“And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of the world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body.” Ephesians 2:1-3a
As Christians, we are in a constant battle with the three enemies, the world, the Devil, and the flesh. So, how do we deal with the onslaught of temptation, which can cripple the walk of even the most faithful disciple and earnest follower of Jesus? Often these temptations come from sinful inclinations flowing from wicked and deceptive hearts. James writes the following to address our unkept desires, which burn within us, igniting the fires of sin. “What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you?” (James 4:1). James rightly attests that we face a significant enemy in our self-destructive patterns as we wrestle with the passions and sin that reside within every man. Yet, there are other forces at work within the world in which we live.
The Apostle Paul addresses these forces in Ephesians 6:10-11, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.” The Holy Spirit moved the apostle to remind his readers that there is a force at work against them. An enemy with a face, a mission, and the resolve to carry out his schemes.
The early followers of Christ were not the only ones who recognized the power and threat of the Devil. Martin Luther, the famed German reformer (1483-1546), was asked by his disciples how he dealt with the influence of the Devil. He replied with the following, “Yes, Satan [the Devil] often comes to the door of my heart and knocks, yelling to open the door. Every time he does, Jesus, who is in my heart, goes to open the door. The Devil asks him, ‘Luther lives here, right?’ and Jesus tells him, ‘In the past, Luther lived here. But now, he has moved away, and I live here.’ The Devil is so surprised that he runs away. This is the way I overcome trials.”
Understanding how to deal with the schemes and plans of the Devil may not seem like something modern people need to consider. However, we still contend with the face of evil and a counterfeit kingdom—one that hates the crucified Jesus and will do anything in his limited power to stop the gospel and threaten the people of God. It is essential that we understand our enemy if we want to effectively deal with what he throws our way. This month, we will explore three truths believers need to know to “fight” against this ancient enemy of God.
1. The Devil is limited in his power and impact on the world.
One of the misconceptions many have about the Devil is that he is the opposite of God the Father. God is light, so the Devil is darkness. God is good, and the Devil is evil. While these statements are factual on the surface, they do not fully reflect his limitations. The Devil is not co-equal with the Eternal Father. He is limited in his scope and nature and does not possess the power, wisdom, or insight of the Triune God. The Devil has limitations, and as believers, we can find comfort in this truth. God reveals his attributes to us throughout the Scriptures. These attributes are either communicable or incommunicable. God’s communicable attributes are those he shares with his creation. God is love and capable of love; as his creation, we are also capable of love. Yet, God has attributes that theologians have denoted as incommunicable, which God does not share with his creation. God is all-knowing and all-powerful; we are not. A careful study of the Scriptures teaches that the Devil does not possess the incommunicable attributes of God. The Devil is a created being; therefore, he is under the rule and reign of the Creator.
We see this played out in the story of Job. Job is described as a man who is “blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil” (Job 1:1b). At first glance, one would assume Job lived a prosperous life, yet we see the narrative turn. The Devil presented himself before God and questioned the faithfulness of Job. God allowed His servant, Job, to be tested by the Devil, yet God gave limitations to the Devil. Job 1:12 states, “And the LORD said to Satan, ‘Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand.’ So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD.” Job lost his property, his livelihood, and even his family, yet his life was spared because of the limitations handed down to the Devil. Believers can take courage in the fact that even though the Devil plans to steal, kill, and destroy, he is limited by the power of God and does not have free reign in our lives.
2. The Devil must bend to the will and power of Jesus.
In the eyewitness accounts of the life of Jesus written by his disciples and early followers, we observe several interactions with demonic forces and even the Devil himself. In Mark 1:12-13, the Scripture testifies that Jesus “was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan.” Jesus also encountered many people who were tormented and oppressed by demonic forces. One such encounter is found in Matthew 8:28-34. Jesus has authority over the forces who have possessed two men living in the region of Gadarenes. The testimony of Jesus’ power over evil is seen in the complete obedience by the demons upon hearing the command of Jesus. The demonic forces cringe at the presence of Jesus in verse twenty-nine and immediately follow Jesus’ command to “Go” in verse thirty-two. The Scripture is clear. These forces have no choice but to obey when the King speaks.
3. The Devil, although powerful, was defeated by the cross of Jesus.
The most potent weapon we have against the wiles of the Devil is Jesus himself. From the beginning, God declared that the evil acts of the Devil would be put to death through the power of the gospel and the sacrifice of Jesus. Genesis 3:15 testifies to the finality of the defeat of Satan. “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” Christ would offer himself as a sacrifice for our sins from the beginning of time, and His death would defeat the Devil for eternity. Simply stated, we need the cross of Christ, not only for salvation but for protection against the onslaught of the Devil. John Piper sums up the position the believer has in Christ regarding the Devil when he states, “The decisive triumph of Colossians 2:13-15 is owing to the fact that ‘the record of debt that stood against us’ was nailed to the cross. The Devil made that record his chief accusation against us. Now he has no accusation that can hold in the court of heaven. He is helpless to do the one thing he wants to do most: damn us. He can’t. Christ bore our damnation. The Devil is disarmed.”
And that is our testimony; not only is the Devil defeated, but he is disarmed! Stand firm in that truth, clothed in the armor of God.
Thank you for this. As a new Christian, I still struggle with the three enemies at times. I have had to call upon Christ quite a few times. Thank God for the cross and his son dying on the cross so that we may have eternal life.
Kristi,
Christ is always there for you!