God’s Devil - Part 16: Satan Full Truth

If we listen to what scripture tells us about Satan and his powers of darkness, we will not look for their work only where there is obvious filth, obscenity, and godlessness in the world around us; we will look at ourselves, and at the Christian community. 

It was not the prostitutes, social outcasts, dishonest business people, and political subversives, but God-fearing, law abiding Pharisees that Jesus called sons of Satan (John 8:44). It was not His enemies, but one of His closest friends, Peter, whom He called “Satan” (Mark 8:33).

Satan is most dangerous when he “disguises himself as an angel of light” and when his servants “disguise themselves as ministers of righteousness” (2nd Cor 11:14 & 15). So we must take warning when we talk about the reality of a personal devil. It is not only in those “godless and unchristian people”  who we like to think of as “out there” where Satan works so well. He is also hard at work especially where pious people try to use God to maintain their own personal security, prosperity, and power, instead of  serving God alone. 

He is at work not only where people hurt other people and destroy  themselves by lust, drunkenness, and immorality of various kinds, but especially  where morality, respectability, and law abiding piety become more important than the needs of other people and an excuse to reject or ignore them.

The real problem of evil is not if we can possibly explain its origin. It is whether and how the death grip this lie has on all of us can be broken. Only when we accept that God desires nothing from us except a broken spirit and a contrite heart (Psalm 51:17) that we may then perceive the road sign to the narrow way.