Why It Matters that Jesus Has Conquered the Power of Sin and Death

The phrase is so familiar that it flows trippingly off the tongue: “Jesus came to destroy the power of sin and death.”

I love the fact that by his Death and Resurrection Christ has done just that! Because of what Jesus accomplished on the cross and in the tomb, the outcome of my battle with the power of sin and death is no longer in question.

By his Death and Resurrection, Christ has actually rendered sin and death impotent.

But if Jesus has conquered the power of sin and death, and if I’m a new creature in Christ, then why do I still struggle with sin?
Why am I still tempted by lust, vanity, and the fear of man?

And why does my back hurt all the time?

Why don’t I have the same stamina and balance I once had?

Because I am still personally acquainted with the power of sin and death.

You see, that phrase isn’t just a theological construct. The “power of sin and death” is theological shorthand for the human condition, a condition we all know too well. Though we don’t like to admit it out loud, we all experience the power of sin and death intimately, in our own hearts and bodies.

And it’s not just in our own hearts and bodies, we see that power of sin and death at work all around us – in what we see every day in illness and cruelty and oppression. In fact, the daily news cycle could be headlined with this lead: “Here’s how the power of sin and death manifested itself today in our world.”

That’s right: even though Jesus conquered the power of sin and death, we still see sin and death operating in our hearts, in our bodies, in our world.

We are intimately acquainted with the power of sin because we still sin.

We are intimately acquainted with the power of sin in our ongoing struggle with sin, especially our besetting sins, those sins that seem to be always crouching at the door to bring us down.

The Puritans had a name for our ongoing struggle with sin. They called it “indwelling sin,” and they readily acknowledged that indwelling sin remains a constant struggle in the life of even the most devoted of saints.

And yet they also acknowledged that the power of indwelling sin is a temporary thing, a power that is at work for the time being. Because Jesus went to the cross and rose from the grave, someday we will be free from sin’s corrupting power.

So there are two truths at work here, two sides to the coin:

1. Because I am in Christ, I am part of a rebel band at war with the prince of this age, so I will always know the struggle with sin.

Paul’s declaration in 2 Cor 5:17 used to fill me with secret dread. You might not recognize the reference, but you’ve probably heard the text many times: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come!” (CSB).

Why secret dread? Because I used to think that verse meant that I shouldn’t be enticed by sin or give in to sin anymore; after all, I’m a new creation in Christ, and old things have passed away! So since I still struggle with sin, am I actually a new creation in Christ? Have the old things really passed away for me? (What’s wrong with me?)

But Paul’s not telling us that those who are in Christ won’t feel the pull of temptation; in fact, Paul is saying the opposite. Now that I’ve submitted my life to the Lordship of Christ, I’ve joined the battle, and I can expect that I will know the power of sin up close and personal in a powerful new way.

Against all odds, God’s Spirit is doing His patient, pains-taking work of transforming my sinful heart into a heart like the heart of Jesus, and that is a struggle. So long as I am in this body, I will know this life-long struggle with the power of sin.

2. But also because I am in Christ, the ultimate outcome of that struggle is not in question. This is one contest that is over before it begins.

“He who began His good work in me,” says Paul, “will carry it on to completion” (Phil 1:6). That is good news. Very good news.
As fierce as the fight may be, I don’t need to worry about the outcome. Why? Because Jesus has conquered the power of sin.
We are intimately acquainted with the power of death both in our own bodies and in the physical suffering we see all around us.

This past summer, my wife and I flew down to Dallas to be with my father and mother for their anniversary celebration. My parents are in their mid-80s. My father is in pretty good health for an octogenarian, but my mother has advanced Alzheimer’s disease and doesn’t recognize me anymore. Most days she doesn’t even recognize my father, whom she’s known for seven decades.

As we spent time with my parents and I saw my dad’s interaction with my mother and with other residents of the facility where they lived, I realized the obvious: I was seeing the inevitable decline of old age.

It didn’t take long for me to connect the dots. I’m in my mid-60s, so I am not that far away from experiencing that sort of decline myself. As I thought about how I’ve seen signs of decline in my own body (for instance, my knee replacement last summer), I realized that this nothing new: I’ve seen the signs of that long, slow decline for decades now.

I was a fairly good athlete when I was young. I was quick and I could jump. But I can still remember that it was in my mid-20s that I first began to realize that I wasn’t as quick as I used to be, I couldn’t jump as high or as far.

So though I wasn’t aware of it until recently, I now realize that I have known the slowly advancing power of death in my body since I was a young adult. And I’ve seen the power of death all around me in everything from the death of pets to the failing health and death of loved ones.

In our death-averse culture, it’s not considered to be in good taste to talk like this about death. But I’ve only said out loud what we all already know: death is a cruel and relentless enemy, and he’s coming for us all.

But because I am in Christ, I don’t need to worry about the final outcome of my life-long struggle with the power of death.
Why? Because Jesus has conquered the power of death.

So now I see my ongoing, daily struggle with sin and death in a new light.

I heard a story once about a missionary family who discovered a large snake had made its way into their house. They fled in terror and asked a neighbor for help. The neighbor grabbed a machete, charged into the house, and came out in a few minutes with the head of the snake in his hand.

Then they heard the rampage. The body of the large snake was thrashing about the house, smashing dishes and lamps and furniture in its death-throes. The snake was well and truly dead, rendered impotent by the neighbor’s machete. But the dying body of the giant creature was still doing considerable damage.

So it is with us for the time being, until we are finally with Jesus: Yes, I still struggle with temptation. And yes, my body will never again be as vigorous as it once was.

But this is not a cause for despair.

Why? As GK Chesterton put it, “We follow a God who knows His way out of the grave.”

No matter how fierce the battle, no matter how weary and discouraged I might be, I don’t need to be afraid.

In his Death and Resurrection Jesus has finally and decisively conquered my most deadly enemy, the power of sin and death.


Persevere,
Paul Pyle
Discipleship Pastor