Reformed
theologian Dr. G.C. Berkouwer said, “There
can be no sound theology without a sound demonology.” It is imperative to
understand Satan if we are to biblically live our life in Christ. Abundant life
in Christ is lived in confidence but without fear. Satan is “the most crafty and subtle of creatures, He
is the quintessential con artist working his scams via camouflage,”1
said Pastor Erwin Lutzer. The fear of Satan resides in many Christians, but a
true Christian life cannot be lived under such constraints.
Christians
believe in the reality of evil. Evil is neither a myth nor an illusion.
Sometimes Christians fear Satan so much that they are more preoccupied with Satan
than with God.
Culture often
terrorizes people through its narrative of evil. Evil eye, 2 an intentional or innocent look which is
believed to bring a curse or bad luck on a successful person, is one of the
manifestations of evil in certain cultures. This evil is seemingly warded off by a ritual.
There are Satan
worshippers as well. Apparently, a primitive tribe in India is said to possess magical
powers that levitates them by defying gravity, to sit on the leaf of a standing
banana tree, to guard their village against enemies. They are devoted
practitioners of black magic. Many Christians are deeply fearful of such black
magic practitioners.
A Christian will
only live out his life victoriously when he understands the inherent attributes
of God and Satan. The nature of relationship between God and Satan will also
throw sufficient light into a Christian mind so to understand his position in
God.
God is uncaused;
he is not a created being. In the very first verse, the Bible says, “In the
beginning God…” (Genesis 1:1). This statement presupposes God’s eternal
existence (Revelation 1:8).
God is present everywhere (Psalm
139:7-12). HE is all-powerful (Matthew 19:26), and all-knowing (Hebrews 4:13). HE is God Almighty who has complete dominion over
everything. Everything does not exclude
anything, Satan included! God is the Holy One. God is good, gracious,
loving, just, and merciful.
God created
angels (cf. Genesis 1: 31), of which there are good and evil. The good angels
are loyal to God; the evil angels oppose God, trying to destroy HIS work. Satan
was one of God’s creations. But Satan rebelled desiring to
dethrone God to set himself as the Most High, so God judged him (Isaiah 14:12-15). Satan sinned because of
his pride to dethrone God. Satan was the originator of sin, so he enticed
mankind to sin.
Satan is the
evil one; love, justice, mercy and grace are not in him. Satan “masquerades as
an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14). Satan’s goal is to kill, steal and
destroy (John 10:10). Satan is a liar. Satan is not omnipresent, omnipotent or
even omniscient (Isaiah 46: 9). Satan does not know the thoughts of our mind,
let alone our future. God alone knows everything. Satan is a very limited
being.
The Bible
explains a few crucial facts about the relationship between God and Satan:
(1) Satan has
been judged by God for eternal destruction (Jude 1:6, Revelation 20:10).
(2) Satan is
unable to perform deeds outside of God’s will (Job 1 & 2).
(3) Satan can
only function within the boundary defined by God.
Thus God is in
absolute control over Satan. Martin Luther aptly summarized the relationship
between God and Satan as, “the devil is
God’s devil.”
A true believer
understands his God and his enemy well. The factual understanding that the
loving God absolutely controls Satan infuses a great confidence into a
Christian’s life. As the Christian grows in the Lord, he grows in confidence in
God.
Having said
this, it’s also a fact that man is created lower than angels:
(1) We do not
have the ability to appear and disappear as the angels do (Luke 2:9-15).
(2) We live in the
physical realm whereas the angels live in the higher spiritual realm (cf. Job 1:6)
and can make their appearance in the physical realm.
(3) Man does not
have the power to inflict sickness upon his fellow men but the angels have the
power to inflict sickness upon mankind (E.g. Job).
God’s creational
plan for mankind may have been that of subordination to the angelic beings but
does this subordination extend into our existence? This is where a true believer’s
factual understanding of his position from the Scriptures separates him from a
nominal believer.
Apostle Paul
writing to the church in Ephesus asserts that the faithful in Christ are
blessed “with every spiritual blessing in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3). A believer
is blessed with every spiritual blessing in Christ, not some. A true believer
understands God’s sovereignty and his own position in Christ. Through his
understanding of God’s sovereignty, the true Christian holds to his faith and
hope in Christ when he faces trials (Matthew 7:24-25; Job 2:7-10). Because he
understands God’s love, a true Christian remains in Christ and bears good fruit
(John 15:4). A true believer is fully aware that he is seated with God in the heavenly
realms in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:6; cf. Ephesians 1:21). He is seated
with Christ and above all rule and authority, power and dominion. His life is prayer-filled, for prayer is crucial
in overcoming Satan (Mark 9: 29).
Thus a true believer lives a victorious life, not a life subjugated by fear, but
in absolute dependency on the Triune God.
A true believer
knows he will be protected by God always. He knows that he will live and die
for Christ. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego responded to King Nebuchadnezzar by
saying, “…If we are thrown into the
blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will
rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know,
O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have
set up” (Daniel 3:16-18). Life or death is immaterial to a true believer since
he is in Christ. Material world is immaterial to him. He knows
that the triune God has blessed him with an incomparably great power and
protection from all harms and dangers of the Satan.
In fact, Satan
was defeated even before his creation. This is the grand exhibition of God’s knowledge
and incomparable power. God sent a divine being, an angel or the Lord himself,
to rescue Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego from the blazing furnace. The Bible is
replete with instances of God’s people overcoming Satan’s works. The greatest
of all, the Lord’s victory over sin and death through his resurrection and
ascension, assures every true believer that they are safe and victorious in
God’s presence.
God protects us
mysteriously yet marvelously. Rev. Billy Graham narrates the instance in the
life of Rev. John G. Paton, a missionary in the New Hebrides Islands. “Hostile natives surrounded his mission
headquarters one night, intent on burning the Patons out and killing them. John
Paton and his wife prayed all during that terror-filled night that God would
deliver them. When daylight came they were amazed to see the attackers
unaccountably leave. They thanked God for delivering them.
A year later, the chief of the tribe was
converted to Jesus Christ, and Mr. Paton, remembering what had happened, asked
the chief what had kept him and his men from burning down the house and killing
them. The chief replied in surprise, “Who were all those men you had with you
there?” The missionary answered, “There were no men there; just my wife and I.”
The chief argued that they had seen many men standing guard — hundreds of big
men in shining garments with drawn swords in their hands. They seemed to circle
the mission station so that the natives were afraid to attack. Only then did
Mr. Paton realize that God had sent his angels to protect them.”3
The missionary did not see the angels since he was deeply engrossed in prayer
and the Lord delivered him. The incomparable power of the Lord protects a true Christian.
God desires that
we live a victorious life. The Bible screams that “If God be for us, who can be against us?” (Rom. 8:31). This was
experienced by Rev. Paton on that night the natives surrounded them. Every
child of God listed in the Bible experienced God’s protection and overcame the
evil one. When Christ indwells in us, we have the incomparable power to be victorious.
But we must fight
Satan’s deception. One of Satan’s subtle deceptions is to get the believers to
doubt God’s presence. It’s at this point one’s faith suffers. Sickness, sudden
death, financial loss may plant seeds of doubt in God. In such instances we may
wonder where God is when we are hurting. During moments of trials, we should
pray to God to increase our faith (Luke 17: 5).
Prophet Elijah
had his own share of troubles, but he remained in God. Job was inflicted with the
death of his loved ones and also with painful illness, but he never lost his
faith in God. Apostle Paul was flogged and imprisoned, but he did not lose
faith in God. The disciples of Christ remained strong in their faith despite
all their troubles. Why?
Having
experienced God in their lives, they never doubted God’s presence even though
they experienced pain the Satan was allowed to bring into their lives. However,
they were saved by God’s incomparable power. None were lost. Satan may kill our
body, if God permits, but God will never allow the eternal destruction of those
who believe in HIM. So why fear when God is here? Amen.
Endnotes:
1 Erwin W. Lutzer, The
Serpent of Paradise, 10.
2 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evil_eye
3 Billy Graham, Angels: God’s Secret Agents, 2-3.
6 comments:
great stuff! Explained well with scriptural references.
Thank you, Sister :)
Good one, Pastor!
Thank you Bro. Andrew. Praise God from whom all blessings flow :)
Thanks Bro it is a powerful message God Bless You
Thank you, Brother Clifford :)
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