God’s Devil - Points to Ponder, Part 1

SATAN THE PRINCE OF THIS WORLD

Satan has been with us from the beginning. He roamed the original garden and was in the room at the Last Supper before he himself entered Judas,

He presented himself to Eve as the one who can reveal the secret to becoming like God. To Jesus he presented the quick and painless solution to glory and unlimited power without the cross. He never presents the cross to us. As he hisses in our ear his way always seems easier and he presents himself to us as the bringer of happiness. Jesus offers true happiness but not as cheaply. The price of it was the highest ever paid for anything. The price was the blood of the Son of God.

The serpent understands how to lead us to sin. We are sin inclined from birth and he exploits our inclination to induce us to evil and make us his own. He cannot bend the will of man. Only the Lord has the power to do so. If our will is bent toward Satan, it is from our own voluntary free will choice. In His wisdom, God permits this, so that with the help of His grace, we can tap the power of all of heaven itself to overcome the battles in this spiritual war.

We must not forget that God could have sent Satan to hell immediately and permanently after the rebellion and war in heaven. He did not. Satan's power of seduction and temptation in the warfare of our spiritual persecution depends on divine permission. He can do nothing that God does not allow.

The eternal mystery of Holy Creation is that man may choose to sin or not to sin. If God wished blind obedience without choice, He could have ended creation with the cattle. He did not do so. All creation was said by Him to be good. In the final sixth day, after the creation of man, He said it was “very good”. 

When we freely consent to Satan's whispers we are, in that moment, defying the will of the Almighty and slip away from “very good” to start the journey to slavery to Satan. John's gospel reveals the mind of Christ on this moment of our consent.

John 8:34:

“Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.”

Romans 6 provides our reply to Satan as he whispers sweetly to us.

6:14 “For sin shall not have dominion over you...”

6:18 “Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.”