day no. 16.332: Christ came to conquer

"We must bear in mind that our Lord did not come into the world to be broken by the power of sin and death, but to break it. He came as a conqueror with the gladness of the imminent victory in his heart; for the joy set before him he was able to endure the cross, despising shame." — B.B. Warfield, The Emotional Life of Our Lord

Christ came as a conqueror. In His submission to the flesh, He was waging war. He did not come to be crushed under the heel of sin, but to smash sin with His. He endured great difficulties as a champion enduring great blows, but he did not do so with defeat in mind. He came to win and never failed to keep victory in sight.

"Joy he had: but it was not the shallow joy of mere pagan delight in living, nor the delusive joy of a hope destined to failure; but the deep exultation of a conqueror setting captives free." — B.B. Warfield, The Emotional Life of Our Lord

Christ came to set the captives free and their liberation made His crucifixion a triumph, not a defeat. He heroically laid His life down like one who's all in laying down a winning hand on the table, that is to say, with confidence and certainty that all the chips were His. Jesus delighted in winning deliverance for those the Father had given to Him. He was satisfied in His service and excited by the prize He ran hard to obtain. He did not blush in the battle, but smiled in the success.