The Bible is clear that we face spiritual opposition in our enemy the devil. He opposes us because we belong to Christ. But exactly what do Satan's efforts look like? Although the Bible speaks of his efforts in terms of accusation, temptation and deception, how do those efforts show up in ways we can recognize them?
One way Satan opposes us is through agents of his kingdom, those whom Jesus cites as being of their father the devil (John 8:39-47). Of the Pharisees, who rejected the Christ and taught contrary to what God had revealed in His Word, Jesus says, "You are of your father the devil." He puts that family lineage in practical terms of action, "and your will is to do your father's desires." Jesus speaks of the Pharisees inability to understand. This all comports with teaching elsewhere that those of the kingdom of God, endued with the Holy Spirit can comprehend the things of the Spirit because they now belong to the realm of light and life (cf. 1 Cor. 2:12-16) and obey the will of God (Rom. 13:12-14). Paul draws a line between "us" and "them," brothers and not, those with hope and those without hope in passages like 1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11, where those belonging to light and those belonging to darkness manifest different orientations and produce divergent fruit.
Here we find one way that Satan carries out his efforts to oppose us and Christ's church. He works through people, those who are subjects of his fallen kingdom. Paul speaks of being delivered from wicked and evil men in the context of the Lord in His faithfulness guarding us against the evil one (1 Thess. 3:2-3). We might think of Satan using instruments like Judas Iscariot to carry out his desires.
In Acts 13 a man called Elymas the magician opposes Paul and Barnabas, seeking to uproot the seed of faith taken root in through the ministry of the word. Listen to Paul's recriminating words in rebuke of Elymas: "You son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and villainy" (Acts 13:10). Elymas bore family resemblance to his father the devil and served as a tool for his use against the kingdom of God and His Christ.
The book of Revelation is filled with scenarios in which those who are "earth dwellers" carry out the will of their demonic father, seeking another kingdom, serving a different lord. (e.g., Rev. 3:10; 11:10; 13:8; 14:6). These ones operate as ones dead in sin and are described by Paul in Ephesians 2:1-3, where they walking according to the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, in the spirit of the sons of disobedience.
It is of these from Ephesians 2:1-3 that God called us, made us alive in Christ and enfolded us into an enduring kingdom of righteousness and life. Yet, we too, alive in Christ as we are, can be tools of Satan. We see that with Peter, who one minute is lauded by Christ as the rock upon which Jesus will build His church, and the next is called "Satan" (Matt. 16:16-22). Why the turnaround? It's because in the first instance Peter aligned himself with God and His will. In the the other, he opposed God and His will. Jesus summarizes it for us: "For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man."
As believers, we can walk according to the ways of Satan and be used of him to further his agenda. That's why the New Testament is filled with counsel for us to be alert, discerning, obedient, walking consistent with our new identity in Christ, displaying characteristics of grace through our abiding in Christ. Evidently, with the body of sin that remains in us we feel the tug of temptation all too strongly.
Much of Paul's letter to the Ephesians sorts these things out for us. We are not to allow our anger to be a foothold for Satan into our lives, giving him sway and using us for his kingdom's agenda (Eph. 4:26f.). That puts our grievances and grudges in a whole different light (or lack thereof). We are to be light because we are light. (Eph. 5:8). What does that light look like? Paul tells us: "for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true." Our agenda in this spiritual conflict is "to try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord." In other words, our actions reflect whom we belong to and whom we serve.
1 comment:
Amen! We must pay constant attention to our heart and whether it's set upon God and His ways or ourselves and the world's ways.
There are two errors that Christians are given to in respect to the will of God. The liberal error strips the Bible of its authority in the individual's life. The conservative error adds man-made ideas to the Bible as authoritative.
We must remember that the Pharisees would have been considered conservative, and the Sadducees would have been considered liberal...yet both are condemned by Christ.
I think this is very important to discern in our era of political sectarianism.
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