God’s Wisdom

For a long time, I found “wisdom” as one of those words you sort of know the meaning of, but if I had to define it, I could never quite find the right words.

“Wisdom” is a key term found throughout the Bible. In particular, “wisdom” plays a key role in Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and some of the Psalms. Such writings are called “wisdom literature.”

Unlike the Torah (Genesis-Deuteronomy) and the prophets which were unique to Israel on the basis of their covenant with YHWH, wisdom literature was universal across culture.

On the human level, wisdom is attained from observations based on study or reflection on life, passed down and proved through generations and across cultures. [1] Proverbs 1:20-21 speaks of wisdom “calling aloud” in the public spheres of human life. Because its universal nature, wisdom traditions were freely borrowed from one nation to another in the ancient world. Thus we find similarities to Hebrew wisdom literature in the wisdom traditions of other nations.

However, for the true Israelite, wisdom’s ultimate source is God. Proverbs 2:6 says, “For the Lord gives wisdom”. This same affirmation is found in 1 Kings 4:29; “God gave Solomon wisdom”.

Wisdom is “the key that unlocks the secrets of the cosmos”. [2] Such “secrets” were created by God Himself as part of His order in creation to “govern” how to live life before Him. Thus all wisdom ultimately comes from God.

The wise sought to discover these “secrets” through generations of observation and reflection on life and to apply them so as to live successfully before God in His created order. Wisdom deals with the way the world normally works in God’s created order. However, because of the Fall, the principles of wisdom will not always work out.

 

Such “secrets” covered many aspects. While the English word “wisdom” is defined along the lines of experience, knowledge and good judgement, [3] the Hebrew understanding of “wisdom” is much broader.

Hebrew wisdom included moral discernment and good judgement, such as Solomon’s judging of the case between the two women and the baby (1 Kings 3:16-28). The ability to rule is accredited to wisdom, as in Proverbs 8:14-16.

Wisdom also includes creative and artistic ability (Exodus 31:1-5; 1 Kings 7:14b). This idea of such artistic work as wisdom may be linked to Israel’s understanding that it was by wisdom that God created the world (see e.g., Proverbs 3:19-20; Jeremiah 10:12).

Further, Solomon’s wisdom was said to include included his great knowledge of plant life, animals and birds, reptiles and fish (1 Kings 4:33).

 

There are two kinds of wisdom literature in the Old Testament which teaches such wisdom: proverbial wisdom and speculative wisdom.

Proverbial wisdom consists of short, memorable statements that describe the way the world normally works. They are practical principles for well living according to God’s created order, observed and proved over many generations. [4]

However, proverbs are not a guarantee or promise that all will go well. They are general principles, not hard-and-fast promises. Further, proverbs are meant to be applied in specific situations and not indiscriminately. [5] As such, proverbs do not “work” all the time, nor do they reveal the whole story. [6]

This is where speculative wisdom comes into play. Life is too complex to be summed up in pithy proverbs. Speculative wisdom seeks to answer the deep questions of life such as its purpose, its unanswered puzzles, its apparent unfairness and meaningless and why the righteous might suffer. [7]

Job deals with the question of why the righteous might suffer while Ecclesiastes mourns the seeming “meaninglessness” of life since the Fall.

Speculative wisdom may not be as “practical” as proverbial wisdom. However, the answers to such deep questions of life have a direct bearing on how one will live one’s life, and thus speculative wisdom has practical outputs.

 

Not only does all wisdom come ultimately from God, but to the true Israelite “the fear of the Lord” is the beginning and foundation of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10). Wisdom can never be divorced from its source and basis. Without awe of and obedience to God, wisdom ceases to be wisdom.

 

In light of all this, wisdom could be defined as “the art of success”, [8] or “principles for well living”. [9] However, the terms “success” and “well living” are ambiguous because they derive their meaning from a worldview. What one worldview may determine as “success” might not be “success” in another.

A consumerist worldview could define “success” along the lines of quantity of possessions. On the other hand, an evolutionist worldview could define “success” as the development of a superior species.

Thus from a Christian worldview, I like to define wisdom along the lines of “the art of living life to the fullest extent of what God ordained it to be.” Wisdom was created by God as principles of how to live life, and thus to live wisely is to live according to these principles.

 

In the New Testament, wisdom in further revealed in light of Christ. Christ came and not only fulfilled the law and the prophets (Matthew 5:17) but as the master sage revealed the fulness of God’s wisdom. [10] Christ is one “greater than Solomon” (Matthew 12:42).

The wisdom literature of the Old Testament, while an expression of God’s wisdom, is surpassed by the “wisdom of God” revealed by Christ in His cross. In 1 Corinthians 1:18-15, Paul says that “Christ crucified” is the “wisdom of God”. In Colossians, Paul says that in Christ are hidden “all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:3).

Wisdom seeks to advise how to live life before God in our attitudes, activities, decisions and relationships. In Christ and His cross we see the greatest revelation of this wisdom. And when we understand that cross: love and judgement, grace, mercy and obedience unto death, only then will we truly understand how to live life in Christ as God ordained it. Christ and His cross is the fullest expression of God’s wisdom.

 

Wisdom is very relative to us today. It consists of practical advice on how to live life before God. So how do we get wisdom?

James’ epistle is in many ways wisdom literature. In regards to getting wisdom, James writes, “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe…” (James 1:5-6). How to we get wisdom? Ask God and believe.

But more than that, Christ is the wise man of Proverbs; He is the wisdom of God. He lived life according to God’s principles. If we are in Christ, He will produce wisdom in us.

 

Wisdom deals with decision-making. God has established principles for living and walking wisely means to follow these principles, even though, because of the Fall, we may not reach a “favourable” result. God’s wisdom can guide us in making everyday decisions and living life to the fulness of what He ordained it to be.

While wisdom can be found throughout the whole Bible and in creation, we must always remember that the wisdom of God is most fully manifested in Christ and His cross. To live wisely means to live life in light of that revelation of wisdom, in light of the cross, our every decision brought into submission to this wisdom by the grace of God in Christ by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

We find God’s wisdom in all of God’s creation, but its fulfilment and fulness in found in Christ and His cross.

Footnotes
[1] William Sanford LaSor, David Allan Hubbard and Frederic Wm. Bush, Old Testament Survey: The Message, Form and Background of the Old Testament, 2nd ed (Grand Rapids, Mi: Eerdmans, 1996), 458.
[2] Jacqui Lloyd, 120 Learning Guide (Auckland: Laidlaw College, 2015), 190.
[3] “Wisdom” in Oxford Dictionary of English.
[4] Lloyd, 120, 194.
[5] LaSor et. al., Survey, 469.
[6] Lloyd, 120, 194-5.
[7] ibid., 191-2.
[8] LaSor et. al., Survey, 460.
[9] Lloyd, 120, 194.
[10] LaSor et. al., Survey, 459, 470.

Scripture quotations taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblical, Inc.™
Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Christ v.s. Caesar

The New Testament applies many titles to Jesus: Lord, Saviour, Son of God, and proclamation and proclaimer of the good news. However, what the New Testament doesn’t tell us (but its original audience would readily have understood) was that these titles were already claimed by another figure: Augustus Caesar and his successors, the Roman Emperors. This created social and political conflict between Christians and the dominant culture which upheld such imperial ideology.

 

One New Testament book in which this conflict between Christian devotion to Christ and Roman imperial ideology can be seen is Philippians. Philippians was likely written during Emperor Nero’s reign. [1] The city of Philippi itself was a Roman colony. Octavian (later Augustus Caesar) had favoured the city and given it the privilege of Roman citizenship. Thus the Philippians developed a fierce loyalty to the emperor in order to pay their debt of gratitude for the emperor’s favour. [2]

This backdrop reveals a whole new dimension to Paul’s encouragement to the Philippian Christians as they sought to follow Christ in a city which fiercely upheld Roman ideology. Paul encourages them to find their status of citizenship not in Rome, but in heaven (3:20) and to conduct themselves “in a matter worthy of [or, “live as citizens worthy of”] the gospel of Christ” in “civic” unity. (1:27). [3]

 

After the death of Julius Caesar, the Roman empire fell into civil war between Caesar’s supporters and their allies and his assassins and their allies. The civil war created divisions across the empire, and thus a breach of peace, a lack of resources and a loss of stability and security. When Octavian finally emerged victorious and brought security and stability to the empire once more, he was hailed as saviour. [4]

Thus Paul’s message is clear when he encourages the Philippian Christians that they do indeed await a saviour, but this in not the emperor but rather “the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control”—including Nero—“will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body” (3:20-21).

 

Augustus’ military victory and his imperium rule also earned him the title ‘Lord.’ His subjects throughout the empire bowed their knee and acknowledged that “Caesar is Lord.” Once again, Paul refuses this title to Caesar. He writes,

“⁹ Therefore God exalted him [Jesus] to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
¹¹ and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:9-11, emphasis mine).

Augustus claimed the highest place and highest name in the empire to which every knee was to bow and every tongue confess his lordship through blood, violence and war. But Christ? He did it through humble obedience unto death on a cross (Philippians 2:6-8).

 

Augustus’ restoration of peace, security and prosperity to the provinces through his imperial rule indebted them to eternal gratitude. One way they expressed their gratitude was to hail him as a god. The reasoning was that since he had provided gifts worthy of the gods (peace, stability and prosperity), he was worthy of the honour due the gods. [5] Upon their death, emperors were deified and added to the Roman pantheon. Many emperors refused to be considered divine while they lived, yet were hailed as the “son of god.” Out of this devotion developed the imperial cult, where sacrifices were offered to the emperor.

As with Paul and Philippians, Mark likely wrote his gospel in Rome under the rule of Nero. [6] Nero, while he did not consider himself divine (at least, that he wouldn’t become divine until he died), was often depicted as a god and incarnate Apollo. [7]

However, Mark refuses any of these titles to Nero, but instead presents a different divine son—Jesus Christ, who is called the Son of God on eight occasions (see 1:1, 11; 3:11; 5:7; 9:7; 12:1-11; 13:32; 15:39). Yet Mark goes even further to let his readers know that Jesus is the “Son of God” in a unique sense above and beyond the emperor’s claims. Twice (1:11; 9:7) Mark records God the Father acknowledging Jesus as “my Son—the uniquely beloved one”. [8] For Mark, Jesus’ deity went far beyond merely mediating divine favour and becoming divine at death, but that Jesus was God.

 

Augustus’ victory and the pax Romana that ensued was called the “good news,” or, in Greek, euaggelion, which is the word translated “gospel.” This word was also used concerning other imperial announcements, such as a military victory or the birth of a son. [9]

Thus the message is clear when Luke records the angels’ words to the shepherds concerning the birth of a new king: “Do not be afraid, I bring you good news [euaggelion] that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord” (Luke 2:10-11).

 

The Christian gospel was a direct challenge to the divinity and supremacy of the emperor. It claimed that—in the eyes of the Romans—a false Jewish king and rebel crucified by the Romans was indeed Saviour, Lord and the divine Son of God. [10]

Yet not only was Jesus hailed as having the same titles or greater titles as Caesar; He had exclusive right to these titles. Paul writes to the Corinthians, “For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”), yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live” (1Co 8:5-6).

 

For the Christian, Christ, not Caesar, was Lord, Saviour and the Son of God. Yet Christian leaders were quick to affirm that devotion to Jesus Christ did not mean rebellion against Caesar.

Jesus Himself said to “give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s” (Matthew 22:21). Peter later wrote, “Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority, or to governors … Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honour the emperor” (1Pe 2:13-14, 17).

Why was this? One reason may have been to counteract charges that Christians were subversive rebels. Also, Paul wrote to Christians in Rome itself asserting that such authorities have been established by God and therefore to obey them and to pay taxes (see Romans 13:1-7). Emperors were to be honoured and obeyed as far as it did not contradict devotion to Jesus as the only Lord and Saviour.

 

Caesar and his imperial cult seem far removed and foreign today. Yet the Christian gospel of Christ’s divinity and supremacy above all human authorities remains the same. All “Caesars” who claim divinity and lordship are illegitimate usurpers. While human leaders may indeed lead nations to stability, security and prosperity, the New Testament authors assert that gratitude and loyalty to such leaders can never infringe on the honour due the Lord Jesus Christ.

Christ, not Augustus or any other “Caesars” who have reigned since, is Lord.

 

Notes
[1]  Mark J. Keown, Exploring the New Testament: Background, Theology and Themes (Auckland: Laidlaw College, 2015), 50.
[2]  David A. deSilva, An Introduction to the New Testament: Contexts, Methods and Ministry Formation (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2004), 640-1; Gordon D. Fee and Douglas Stuart, How to Read the Bible Book by Book (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2002), 355.
[3] ibid., 641.
[4] ibid., 56-8.
[5] ibid., 58. This was expressed by the ancient writer Nicolaus of Damascus in Life of Augustus 1.
[6] Keown, Exploring, 50.
[7] ibid.
[8] Frank Thielman, Theology of the New Testament: a canonical and synthetic approach (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2005), 63.
[9] Keown, Exploring, 53.
[10] ibid., 51.

Scripture quotations taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblical, Inc.™
Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

 

Learning to Drive Not Learning to Pass

This morning I passed my Restricted Licence test first time with no errors. I’ve been wanting to get my Restricted Licence for quite a while, both so that I can drive by myself and (I’ll confess) because I wanted to get it before my younger brother gets his Learner’s licence after he turns 16 later this month.

The thought of being able to drive by myself is both exciting and scary. I won’t always have a supervisor beside me to tell me how well I’m driving and what I need to improve on, or help with gap selection. I’m now on my own. And that’s a scary thought. If I don’t see another driver doing something that could cause a crash, no one will. I have to stay focused and alert.

But that’s what I’ve been trained for in the 18 months I had my Learner’s Licence—I’ve been trained by my various supervisors (parents and grandparents) and the AA Driving Instructors how to drive legally, safely and wisely. Now that I’ve got my Restricted Licence, I can’t just forget all the road rules and stop checking my mirrors and blindspots and signalling at the right times because I’m not working towards passing a test (though there’s still the Full Licence to go). I learned to drive, not to pass the test.

A Restricted Licence is a licence which allows me to drive by myself, entrusted to me because the Testing Officer deemed that I could drive legally, safely and wisely by myself. By the grace of God, I hope to fulfil this trust and drive legally, safely and wisely, continuing in what I have learned and sharpening my skills so that I can be a responsible and courteous road user.

I’ve learned to drive, not to pass a test.

Prophecy in the OT, the NT and Today

For the past year I have been studying part-time at Laidlaw College, a Bible college in New Zealand. This last semester I did an Old Testament: Introduction paper for which I had to write an essay on ‘the Function of a Prophet’. It’s such an interesting topic that I thought I’d share a bit of what I learned.

 

What is a prophet? Throughout the Old Testament we encounter several figures called ‘prophets’: Moses, Deborah, Elijah, Amos, Isaiah, Jeremiah and Malachi, to name a few. In the New Testament, Paul talks about the prophetic gift in the church and how it should be used (1Co 14). But what exactly is a prophet? What is prophecy? Is it possible to prophesy today? What would prophesy today look like? This post is intended to answer some of those questions.

 

Old Testament Prophecy

The clearest definition of ‘prophecy’ found in the Bible is God’s message to Moses where Moses is likened to ‘God’ and Aaron to ‘his mouth’ or ‘his prophet’ (Ex 4:16, 7:1). Here ‘mouth’ and ‘prophet’ are equated. Thus, a prophet was a ‘mouthpiece’ for God.

Often in prophetic literature, a prophet would begin his writing or his oracle with “thus says the LORD” (e.g. Isa 54:1, Am 1:5, Mic 2:3, Nah 1:12) or “the word of the LORD came to…” (e.g., Isa 38:4, Jer 1:4, Eze 1:3, Joel 1:1, Jnh 1:1, Mic 1:1, Zep 1:1, Hag 1:1, Zec 1:1, etcetera). Thus a prophet was the one whom God called to act as His mouthpiece by delivering a message.

True prophecy never had its origin in humans. Its source was always God. It was never attained by intellect or rational debate. Israelite prophets received their prophetic messages by direct encounter with God through the Holy Spirit. These oracles or prophecies which the Israelite prophets received were infallible.

Usually when we think of ‘prophecy’ we think of a future prediction. However, there is much more to prophecy than predictions. Israelite prophets prophesied into the events of their day. ‘Prophecy’ should be defined simply as ‘a message from God’.

The 8th century prophets (such as Amos, Hosea, Micah and Isaiah) spoke out against Israel’s unfaithfulness to her obligations of the Sinaic Covenant. The Israelites had turned to worship idols. They neglected social justice and instead mistreated the poor. Though the Israelites offered sacrifices to God at the Temple in Jerusalem, Israel failed to truly worship God by doing what is right and keeping their covenant obligations.

The 8th century prophet Micah wrote:

“⁶ With what shall I come before the Lord
and bow down before the exalted God?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
with calves a year old?
⁷ Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,
with ten thousand rivers of olive oil?
Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression,
the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
⁸ He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God.”
(Micah 6:6-8, NIV)

Micah poses the question of what God really wants. It is not sacrifices, but ‘acting justly’, ‘loving mercy’ and ‘walking humbly’.

The prophets also warned Israel that if they did not repent and turn from their sins, God would bring judgement upon them (see, e.g., Amos 9:1-10).

Yet even though God would bring judgement, the prophets gave messages of hope from God. (see, e.g., Amos 9:11-15). God promised to restore Israel after judgement. This restoration was very often attached to a descendent of David—fulfilled in the coming of Jesus the Son of David (see, e.g., Amos 9:11 and Isa 9:1-7).

 

Prophecy in the New Testament

Prophecy in the New Testament was vastly different to prophecy in the Old Testament. In New Testament, ‘prophecy’ was merely a ‘message’ or a ‘word’ that the Holy Spirit laid on someone’s heart or mind which was not gained by intellect or conscious reflection. It was not infallible.

Like OT prophets, NT prophecy was not all about the future. Paul wrote, “But the one who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouraging and comfort” (1Co 14:3, NIV).

Some of the primary elements of NT prophecy were words of strengthening, encouraging and comforting.

One of the greatest differences between OT prophecy and NT prophecy is that NT prophecy was not infallible. Paul, in writing to the church in Corinth about prophecy, wrote, “Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said” (1Co 14:29). Paul here treats prophecy as something that should be ‘weighed carefully’. Why? Because Christian prophecy is not infallible.

So how was prophecy to be treated?

Paul said to the Corinthians, “Follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy” (1Co 14:1, NIV).

If prophecy is something to be ‘especially’ ‘eagerly desired’, it obviously is something that we should pay attention to.

Paul wrote to the Thessalonians, “¹⁹ Do not quench the Spirit. ²⁰ Do not treat prophecies with contempt ²¹ but test them all; hold on to what is good, ²² reject every kind of evil” (1Th 5:19-22, NIV).

Prophecy was to be ‘tested’ and ‘weighed carefully’. That which is ‘good’ (i.e., is in agreement with Scripture) should be held on to while that which is ‘evil’ (i.e., contradicts Scripture) should be rejected.

 

This same type of prophecy in the New Testament is a gift of the Holy Spirit that exists today. In 1 Corinthians 13, Paul writes, “But where there are prophecies, they will cease…. For … we prophesy in part,  but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears” (1Co 13:8-10, NIV). Paul here says that when completeness comes, what is in part (which includes prophecy) will disappear. When will this ‘completeness’ come? Given that at this ‘completeness’ we will ‘know fully’ (1Co 13:12, NIV), it must be when Christ returns.  Thus, prophecy is a gift of the Holy Spirit that will exist until Christ returns. This prophecy is the same type of prophecy in the New Testament, thus what I wrote above is applicable to today. So, how should we view and use the gift of prophecy today?

If you think that the Holy Spirit has given you a ‘message’ or a ‘word’ for someone, don’t be afraid to speak it to them. God has given the gift of prophecy to the Church for its edification, and if He’s given you a message for someone, He obviously wants you to deliver it!

But realise that prophecy isn’t infallible. Your message won’t always speak to that deep part in someone else’s life, both because prophecy is ‘in part’ and we are fallible human beings. Yet don’t give up. If you really think that the Holy Spirit has laid a message upon your heart, speak it regardless. Even if it doesn’t touch that deep part, it could still be an encouragement to that person.

If someone gives you a prophetic word or prophesies over you, listen to what they say. But after that, test it and weigh it against Scripture. That which stands up to Scripture, accept. Prophecy is very often for strengthening, encouragement and comfort, and so if it matches up with Scripture, receive it with joy. But that which fails the test of Scripture, reject.

However, if the prophetic message is of guidance or a prediction, be very careful about accepting it. Christian prophecy isn’t infallible. But unless it contradicts Scripture, don’t just reject it. Pray into it and ask God about it. But don’t base your life upon it. Infallible Scripture is our rule for faith and life, not fallible prophecy.

I would also say that, if someone has given you a prophetic word and it has touched you in some way, tell that person who gave it to you, for it is a great encouragement for them that God has used them in that way.

 

In summary, prophecy is a message from God to humans. OT prophecy was infallible and spoke both to the contemporary situation and to the future. NT prophecy is not infallible but still has its place as useful for strengthening, encouraging and comforting. This type of prophecy still exists today.

 

There’s a lot more that could be said about this topic. ’Prophecy’ is such an interesting topic. Here’s a bibliography of the texts I read in my research.

     Bibliography
     Grudem, Wayne A. The Gift of Prophecy in the New Testament and Today. Westchester: Crossway Books, 1988.
     Grudem, Wayne A. “Why Christians Can Still Prophesy,” Christianity Today. Sept 16, 1988, 29-35.
     Herzog, William R II. Prophet and Teacher: An Introduction to the Historical Jesus. Louisville: Westminster, 2005.
     Hill, Clifford. Prophecy Past and Present. Crowborough: Highland Books, 1989.
     Houston, Graham. Prophecy Now. Leicester: IVP, 1989.
     LaSor, William Sanford, David Allan Hubbard and Frederic Wm. Bush. Old Testament Survey: The Message, Form, and Background of the Old Testament, 2nd ed. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1996.
     Lloyd, Jacqui, 120 Learning Guide. Auckland: Laidlaw College, 2015.
     Lloyd, Jacqui, 120 Module 8 – Prophecy. Auckland: Laidlaw College, 2015.
     Petersen, David L. “False Prophecy”, in The New Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible, Vol. 4. Eds. Sakenfeld, K.D., et al. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2009, 620-21.
     Schmitt, John J. “Pre-exilic Hebrew Prophecy,” and & J. Barton. “Post-Exilic Hebrew Prophecy,” in Anchor Bible Dictionary, Vol 5. Ed. D. N. Freedman., et al. New York: Doubleday, 1992, 482-502.
     Witherington III, B. Jesus the Seer: The Progress of Prophecy. Peabody: Hendrickson, 1999.
     Wright, N.T. “The Praxis of a Prophet,” in Jesus and the Victory of God. London: SPCK, 1996, 162-197.

He is Risen!

Death could not hold Him down. He is risen!

Jesus freely let Satan bind Him, lead Him through the city and crucify Him, just as a victorious Roman general did in those times. But through His death on the cross which looked like Satan’s victory, Jesus triumphed. He disarmed and bound Satan through the cross and made a public spectacle of him (see Colossians 2:15). What looked like Satan’s victory was actually Jesus’ winning blow. Through His death, He brought life for all who believe in Him as Lord and Messiah.

Fear is unknown, for He is risen!