Christ crucified is God himself  descending deeply into the realm of evil. Even into the depths of its ultimate domain in death itself.  The Crucified One penetrated the realm of darkness at the point of its supreme thrust against himself in order to judge it.    At the same time, the Crucified Christ not only judged evil but also saved the world from its domain reconciling all to God. This is the triumph of the crucified over the powerful rulers of this dark age through his once for all self-offering in weakness.

This triumph over evil has taken place once and for all and cannot be repeated.  And yet God is still active within the world working out the effects of His triumph over evil. He does so through the same crucified One.  He is the lamb enthroned at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.  And he continues to serve his Father in the world by the Presence and Power of his Spirit.

As head over all things Jesus, the enthroned lamb, reigns with supreme authority with his Father by the Spirit. He does so, however, as the true human who has fully aligned himself with us in our desperate condition and is now constantly present with us in all our distress under the menace of evil powers.

So we are always confident, not in ourselves, but only in the Crucified One who was raised in triumph over all for our sake.  In this confident trust there is no place for triumphalism!  We always follow the lamb as his cross-shaped servants in the way of power through weakness by his Spirit.