Satan's defeat

Everyone wants to be on a winning team. As sports fans, we cheer for our team to win the league or the cup final. In business, we want our work teams to succeed and excel in the marketplace. In the bigger issues of life and eternity it’s reassuring to Christians to know that we’re on the winning side. We’re part of an age-long spiritual conflict. Satan is waging war against God. Sin stands in opposition to holiness. The spiritual battlefield includes our hearts. But when we give our hearts to Jesus, we share in His victory over evil.

Jesus’ victory means that Satan is a defeated foe. The Bible tells us that Satan was once one of the holy angels, but he became proud and rebelled against God. His fall ushered sin into the universe, and each of us has participated in sinning against God. We'd be hopelessly and eternally lost except for the saving grace of God.

First John 3.8 tells us, “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.” By His grace, God the Father sent His Son, Jesus Christ, into this world to undo the evil that Satan has inflicted. This was God’s plan all along.  Immediately after Adam and Eve followed Satan’s temptation and disobeyed God, God declared His plan to counteract Satan’s destructive acts. God told the serpent that the seed of the woman, a descendant of Eve, would destroy him. In Genesis 3.15 God said, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers, he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” At the cross it appeared that Satan had won a great victory by striking the heel of the Son of God. But in that sacrificial death Jesus instead crushed Satan’s head. He defeated Satan on our behalf. All who put their faith in Jesus Christ share in His victory both now and forever.

Satan’s defeat, however, doesn’t mean that he’s incapacitated. In fact, Satan is still all too active in this world. He’s constantly scheming to distract us from our commitment to Christ. In Ephesians 6.11 Paul challenges us to, “Put on the full armour of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.” God has given us, through Jesus Christ, everything we need to resist temptation and have victory over Satan day by day.

Satan was defeated at the cross. In a future day he’ll be forever put out of reach of God’s people and will suffer eternal judgment in hell. Revelation 20.10, looking into the future, says, “And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulphur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night forever and ever.” Satan’s defeat is sealed. Jesus Christ has won the victory. Isn’t it great to know that we’re on the winning team!