Jesus, the Devils, and the Christian Life
Christians understand that God’s love and power come from above, for the Kingdom of God is not of this world (Jn 18:36). God the Father and Son send the Holy Spirit to unite believers in holy love as he advances his Kingdom on earth. Unsurprisingly, the Enemy of God takes aim at believers’ love and trust in God and one another. In Ephesians six, Paul warns that Satan and the demons come against Christians and sometimes with great force, not because of particular sins, which of course exist, but because we are children of God (vv 10-17). Satan puts Christians in his crosshairs in a futile effort to thwart the advancement of God’s Kingdom on earth. The fallen angels have access to us because we are spiritual, and Paul warns that we must wear divine armor in anticipation of spiritual attacks. The military metaphor captures the intensity of attacks and the strength, evilness, and hatred of Satan for God and his people. Satan wants to separate us from God so he can toy with us and mock Almighty God. Three times Paul commands us to stand our ground, clothed in Lord Jesus (vv 11,13,14). We wrestle against powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms (v 12). Jesus Christ reigns absolutely over his creation, and God wants us to draw near to him as he contends with the devils. Are the Devils Irrelevant? In conventional warfare, soldiers learn the strategies, tactics, and weaponry of their enemy. But many Christians believe that it’s unnecessary even wrong to study Satan’s capabilities as described in the Bible. It’s unnecessary because dealing with particular sins disarms the devil. It is wrong because the topic scares and drives people from the church. Frankly the topic is embarrassing. Knowing the real thing, who is Jesus, and reading the Bible enable Christians to discern the work of the Deceiver. Many Christians believe that too much interest in the details of spiritual battles is unhealthy. As believers focus on Jesus’s victory, the devils become irrelevant, or so they believe. Satan of Popular Culture Christians are unwittingly influenced by the Satan of popular culture in print media, films, television documentaries, video games, social media, and stories on the Internet. Evil beings terrorize the innocent and display horrific supernatural feats. Who can forget Batman’s nemesis the Joker or the demon-possessed twelve-year-old girl of The Exorcist who flopped like a rag doll on a gyrating bed and vomited green slime through decaying teeth. Terror sells and the Satan of popular culture truly terrifies people. The god-pretender inflames his notoriety and exaggerations of his power to camouflage his actual capabilities and subtleties of his deceptions. Given these outsized caricatures, Christians privately think that the last topic they want to hear from their pastor is a sermon on Christ and the demons that addresses what demons can actually do to Christians and why Jesus permits them do it. Educating Christians Satan and the demons are minor characters in God’s story. The stories in which they appear are never about them—they are about God. Nonetheless Christians should understand their character, capabilities, and limitations given the gospel of Jesus Christ. Jesus was not using a figure of speech when he accused the Pharisees of serving their father the devil (Jn 8:44). He meant it. He wants us to be aware of the Enemy (2 Co 2:11). Christians would benefit from learning to distinguish spiritual attacks from psychological and physical phenomena. Christians should know that spiritual attacks are normal in the Christian life. Christians lose fear of Satan and mature in faith as they experience the power of Christ to rescue them when embattled. Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith . . . And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast (1 Pt 5:8–10). Biblical Demonology The demons of the Bible are predictable. They do the same thing over and over and have since Satan appeared in the Garden and presumed to know more about God’s creation than God. When Satan questioned Eve about God’s command not to eat from the tree in the middle of the Garden, she had a choice to make: Would she believe God or Satan? Christians also must choose who to believe when embattled. (Ge 3:1–5) Apply A relatively new Christian walked from the parking lot to the church she had attended for six months. Midway, a demon bombarded her with anxiety and fear that intensified as she opened the door. She went to the restroom and held onto the sink. What’s wrong with me? Should I go home? Those familiar with spiritual warfare would tell her to call on Jesus. Pray. “Oh Lord Jesus, greater is the One who is in me that he who is in the world. Hold me tight Lord Jesus, Fill me with your holy love as I enter the sanctuary.” In faith, enter the sanctuary and sit alongside other believers. Worship and hear the Word of God. Teaching from the Text In the Bible we learn that demons can impair mental and physical functioning, inspire false doctrines, and imitate the Holy Spirit. They work hard to inhibit the spread of the gospel. Peter’s denial of Jesus is an example of a satanic attack. Before he was arrested, Jesus warned Peter. Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers (Lk 22:31–32). ‘Sifting like wheat’ is a metaphor for taking someone apart. Satan intended to destroy Peter. Jesus used Satan’s evil to strengthen Peter’s faith as part of his preparation to be an Apostle. While in the courtyard, Peter denied knowing Jesus three times. The rooster crowed. Peter wept tears of repentance (vv 55–62). The risen Christ reinstated Peter (Jn 21:15–19). How did Satan sift Peter? He might have sent bolts of terror through him and flashed scenes of torture and a disgraceful death. Or he might simply have flooded him with intense anxiety. Why did Jesus permit the attack? Jesus forced Peter to acknowledge his defenselessness against sin and Satan. Jesus was Peter’s only hope. Peter had to be aware of the enemy’s devises as he preached the Good News. So must we. But no one can acknowledge the existence and strategies of Satan and the demons without rock solid faith in Jesus and his Word. Without Jesus, who could bear it? The Ephesians passage teaches that Satan and the demons come against all who worship God in Spirit and Truth. Jesus sometimes forces us to face our fragility and the enemy’s evil–in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes (2 Co 2:11). Teaching about the devil need only involve a couple matter-of-fact sentences about the demons’ ability to infuse us with anxiety at opportune times and our need for the Savior. Such knowledge does not discount the very real existence of our human sin nature, which is the ultimate source of all temptations. Peter was culpable for his sin, and he repented. All sinners are responsible for sin whatever the source of temptation (Jas 1:13–15). In Conclusion . . . Martin Luther taught believers to fight the devil with rock-solid faith in the grace of God given to sinners through faith in Jesus Christ. He neither feared nor denied his existence and tactics. When the devil thumped around at night, Luther said, “When I realized it was Satan, I rolled over and went back to sleep again.”[1] Still makes me smile. [1] Oberman, Heiko, Augustinus. Luther: Man between God and the Devil, translated by Eileen Walliser-Schwarzbart. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1989. |