Hebrews 2:14–15

The children were flesh and blood; that is, they were really men. Notice the difference in wording here, which points to what the original says. The children are partakers — that is, they belong to the order of flesh and blood; they are simply human. He too became fully man. But the word used of Him suggests that He came into it from outside, in grace: "He Himself likewise partook of the same things." He came into the human sphere. It was apart from sin, of course, but He shared in it and joined Himself to man.

Christ really took human nature, though not in a state identical with ours... but He took it so that He could die.

Boaz acts this out in the Book of Ruth. That picture shows how necessary it was for the Lord Jesus to take up perfect Manhood, apart from sin. So He "partook" of "flesh and blood," as Hebrews 2:14 says, so that by death He might annul the devil's power over us. If He had taken hold of angels only, He could not have filled the picture as our Kinsman-Redeemer, or paid the price that was needed.

Satan had the judicial power of death. He got it through man in Eden, who deliberately took his word instead of God's... So death was God's judicial sentence on man. Satan was tied to it so closely that Scripture says he had the power, or authority, of death. Satan in that way was the executioner of God's judgment upon man. And how he has used his authority! How he has held the fear of death over people's heads!... Satan is master of man's religion, and you will find that the fear of death drives most of it.

Death is possible for man since he is a partaker of flesh and blood. His blood can be shed, his flesh can decay, his spirit can return to God who gave it — and none of this is possible for angels... What could destroy (that is, annul or bring to nothing, make of no effect) the devil and the power he wields? One thing only. Nothing but DEATH could annul death. And it must be the death of a MAN to annul death for men.

The Son of God became man, as the children were men, so that He could meet Satan in his last stronghold, death. By dying He drained Satan's power away for those who, under law, lived all their lives troubled by fear in their conscience... Satan is no longer to the believer the King of terrors. Christ has disarmed the enemy by submitting to death, and his power is gone for ever for His own.

Satan used all his power through death. Christ gave Himself wholly to that. In the resurrection of Christ all Satan's power was over — it is Christ's work that annuls it.

The Lord by His death has annulled his power (Heb. 2), but death itself is not yet done away with; it will be the last enemy to go... Still in himself Satan remains, having the power of death, and death itself is not gone... but the Christian is not truly under his power at all.

The natural man fears death, for "it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment." A brave man may not fear physical death. But no man is brave enough to think of the judgment of Almighty God without trembling. It is the judgment after death which "makes cowards of us all." Our Lord bore that judgment in His death, and so removed its curse from us.

The devil knows that the wages of sin is death. He is quick to use this solemn truth to keep the sinner in fear of death and its consequences all his life. The Lord, on whom death has no claim, goes into death and bears the death penalty that was on us. So He robs the devil of his power to terrify the believer with death.

Incarnation is a blessed truth, but here it is only the means to the end specified. When it is misused, as it often is, it clouds and shuts out that death which defeats the enemy and sets the captives free. That death is the true ground of God's righteousness, because there alone was sin judged definitely and in grace toward the guilty.

Nothing but the death of Christ could bring to nothing him who had the power of death; nothing else could deliver all those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

He is not only glorious in heaven. He has also conquered Satan in the very place where Satan held his sad rule over man, the place where the judgment of God lay heavy on man.

Death has two very distinct characters: as the wages of sin, and for God. While it is the witness of man's sin, yet because of the death of the Lord Jesus death is now one of our servants. All things are ours, whether life, or death, or things present, or things to come. Death is for us now as it was against us before, because Christ has tasted death.

Instead of our enemy, "the king of terrors," death has become our servant. It opens the door to our Lord's presence, where we enjoy sweet communion with Him while we wait for the resurrection of the body.

This means deliverance for those who were "all their lifetime subject to bondage" — the bondage of sin, by which Satan had wielded his power over mankind. "The sting of death is sin," and as long as that question stayed unsettled, "the fear of death" held souls in bondage. He is speaking of believers, of course. Unbelievers know nothing of the present deliverance from this fear and bondage that all who trust in the precious blood of Christ enjoy. Notice too that this bondage is during "lifetime," not after death. Even the unsaved are not in such bondage after death. Satan can exert no more authority over them.

Even His own people in Old Testament times were in bondage, more or less. When Hezekiah was told to set his house in order because he would die, he wept bitterly and begged God to spare him. In a certain sense he was in bondage.