Let us now consider what the death of Christ accomplished. First, Christ’s death solved the problem of our sins, the problem of our offenses, transgressions, and sinful deeds. His death has solved the problem of our sins, and it has solved this problem eternally. Concerning this, Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:3, “For I delivered to you, among the first things, that which also I received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures.” Furthermore, 1 Peter 2:24 says that Christ “Himself carried up our sins in His body onto the tree.”
Second, the death of Christ, an all-inclusive death, has dealt with sin. Although it is easy to explain what sins are, it is difficult to define sin. Sins refer to deeds, offenses, trespasses, and transgressions. But what is sin? Romans 8:3 says that God sent His own Son in the likeness of the flesh of sin and concerning sin and condemned sin in the flesh. In order to condemn sin, Christ came in the likeness of the flesh of sin. John 1:29 says, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”
According to the Bible and also according to our experience, we have seen that sin is actually the sinful nature of Satan. Satan is the source of sin. Sin is Satan’s invention, and Satan himself is the element of sin. Actually, in the sight of God, sin is Satan.
According to the book of Romans, sin is something living, something that can make us do things that we do not want to do, something that can dwell in us, deceive us, and even kill us (Rom. 6:14; 7:8, 11, 17). What is this thing living within us that does all these things? It is Satan.
At the time of man’s fall, Satan’s sinful nature was injected into mankind. This means that when man ate of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, he took into him the sinful nature of Satan.
In the universe there is something that is called sin in the Scriptures. Sin is not merely objective, outside of us; it is also subjective, within us, in our flesh. Therefore, outwardly we have sins, offenses, trespasses, and transgressions. Inwardly we have the basic problem of sin. Praise the Lord that Christ’s all-inclusive death has not only solved the problem of our sins, but has also judged and condemned sin!
Romans 8:3 reveals that when Christ was dying on the cross, sin in the flesh was condemned. We may use the condemnation of an unsafe building as an illustration. When a building is in such pitiful condition that it must be torn down, the government may condemn that building. In a similar way, sin in the flesh has been condemned through Christ’s all-inclusive death. By His eternal death, the death of a God-man, sin has been condemned.
The third matter dealt with by Christ’s death is our old man. Romans 6:6 says, “Our old man has been crucified with Him.” Similarly, Galatians 2:20 says, “I have been crucified with Christ.” Because the marvelous death of the God-man was all-inclusive, it included us. We were put into Christ by God, and we were in Him when He was crucified. Hence, we are included in His all-inclusive eternal death.
Because our old man was crucified with Christ, the entire old creation was crucified also. As human beings, we are the leading ones of the old creation and represent the old creation. When man, the representative of the old creation, was crucified, the entire old creation was crucified.
In addition, the eternal death of Christ has destroyed Satan. Concerning this, Hebrews 2:14 says, “Since therefore the children have partaken of blood and flesh, He also Himself in like manner shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who has the might of death, that is, the Devil.” This indicates that in His humanity and through His death in the flesh, Christ destroyed Satan, the one who has the power of death. This means that Satan has been crucified. Whether we understand this or not, it is nevertheless a fact that through the death of Christ Satan was crucified.