The snake and the victory …

God is already victorious!

I think we sometimes forget that defeating sin, death, and a persistent enemy in Satan and his minions has ALREADY been accomplished by God through Jesus Christ. So often, Christians have an attitude of hoping God will yet pull off a victory. But when Jesus Christ returns, it won’t be for our salvation (that is done!), it will be so that we can be with Him forever.

“Yes, but that old snake, Satan, is still wreaking havoc!” some argue.

He is, indeed. But let’s get a much clearer picture of what that looks like.

Dr. Stephen Davey once told the story of a missionary couple who lived in a small hut. One day, a fifteen-foot snake slithered its way into the little kitchen area of the couple’s hut. Terrified, and unsure how to take on this unwelcome visitor, they ran from their hut to seek out a local who could tell them how to handle the snake.

A local man picked up a machete, marched into the hut, and with one strong stroke of his weapon he decapitated the head of the snake. The local then walked outside to the missionary couple and explained to them there was a hitch to the situation. Although he had cut off the head of the snake, it was as if the snake didn’t know it yet. He explained that the body of the snake would continue to move for some time until it was fully realized that it was headless and dead.

The couple wound up waiting outside their hut for about an hour. Sure enough, the body of the snake continued to bleed, writhe, and thrash about wildly, destroying furniture and wreaking havoc, as if it wanted to cause as much damage as possible before the reality of being dead without a head had its full effect on the rest of the body.

Like this story, Satan and sin have slithered into our lives, but both have already been defeated by Jesus Christ. This was even foretold of in Genesis 3:15 …

“And I will cause hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.”

While the enemy struck the heel of Christ at the cross, Jesus has crushed his head like the local decapitating the snake in the hut. Even though the victory has been won through Christ, that old serpent, Satan, continues to thrash about, even though he’s been defeated.

But defeated he is!

Are you waiting for a victory that has already been won? Or have you embraced the victory that Jesus has already provided for you?

Scotty