We’ve been looking at salvation, different aspects of it, different metaphors that express what it is, different ways parts of the church have looked at it over the centuries. We started off looking at the predominant Western view, that sin is a crime against God, and what we need is to be forgiven of our guilt before Him, we need to have our records expunged. This is the forensic view of sin, and it’s completely right and legitimate. But there’s another aspect of sin and salvation we need to explore and know about. I’m talking about the fact that we need to not only be saved from our sins, our guilt, our separation from God, but we also need to be freed from the domination, the bullying, the oppression of our archenemy, Satan!
There tend to be two extremes when it comes to thinking about the devil. Many people, even Christians, seem to think and operate as if he didn’t even exist. They make jokes, “The devil made me do it!” and the like. We can’t see the devil, so he seems like a myth. People picture him with a red suit and pitchfork, and snicker. Or they think of the devil as sort of the personification of evil. There is such a thing as evil in the world, and the devil is kind of someone we invented to blame for it or to identify it. But he’s not a real person.
On the other extreme, there are some who blame the devil for everything. A dead battery, a flat tire, being late for work – the devil was against me! He made all these things happen. I saw a cartoon once of the devil sitting on a park bench, crying. A guy comes up and asks why he’s crying, and he says everybody’s blaming him for everything, and most of the stuff that’s happened, he never even thought of! Some people see the devil as kind of the opposite god. God is for good, and the devil is kind of equal and opposite, for bad. He’s ruining everything. He’s under ever rock, behind every bush. He’s so powerful, we can never overcome him.
Some Christians really think that every temptation, every wrong thought, every problem is the devil actively fighting against them. Others think it isn’t the devil himself, but his demons. So when a husband and wife have an argument, it’s Satan’s fault. Every sickness is a demon. Okay, so this is an extreme too. It goes too far on the other side.
The truth is, we do have an enemy here in this world, and that enemy is a person, a spiritual one, who is very crafty, filled with hate for us and for God, and has thousands of years of experience in fighting against human beings. He used to live in the very presence of God, and may have even led the angelic choirs in worship of God. But he became proud and rebelled against the Almighty God. He was cast down in some way, but still has access to God and will until the very end.
He came into the Garden of Eden disguised as a serpent and deceived Eve, who then tempted her husband as well. This brought death and destruction to God’s beautiful creation, both the earth itself and the humans He had made. Satan invaded this place and gained a foothold. He wanted to rule and knew he couldn’t do that as things were. God was in charge. By getting man to sin, he got him separated from God and under his power, and we’ve been under his domination ever since. The Bible says the whole world lies under the power of the evil one (1 Jn. 1:19). He is the god of this age (2 Cor. 4:4). He and his minions, the hosts of demon spirits who fell with him, run this place like the mafia runs the docks of New York or the cartels run Mexico.
They are usurpers who were not supposed to be here, not supposed to have any power. But we sold out and gave it to them. We’d have plenty of problems without them, because we’re born dead, we’re fallen sinners with a corrupted inner nature that’s prone to sin. We don’t even need a devil to fail God! We live in a world of broken people, rebellious people, who don’t submit to God. Even if there were no devil, we would still have difficulty serving God and there would be lots of stuff out there to draw us away or lead us to sin.
But Satan is a very real adversary (that’s what Satan means. Devil means accuser or slanderer.) So we don’t just have a passive or neutral world out there against us – there are actual forces of darkness actively arrayed against us who want to thwart everything God made us for! They are spiritual beings who’ve been around for thousands of years and know all our weaknesses and tendencies. As Martin Luther wrote in the hymn “A Mighty Fortress is our God,” “For still our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe – his craft and power are great, and armed with cruel hate, on earth is not his equal.”
Have you ever thought about how irrational much of what goes on here on earth is? People think those of other races are against them, sometimes for good reason, but often, without any evidence. We all tend to think others are against us. We get suspicious of people easily and think they’re not on our side. This happens on the personal level, but also on the international. The War in Vietnam is such an example. We didn’t want to kill innocent people, burn children, destroy vegetation with Agent Orange. We wanted people to be free, and we wanted to stop communism. But we ended up slaughtering millions, and losing over 58,000 of our own. We bombed and burned and slaughtered and maimed, and nobody understands why that happened! Ho Chi Minh asked us for help, and even quoted Thomas Jefferson when he declared independence from the French, but we were suspicious and couldn’t work with a communist. Russians have told me they were expecting us to invade them all the time. I told ‘em we would never have done that. We have our own land and don’t want war. The Japanese, Germans, and Italians launched out against the world. It was crazy! They ended up being destroyed over it. But they thought they should do it! Kim Jong Un, he threatens the greatest power on earth. We don’t want to fight in Korea – that’s crazy! But if things keep going, we’re liable to again. Why? It’s irrational! Why do Muslims blow themselves up? How will that win the world? It’s crazy, but they think they have to do it!
Why do people inject drugs into their veins and become slaves of them? It’s crazy! Why do men think they’re women or vice versa? It’s crazy! Why do leftists burn universities to keep conservatives from speaking, and hold up signs saying, “Love Trumps Hate” while doing it? It’s crazy! Why are there so many weird religions in the world, so many strange beliefs that end up ruining people? It’s crazy! The reason for all this is that this world has been invaded by a hostile force! That force is prosecuting a war against humanity. They are powerful and clever, and they have basically infiltrated every structure of life – the family, the church, the government, education, business. They want to run things here. Now God is Lord over all, but if the forces of darkness can get people away from Him, they can deceive them into obeying their wishes, and they can end up ruling this place – which is exactly what has happened.
Do you think we could possibly defeat these forces on our own? Why, we can’t even see them! We easily fall to their schemes all the time! That’s why Martin Luther’s hymn goes on to say, “Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing! Were not the right Man on our side, the Man of God’s own choosing. Dost ask who that might be? Christ Jesus it is He. Lord Sabaoth His name, from age to age the same, and He must win the battle.” Martin Luther goes on to write, “the prince of darkness grim, we tremble not for him. His rage we can endure, for lo his doom is sure. One little word shall fell him.”
The truth is folks, we need to be saved from the power of Satan and his minions. We need someone to break his authority over us and set us free. The Bible says that is exactly what Jesus has done! By letting the devil deceive Judas and by turning Himself over to the hostile forces, Jesus actually tricked them into defeating themselves! By dying, He broke the power of death and took away the devil’s power over us. By His death on the cross, Jesus struck a blow against the devil that has bound him for a thousand years. Satan has been defeated and bound by Jesus on the cross.
You might say, well, if he’s defeated, who’s doing his work for him today? Well, he’s defeated, but he’s not gone yet. He’s defeated but there’s more that has to happen. Remember D-Day? When the allies once landed on those beaches in Normandy, Hitler was finished. But it still took another year for them to push back his forces all the way to Berlin and take over the place. In the same way, Jesus has struck the fatal blow against the devil’s kingdom. His days are numbered. He cannot keep a person bound. Anyone who wants to be free can come running to Jesus, and here’s what the Bible says, (Col. 1:13) through Jesus, God has delivered us from the kingdom of darkness and translated us into the Kingdom of His dear Son. Ding, dong, the witch is dead! The devil is defeated! He cannot keep us from God! He cannot keep us bound!
He can deceive, he can harass, he can thwart and hinder and slow down our progress. He can persecute and use the world and the flesh to distract us, hinder us, and make life here hard for us. Don’t be mistaken – he’s still dangerous. He still goes around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. (1 Pet. 5:8) But whom may he devour? Only those who refuse to run to Jesus. Only those who submit themselves to the devil and don’t resist him. Let me tell you how you can bind the devil. Don’t listen to him or do what he says! Let me tell you how you can win the war against him. Submit yourself to God! (Ja. 4:7)
So salvation is many-faceted. We’re saved from the guilt of our crimes against God. We’re saved from death and actually raised to new life. And we’re also saved from the power of our bitter enemy, the devil. Jesus has defeated him, and we’re in His kingdom now.
What is our response to this news? Well, first, we need to accept it as the truth. You need to know you’ve been emancipated! Renew your mind with this reality. You don’t have to obey the devil any more. You don’t have to be defeated by him. We are not ignorant of his devices. (2 Cor. 2:11; Eph. 6:11)
Second, be aware that you’re in a war, even if you didn’t sign up for it! Don’t fear; just be mindful. Pay attention and be careful; you have an enemy. Use all that God has provided for you to be safe and successful in this war. There is armor to put on. The helmet of salvation, watching your thoughts and deflecting his lies. The breastplate of righteousness, keep yourself pure and free from the arrows of temptation and wrongdoing. The belt of truth, the shield of faith, the sandals of the gospel. God has provided for our protection. We have to take what He’s given and put it on. Finally, don’t just play defense, play offense too! Witness, pray, live a holy life. All these things carry the fight to the enemy and help bring others out of his kingdom into God’s.
Just one final thought. Jesus didn’t just defeat the devil and break his power over us. One day, He’s going to kick every last vestige of his kingdom out of this world. That’s what Revelation is about. Our salvation isn’t just from sin and death. It’s from the powers of darkness, and this world is going to be completely rid of them someday soon! They’re going to be completely destroyed and thrown into the lake of fire.
Valuable info!