s rhetoric against the so-called Colossian philosophy ... Paul’s depiction of this philosophy as empty deceit (2:8), a shadow without substance (2:17) that has a mere appearance of wisdom (2:23), clearly echoes earlier biblical judgment on idolatry as worthless, vanity, and nothingness (Isa 44:9; Jer 2:4; Ps 97:7; 115:4–7; 135:15–18).” Walsh, "Late/Post Modernity and Idolatry: A Contextual Reading of Colossians 2:8–3:4," 9.

[5] “God is all-powerful... not a God of arbitrary power.... In the cross we realize that his omnipotence is one of love.” Donald G. Bloesch, 'The Struggle of Prayer' (New York: Harper & Row, 1980), 30, 32.

[6] “The power of the resurrection of Christ is seen in the justifying of every believer; for the justification of the Representative is the virtual justification of all whom he represents.” C. H. Spurgeon, 'The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit' (London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1889), 211.

Bruno Sebrechts is a counselor and Bible teacher with over twenty-five years of pastoral experience. He saw God at work, especially in the healing/deliverance of the most damaged believers. His writings are the result of his extensive experience and continuous study. See www.LightInOurDarkness.net

Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com-CHRISTIAN WRITERS

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