Victory over the devil

1 John 3:8
“For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.”

“Often our tendency is to turn the Gospel into a point of view, into an idea or a teaching, and to forget that it is first and foremost a series of events and facts that actually took place. The essence of the Gospel is not foremost a teaching but a proclamation, an announcement of certain things that have happened.

Jesus did not come into the world only to teach. He did do that, but before we even consider His teaching, before it can be of any value to us at all in any practical sense, we must realize what He primarily came to do. ‘For this purpose the Son of God was manifested …’ not that He might teach us, not that He might give us a glorious example to follow, but He came, He was manifested that He might ‘destroy the works of the devil.’ He came to do that and our salvation is dependent upon that which He has done.”