The apostle Paul, in Colossians 2:14–15, gives a vivid picture of how powers, principalities, and authorities were publicly disarmed and triumphed over by the cross of Christ. He extensively explains that, through the cancellation of our legal indebtedness, we have been victoriously set free and rescued from the dominion of darkness, and brought into the kingdom of the Son He loves—in whom we have redemption, salvation, victory, and the forgiveness of sins through the cross.
- The cross symbolizes and represents the redemptive work of Christ—the suffering, agony, pain, and shame He endured to bring salvation and reconciliation through His death and resurrection.
- The cross is the Christian’s weapon and tool of boasting in Christ’s sacrificial work on our behalf: offering Himself as an atoning sacrifice and propitiation for our sins.
- The cross is a symbol and reflection of the unending, sacrificial love displayed by Christ.
- The cross took away our shame, pain, curse, transgressions, and the penalty of our iniquities.
- The cross is our symbol of authority and pride.
- The cross is the center of our gospel; the totality of the gospel of Christ is centered on the cross (1 Corinthians 1:18).
- The cross is where all our burdened sins were carried, and our debts were officially paid by the shed blood of Jesus our Lord.
- The riches of God’s inheritance (both physical and spiritual) for the believer come through the cross.
To make a public spectacle is to showcase and display an event, occasion, or incident publicly. For Jesus Christ to deliver, save, and redeem us from the bondage of corruption and the captivity of sin, He had to shed His blood by dying on the cross (Hebrews 9:22). He did this by making a public spectacle of the devil, who had spiritually blinded, imprisoned, and enslaved the souls, hearts, and minds of many (2 Corinthians 4:4).
Through the cross, God demolished arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against His knowledge, and took captive every devilish thought to make it obedient to Christ.
Jesus overcame the devil by the cross, where His efficacious blood was shed (Revelation 12:11).
The power of sin, generational bondages, and ancestral curses were broken by the power of the cross and the power of the resurrection.
In Galatians 3:13–14, Paul explains that Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us on the cross. He redeemed us so that the blessing given to Abraham might come to us through Christ Jesus, and that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.
Arguably, Satan has been forever defeated through the authority, the perfect, and the finished work of Christ on the cross. God has eternally canceled the record of sin that contained the charges against us; He took it away and destroyed it by nailing it to Christ’s cross. In this way, God has also forever disarmed the evil rulers and authorities and has shamed them publicly by His victory over them on the cross of Christ.
Paul said, “Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us” (Romans 8:33–34).
Hallelujah!
There is now no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus, because the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed us through Christ Jesus from the power of sin and Satan that leads to death and corruption.
Glory to Jesus for the sacrificial work He did on the cross of Calvary for us.
To conclude, we must not be ignorant of the devil’s schemes, deceptions, and devices, lest he take advantage of us (2 Corinthians 2:11).
The Bible says: “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings” (1 Peter 5:8–9).
Let us be watchful and vigilant so the devil does not cunningly and deceitfully frustrate our walk with Christ—even after his defeat on the cross, which has brought us redemption and salvation.
May God help us to remain steadfast in Christ.
Written by Elder David Gyamfi (PENSA Ghana Prayer Secretary)
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