Sharing "Journey to the Cross" by Paul David Tripp.
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There is no defeat in the cross. Only triumph is to be found there.
The life of Jesus was a death march. The life of Jesus was a victory parade. Both are true and must be held together. There was no defeat in the righteous life and sacrificial death of Jesus.
The birth of Jesus was a victory.
The escape from the hand of Herod was a victory.
The humanity of Jesus was a victory.
The perfect life of Jesus was a victory.
The triumph over temptation was a victory.
The public baptism of Jesus was a victory.
The teaching of Jesus was a victory.
The healing ministry of Jesus was a victory.
The arrest in Gethsemane was a victory.
The trial and torture of Jesus was a victory.
The crucifixion with criminals was a victory.
The separation from his Father was a victory.
His death on a cross was a victory.
The resurrection was a victory.
His post-resurrection appearance to his followers was a victory.
His ascension was a victory.
Everything in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, even those things that appeared to be defeats were victories. Each was a victory because each was done in fulfillment of God’s plan. Each was a victory because it was done in fulfillment of prophecy. Christ did all these things as our substitute. He did them all on our behalf. He lived, for us, the life we could have never lived. He won, for us, battles that would have led to our defeat. He suffered for us, so we would not suffer God’s anger over sin. He conquered, for us, the final enemy - death.
Yes, it was a life of suffering and death, but in it all was victory after victory. He came to conquer, and conquer he did. He came to reverse the course of human history, by victory after victory, until he could say, “It is finished.”
The apostle Paul talks about the victorious life of Jesus in Colossians 2:6-15: Read it right here.
New Living Translation
"6 And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. 7 Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.
8 Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ. 9 For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body. 10 So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority.
11 When you came to Christ, you were “circumcised,” but not by a physical procedure. Christ performed a spiritual circumcision—the cutting away of your sinful nature.12 For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with him you were raised to new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead.
13 You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins. 14 He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. 15 In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross."
Paul wants you to know that right here, right now, your life is rooted in the victories of Christ on your behalf. He wants you to know that when you are built up and grow, it is because of the victories of Christ on your behalf. He wants this identity to be the motivation behind everything you do. The Son of God left his lofty place and came to earth to suffer and die victoriously so that you would have not only a brand-new identity but also brand-new potential.
If you are God’s child, you are more than a husband, wife, son, daughter, father, mother, neighbor, friend, male, female, young person, older person, worker, retired, and so on. You are a child of a conquering King. You are a son or daughter of a victorious Savior. You have been raised and made alive. You have been forgiven; that is, your record of debt has been cancelled. Your penalty was nailed to the cross once and for all. This is who you are. This is how you are now welcomed to live, all because of the victory of Jesus on your behalf.
You don’t have to live in timidity and fear. You don’t have to give way to temptation. You don’t have to surrender your desires to the things of this world. You don’t have to chase after idols. You don’t have to fear God’s rejection when you have failed. You don’t have to fear being honest about your sin, weakness, and failure. You don’t have to look for identity where it can’t be found. You can say no to the enemy. You don’t have to fake righteousness you don’t really have. You don’t have to let anxiety rule your heart. You can rest in the unshakable love and forgiveness that is yours because of the victory of Jesus on your behalf.
I leave you with Paul’s crescendo sentence: "In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross." On the cross, Jesus was robbing the enemy of its weapons. As Jesus was on the cross, the enemy was being put to shame. The cross was a triumph.
Sin defeated.
Forgiveness granted.
Acceptance with God assured.
Eternal life guaranteed.
Victory now and in the world to come.
This is your identity. Now go live it out.
GOING DEEPER
Reflection Questions
1. In what areas of your life are you experiencing defeat? Where do you feel stuck?
2. How can the truth that “[Jesus] won, for us, battles that would have led to our defeat” help you in your battle against sin and spiritual failure?
3. What fears do you need to claim Jesus’s victory over? Do that now, in writing, and put them to rest.
Reread Colossians 2:6–15, and rejoice in Jesus’s victory on your behalf.
