Satan’s Purposes
A number of names are used of Satan in the New Testament, shedding light on how he acts, and his objectives. Satan means adversary, and he is also called the accuser of the brethren, an enemy of the souls of men, and the devil, which means slanderer.
He is called Abaddon and Apollyon, names which mean destroyer of souls, and he is described as a dragon, indicating his great ferocity, and also as a serpent, expressing his cunning and subtlety.
He is referred to as the father of lies, indicating the method that he has always employed, and also as the murderer of souls, the prince of demons, and the prince of this world who guides the minds of unbelievers open to atheism and ready to show hostility to God. He is called the tempter, and an angel of light making evil appear good, and suggesting justification for selfish, covetous and other wrong actions.
Satan was cast out of Heaven for challenging God, and hates Him with all his being, opposing and frustrating His plans if he can, and keeping souls away from Him. Satan is intensely jealous of human beings and hates them also. He acts to tempt into sin both the lost and the saved, particularly striving to lead God’s people into error and failure. If Satan can get into churches, inserting false teaching and bringing believers down in sin, how he triumphs! He therefore constantly seeks to discredit the church and the Gospel in the eyes of the world, and also to thwart and hinder Gospel work by tempting believers to worldliness, laziness, and indifference to the plight of lost souls.
Satan is always working to erode the faith of believers and spoil their assurance, peace and joy. He does these things by a process of attrition, causing believers to give way little by little to doubts and temptations, until he has gained victory over them. He also inspires false prophets and evil workers, putting into their minds ideas that are unbiblical, and succeeding wherever they fail to prove all things by the Word.
He controls people who are opposed to the Gospel, blinding their minds, and through them shaping society. When we see the world today, ruled by aggressive and vindictive secular humanism, with immorality legalised and encouraged, and laws passed to punish those who oppose these things, we see the orchestrating hand of Satan. How similar is the ‘script’ justifying these things in all parts of the world! Thus Satan is ‘the prince of the power of the air’.
Against Christians he uses cunning strategies and traps, called ‘the wiles of the devil’, and ‘the snare of the devil’. The latter means that he will surprise believers with sudden temptations, if he is able to do so.
There are three sources of temptation, for the devil is not the only tempter. According to Scripture the world lures us with sinful habits, practices and finery. Then we are tempted by our own hearts: our appetites and sinful desires always wanting to do or possess things. And then we are tempted by the devil, who also makes much of and amplifies the first two forms of temptation.
A number of names are used of Satan in the New Testament, shedding light on how he acts, and his objectives. Satan means adversary, and he is also called the accuser of the brethren, an enemy of the souls of men, and the devil, which means slanderer.
He is called Abaddon and Apollyon, names which mean destroyer of souls, and he is described as a dragon, indicating his great ferocity, and also as a serpent, expressing his cunning and subtlety.
He is referred to as the father of lies, indicating the method that he has always employed, and also as the murderer of souls, the prince of demons, and the prince of this world who guides the minds of unbelievers open to atheism and ready to show hostility to God. He is called the tempter, and an angel of light making evil appear good, and suggesting justification for selfish, covetous and other wrong actions.
Satan was cast out of Heaven for challenging God, and hates Him with all his being, opposing and frustrating His plans if he can, and keeping souls away from Him. Satan is intensely jealous of human beings and hates them also. He acts to tempt into sin both the lost and the saved, particularly striving to lead God’s people into error and failure. If Satan can get into churches, inserting false teaching and bringing believers down in sin, how he triumphs! He therefore constantly seeks to discredit the church and the Gospel in the eyes of the world, and also to thwart and hinder Gospel work by tempting believers to worldliness, laziness, and indifference to the plight of lost souls.
Satan is always working to erode the faith of believers and spoil their assurance, peace and joy. He does these things by a process of attrition, causing believers to give way little by little to doubts and temptations, until he has gained victory over them. He also inspires false prophets and evil workers, putting into their minds ideas that are unbiblical, and succeeding wherever they fail to prove all things by the Word.
He controls people who are opposed to the Gospel, blinding their minds, and through them shaping society. When we see the world today, ruled by aggressive and vindictive secular humanism, with immorality legalised and encouraged, and laws passed to punish those who oppose these things, we see the orchestrating hand of Satan. How similar is the ‘script’ justifying these things in all parts of the world! Thus Satan is ‘the prince of the power of the air’.
Against Christians he uses cunning strategies and traps, called ‘the wiles of the devil’, and ‘the snare of the devil’. The latter means that he will surprise believers with sudden temptations, if he is able to do so.
There are three sources of temptation, for the devil is not the only tempter. According to Scripture the world lures us with sinful habits, practices and finery. Then we are tempted by our own hearts: our appetites and sinful desires always wanting to do or possess things. And then we are tempted by the devil, who also makes much of and amplifies the first two forms of temptation.
No comments:
Post a Comment