The Slavery of Death: Part 3, The Gospel as the First Christians Understood It

In my last post I noted that Christus Victor was the way the first Christians understood the gospel story. Based upon my readings of both the bible and the early Church Fathers the following is my reconstruction of how many, if not most, of the first Christians told the gospel story. I thought, given that the gospel is a narrative, that it would be helpful in this post to convey Christus Victor theology as it was conveyed by the early Christians: as a story.

So here it is, as best as I can tell and reconstruct it, the gospel story as the earliest Christians shared it with each other:

Prompted by his envy, Satan is successful in bringing death into the world (Wisdom 2.24) by deceiving humanity in the Garden (Gen. 3; John 8.44; 2 Cor. 11.3). Now wielding death Satan holds humanity in bondage due to our fear of death (Heb. 2.14-15). Under this bondage Satan continues to deceive (2 Cor. 4.4), tempt us into immorality (2 Cor. 11.3), cause spiritual and physical afflictions (Luke 13.15-17; Matt. 9.32-37; Mark 5.1-20), thwart the gospel (Matt. 13.19), and cause violence (John 8.44). All told, humans are vulnerable to Satan and in need of protection (Matt. 6.13) as our “enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (I Peter 5.8).

To set humanity free from this bondage with its moral, social, ecological, psychological, spiritual and physical afflictions, Christ came to “share in [our] humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil” (Heb. 2.14-15). “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work” (I John 3.8).

Suspecting something about the child of Mary and Joseph, Satan tries to kill Jesus as an infant (Matt. 2.13-18; Rev. 12.4) but, due to Divine intervention, the child escapes. Later, after God publicly identifies Jesus as the Messiah (Matt. 3.13-17), Satan immediately moves to defeat Jesus in a direct confrontation (Matt. 4.1-11). Failing in this attempt Satan leaves Jesus to “wait for an opportune time” (Luke 4.13) to attack again.

For the next three years, Satan and Jesus confront each other in the lives of suffering people as "Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil" (Acts 10.38). By binding Satan on earth Jesus shows that the Kingdom of God has been inaugurated (Matt. 12.22-28). Jesus “drives out the prince of this world” (John 12.28-32), setting free those who were held in bondage to Satan (Luke 13:15-17). As the Kingdom expands and Jesus’ followers report their own power over Satan, the victory seems to be in hand as Jesus sees Satan “falling like lightning from heaven” (Luke 10.17-18).

On the edge of defeat Satan plays a final move, at an opportune time entering the heart of Judas to betray Jesus (Luke 22.2-4; John 13.2, 27; 14.30). Fully aware that this is happening, Jesus goes to Gethsemane to pray and wait for Judas. According to God's plan, there Jesus is handed over and eventually crucified (Acts 2.23-24). “But God raised this Jesus from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him” (Acts 2.25). Being raised from the dead, Jesus “disarmed the powers and authorities and made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross” (Col. 2.15). Now ascended into heaven, Jesus reigns and will eventually “hand over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death” (1 Cor. 15.24-25). When Satan and death are finally defeated and thrown into the Lake of Fire (Rev. 20.10,14) the deathless New Heaven and New Earth will be fully come and Paradise, finally, restored (Rev. 21-22):

“Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!”