Colossians 2.14-15:
(14) having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. (15) And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. (NIV)
The verses above describe the victory Jesus won over the forces of darkness. And these forces of darkness can be defined as the devil and the demonic powers who work for him. In Ephesians 6.12 the Bible calls them, “the cosmic powers over this present darkness” (ESV). And the devil and his forces are in opposition to every person in the world. But Jesus triumphed over these forces. And in so doing, Jesus also took away our indebtedness to the legal code, when we place our faith in Jesus. An indebtedness created by our sin against God’s Law.
The manner in which Jesus won the victory is the opposite of how we would naturally think the battle would be won. As the above verses tell us, Jesus triumphed over darkness and evil by giving his life on the cross. Jesus willfully allowed himself to be crucified on behalf of the sin of the world to remove the legal indebtedness and punishment created by our sin. Jesus did not win the battle by engaging in any actions that would be associated with those of a soldier or military operation. He won the battle by giving his life. He conducted himself as “the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” (John 1.29)