Destined for the CrossSample

Colossians 2:15 is a frame of reference, a lens through which we see one perspective of the reason Jesus died, a perspective related to the Christus Victor theory of atonement. Jesus Christ is victor over the powers and authorities and over the devil and his demonic hierarchy. The cross of Christ is a place of victory. God took the initiative to reconcile us, to redeem us, and He used the cross to do it. In the incarnation of the Word—the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus—God turned His face toward the world to redeem us to life, overcoming the power of sin, death, and the devil, thereby setting us free. He “rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Col. 1:13–14 NASB).

It is not unusual today to see powerful social programs as an integral part of large churches and Christian ministries. Many churches today have thousands of members that can come together as one body to provide even greater resources to serve the community. Why is this happening around the world today? Because Jesus went to the cross identifying with the people who needed the power of God to break the stronghold that the authorities, powers, and principalities held in their lives and often over their lives.

As Pilate tried to “wash his hands” of the crucifixion of Jesus, he could not have imagined that in less than 300 years Christianity would become a legalized religion in the empire, or that approximately 350 years after he participated in the crucifixion of Jesus, the Roman Empire would make Christianity its official religion. He couldn’t have imagined when his soldiers were mocking Jesus, slapping Him, spitting on Him, and placing a crown of thorns on His head that there would come a day when there would be no Roman Empire and that the followers of Jesus would number more than one billion.

In answer to Pilate’s question of why Jesus had to die, Scripture teaches that Jesus died to disarm the powers and authorities, making a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.