The second accomplishment of Christ's crucifixion is that sin in the flesh was condemned by God through Christ who was made sin on the cross for the believers (2 Cor. 5:21; Rom. 8:3). To take away sin is one thing, but to be made sin is another. First, Christ took away sin, and, second, Christ was made sin. First, Christ came as the Lamb of God to take away the load of sin from fallen man. But this fallen man is still sin. Fallen man not only carries a load of sin, but the fallen man himself is sin. Therefore Christ as the Lamb of God first took away the load of sin; but to deal with the fallen man himself Christ had to do a further work. This further work was for Christ to be made sin (2 Cor. 5:21).
Fallen man is sin because fallen man is flesh (Rom. 3:20). Therefore, in order to condemn sin Christ became flesh (John 1:14). But when Christ became flesh, He came only in the likeness of the flesh of sin (Rom. 8:3), just as the brass serpent was only in the form of the serpent (John 3:14). Christ became flesh in the likeness of the flesh of sin. He Himself was not the flesh of sin, but He was in the likeness, the form, of the flesh of sin. It was in this likeness of the flesh of sin that He was made sin. He was not a serpent in nature, in poison, but only in form. He had no sin (Heb. 4:15). Second Corinthians 5:21 even says that He knew no sin. He was only in the form of the sinful flesh. While He was in the form, the likeness, of the sinful flesh, He was made sin and died in this flesh. By His dying in the flesh, sin was condemned by God (Rom. 8:3). This means that He terminated both sin and the flesh. Sin was condemned through Christ who was made sin on the cross for the believers.
The third accomplishment of Christ's crucifixion was that He destroyed Satan, the old serpent, by being judged by God as the brass serpent (Heb. 2:14; John 3:14; Num. 21:8-9). When Christ was crucified on the cross, God saw Him first as the Lamb, second, as the flesh which was sin, and, third, as a brass serpent. As the Lamb He took away sin, as the flesh He caused sin to be condemned by God, and as the brass serpent He destroyed the old serpent, Satan.
The fourth accomplishment of Christ's crucifixion was that He dealt with the old man by being crucified as the last Adam (Rom. 6:6; 1 Cor. 15:45a). We must realize that a fallen person is not so simple. Fallen man is not only carrying a load of sin, but he himself also is sin. Furthermore, within him there is the old serpent, Satan, and he also has the old man, the old self. Man has a problem with sin, the flesh, Satan, and the old man. As the Lamb of God Christ took away the load of sin; through His being in the likeness of the flesh of sin, sin was condemned; as the brass serpent Christ destroyed the old serpent, Satan; and through Him as the last Adam, the old man was crucified.