My Friends: Five Deadly Sins, All Defeated by Christ

These women are friends of mine—Pride, Envy, Greed, Gluttony, and Sloth. No, really!

Actually, their names are Pat, Melody, Dee Anne, Karen, and Andrea, but they’ve chosen to play these roles in my church’s Easter drama. This picture was taken at a recent rehearsal.

Since Jesus’ resurrection, Christians have wondered about the three days Jesus was in the tomb. Where was He? What was He doing? The apostle Peter says Christ visited the “spirits in prison,” which scholars believe is a reference to hell (1 Pet. 3:18-19).

Author and theologian William L. Hendricks believed such an event, beyond the borders of history, would be best expressed in poetry and drama. And so he wrote a morality play. The play identifies those “spirits” as the Seven Deadly Sins who serve Death, Hell, and Satan. The setting is a boardroom in Hell.

The play begins with Jesus’ prayer on the eve of His crucifixion: “The hour has come” (Jn. 17:1). The “hour” is the time the Son will be glorified and the enemies of God utterly defeated.

Aware of Christ’s impending arrival in hell, Satan calls a meeting to discuss how His coming will be received. Everyone has an opinion, but Satan remains convinced that he can win over the Suffering Servant. Thus, he uses his vast experience with deception and aggression to try to carve a victory out of sure defeat.

The play is an allegory and not intended to be taken literally. In fact, how Christ defeats Satan is a clever surprise. However, it drives home the assurance that these enemies of God are completely defeated by the crucifixion and then the resurrection of Christ.

Believers need to be reminded of the victory Christ has won for them over sin, death, and hell. These enemies seem to go unchecked in the world today; however, we know the end of the story, and we win!

Want to see the play? We’ve transformed First Baptist Nashville’s fellowship hall into a hellish place! But only from 6:10-6:50 on Wednesday, March 6. Can’t come? Then offer a prayer that God through Christ will be glorified.