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What does it mean that in 1 John 3 it says
that Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil?
He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the
devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God
was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. 1 John
3:8
Notice that it talks about the Son of God being
manifest. This is speaking not of Jesus birth but of His
resurrection. While Jesus was certainly the son of God when He
walked the earth, Paul tells us in Romans 1:4 that He was manifest
to be the son of God in the resurrection.
And declared to be the Son of God with power,
according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the
dead: Romans 1:4
So what are the works of the devil and how were
they destroyed in the resurrection of Jesus?
First, let’s see how Jesus defined works.
The Pharisees said to Jesus, Abraham is our
father. And Jesus responded and said:
Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham's
children, ye would do the works of Abraham. John 8:39
What were the works of Abraham?
And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it
to him for righteousness. Genesis 15:6
The work of Abraham was that he believed God.
Jesus defined the works by what Abraham was believing in his heart.
So also, when a group asked Him, what must we
do to do the works of God?
Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the
work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent. John 6:29
The works are what you are believing. So what
did the devil believe?
We see just 4 verses later in 1 John 3:12 it
says that Cain killed his brother because his works were evil.
The works of Cain that were evil are not the
murder (that was the fruit) ... the works that were evil rather
produced (the fruit) the hate, the jealousy, the murder. The works
are the wisdom of the serpent that he was believing. The wisdom that
by the fruit of his own hands, he could have life. In fact, this was
so in his heart that he rejected every opportunity to change his
mind; even when God provided (as he did for us) a sin offering for
him.
The work(s) of the devil is the corrupt wisdom
of death. It’s a belief system that says I can have life by my
works; by what I can do, what I can get or become and what I can
have. By the knowledge of good and evil, and in my own strength.
Paul asked the Galatians who were trying to
obtain to God’s life through the works of the law this question:
This only would I ask you, did you receive the
Spirit by the works of the law or the hearing of faith?
You see the Spirit is the spirit of life, so
what I would ask you is, can you raise yourself up from the dead
immortal in your own works, or own strength?
Jesus was baptized at the Jordan into the sin
of the world. Even though Jesus had no sin of His own (He needed to
have your sin, so you could see yourself in Him). Taking all the sin
and death of the world into Himself, He hung on a cross, it says He
was unrecognizable… a picture that sin mars the image of man. He
refused to lift one finger to save Himself but trusted the Father’s
promise to not leave His soul in Hades or allow Him to see
corruption.
He was naked and unashamed, because He saw it
was not by His strength or ability that He would be exalted only by
the strength of the Father’s hand.
Being fully persuaded of this, He said into
your hands Father, do I commit my life. And on the third day Jesus
came from the grave, flesh and bone, immortal. No man had ever come
out of the grave immortal (never to died again).
No less, A man who died with the sin of the
entire world on Him, and then is exhalated and glorified with
immortality and seated at the right hand of the Father. This makes
foolish the corrupt wisdom of those who are perishing trying to give
themselves life that can never raise them to life.
Death is swallowed up in immortality. The sting
of sin and the sting of death are instantly swallowed up in the
resurrection.
This has destroyed the works of the devil.
And when we can see that our life and our
inheritance is preserved in Christ; it will swallowed up the death
and corrupt in the world when it comes to speak a word to us that we
lack life or any good thing.
The death, burial, resurrection and ascension
of Jesus have destroyed the work of the devil. The final
manifestation of this will be in Jesus return to bring heaven to
earth, in the new heaven and new earth, free from all sin and death
and corruption. Maranatha.
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