None of the dark powers understood why Christ came into the world. If they had, they wouldn’t have pinned him to the cross (see 1 Corinthians 2.8). Maybe these dark powers were blinded by their own ambition. Maybe, when Christ took fragile human form, they thought, “What luck! Here’s our chance to end it all.” Regardless, they played right into God’s hands. God used Satan’s own evil to bring about Satan’s own destruction.
Here’s a powerful spiritual principle: often the things that look to destroy you are the very things God will use to make you grow.
The instrument of your defeat is the occasion of your victory.
Did you catch that? We attain victory only when we’re under attack, besieged, and persecuted. There’s no victory without a war.
Adapted from Dying for a Fix: crucifixion, resurrection, and New Creation eschatology, available soon.