Bulletins
"By...Through...and For"
All things were created by, through, and for Jesus, including all "thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities" (Colossians 1:16). Paul elsewhere calls these not only rulers and authorities, but "cosmic powers over this present darkness" and "spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places." These are the ones against whom we battle, as opposed to flesh and blood (Ephesians 6:12).
At some point, then, these spiritual powers and forces, created by and for the Lord, turned against Him and His creation. And this is one of the reasons Jesus came into this world to die. By dying and being raised again, He not only offers forgiveness, but "He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in Him" (Colossians 2:15).
This is why by trusting in God we can be victorious. By His grace, He gives us the victory over sin and death, including the spiritual forces of wickedness, and assures us of our salvation.
Christ died to defeat death. By dying with Him, death is defeated for us too. This is why we can be born again to a living hope (1 Peter 1:3-5).
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