•I Corinthians 15:20-28
•Christus Victor
•Corinth
20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. 24 Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death. 27 For “God has put all things in subjection under his feet.” But when it says, “all things are put in subjection,” it is plain that he is excepted who put all things in subjection under him. 28 When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him, that God may be all in all.
(I Corinthians 15:20-28, ESV)
Main Points
• Paul demonstrates the reality of the fact that Jesus did rise from the dead
• He shows how the resurrection of Jesus is directly tied to this eschatology of the beginning of the end
• Through Him all will be made right, all brought back to its proper order, where all enemies, evils, are conquered, and death finally dies
Application Points
• Christus Victor
– I am not using this term in it’s historical or “theological” sense of the atonement
– Christus Victor means Christ is victorious
– When we read these verses it is hard to come to any other kind of understanding of who Jesus is
– Just as Augustus Caeser proclaimed “Veni Vidi Vici” so too can Christ
– He came, He saw, He conquered
– For others they won battles, kingdoms, empires
– What happened to these great leaders in the end?
– They all died
– Jesus has done what is impossible
– All others victories seem small and insignificant
– The great enemy of humanity, that which devours all people in all time and all places…Jesus has conquered
Application Points
• Christus Victor (2)
– They understood the significance of this victory
– Should they be in Christ they too will experience this victory
– Is it any wonder that they would view any other rule, authority, or power as something which would be overcome by God through Jesus?
– All other powers are as nothing compared to the power of God through Christ
– It should not be surprising to us why they were so willing to stare down this hostile world
– Compared to Christ what could any other ruler, power, or authority do to them?
– If we truly believed in what God has accomplished, would it change our outlook?
– If we really consider what the Apostle is teaching here…then why would we not show the world what that looks like here and now?
– We can do this by living in obedience to Him
Application Points
• Christus Victor (3)
– In some ways this may look different for different people
– We have all been gifted with various gifts
– Not everyone has been called to preach and teach, each are called according to the Lords purpose
– We are all called to live moral lives according to Jesus
– All husbands are called to love their wives as Christ loves the Church
– All wives are called to submit and respect their husbands
– All children are called to obey and honor their parents
– All of us are called to walk humbly before our God
– All of us are called to love the Lord our God with all of our hearts ,minds, souls, and strength and love our neighbors as ourselves
– All of us are to live in the Spirit, seeking the fruit of the Spirit in our lives
“16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.”
(Galatians 5:16-26, ESV)
Application Points
• Christus Victor (4)
– There is a way in which we are live, and another which we are not
– We reject what the world says is right, we devote ourselves to the Spirit of God in us
– We can know it is the Holy Spirit because it will guide us to walk in step with the Law, the Prophets, the Writings, and the New Testament teachings on these things
– Jesus conquers the evil within us, and then through us He conquers the world too
– When we call “sin” sin
– When we call “evil” evil
– When we seek to live in righteousness
– We become partakers of Jesus’ conquest in this world
Application Points
• Christus Victor (5)
– We can do this in full confidence knowing Jesus has been raised
– We can then not fear death because we know that for those who die in Christ they merely fall asleep
– It all hinges on the person of Jesus and what God has accomplished through Him
– Jesus is the victor over this world
– Let’s not be afraid of the times and things we encounter
– The darkness sought to devour Christ, instead, it met the Light of God Himself and was scattered
– No matter what, no matter the struggles, the pains, we know that in the end because Christ is raised we have hope
– Let the truth never be far from our hearts, minds, souls, or strength, Christus Victor
•Application Points
•The Gospel of Christ
–Origins
–Where we began
–Fall
–What went wrong
–Redemption
–How it is fixed
–Glorification
–Where it at leads
