(First in a Series on Satan)
When the enemy is camouflaged, it is easy to fail to recognize him or, even worse, to think he does not exist.
An often quoted saying of Professor Emile Cailliet should constantly remind us of the danger in which we find ourselves: “Experienced students of Christianity have pointed out that among Satan’s accomplishments the neatest of them all is that of persuading so many people that he does not exist.”
Probably at no time in history have so many who should be engaged in the battle against Satan and his works succumbed to the delusion that he does not exist. “Evil?” they say. “Oh, yes, we believe that evil exists in the world, but it is the manifestation of a symptom, something to be overcome by education, information, and organization.” And all the while the Devil smugly smiles because he has deluded minds and can carry on his work of deceiving and destroying.
We could hardly believe that the personality of Satan could be denied were it not for the increasing number of ministers within the Christian Church who obviously do just that. Going out to do battle against evil, they deny or ignore the source of evil and are therefore ignorant of Satan’s devices.
The Apostle Paul had no such delusion. Writing to the Corinthian church he says: “Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices” (2 Cor. 2:11).
Satan is a malignant personality in revolt against God who unceasingly seeks the destruction of man. The names he is given in the Bible indicate both his nature and his methods. Deceiving mankind, inciting disobedience to and rebellion against God and his holy commands, the Devil wages an unceasing war against God and his creation.
The Devil is the father of lies, the instigator of unbelief, the murderer of men’s souls. He does not hesitate to give the lie to God while at the same time he leads his own children into sin.
Children? Yes, just that. Our Lord, speaking to the Pharisees who were opposing him, said: “Ye are of your father the devil”; and we read in First John: “In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil” (3:10a). Just as God has his children through regeneration, so Satan has his children by natural birth—the children of wrath. Little wonder that our Lord says, “Ye must be born again.”
We are aware of how this jars the feelings of some, but the fact remains that the cultured, educated, sophisticated, wealthy dowager of Fifth Avenue, if she is without Christ, is a child of Satan just as is the ignorant voodoo woman of the jungle.
When Christians ignore or play down the role of Satan, he is able to deceive with impunity. When the Gospel is preached it is the Devil who snatches the seed from unwary hearts. When the seed takes root it is the Devil who sows tares in its midst, confusing the world and hampering the Christian.
The subtle workings of Satan are a reality that must always be taken into account. It is sobering that no man can withstand the Devil in his own strength.
Even Christians have difficulty realizing that ours is a continuous warfare against the implacable enemy of God and man. Phillips has translated Ephesians 6:12 with a vividness that would make saints cringe but for the fact that we belong to the One who has overcome the Devil and who gives victory for the believer: “For our fight is not against any physical enemy: it is against organizations and powers that are spiritual. We are up against the unseen power that controls this dark world, and spiritual agents from the very headquarters of evil.”
Just as God’s angels are ministers of his loving care, so Satan’s agents—demons—work unceasingly to do his bidding. To deny or ignore the existence of the enemy and his minions is to lay ourselves open to certain defeat.
The “special forces” of our armed services receive training in deception and camouflage because they are to fight a deceptive enemy. Stories coming out of South Viet Nam tell again and again of grenades thrown from ambush, of loss of life because our men fail to recognize a well-disguised enemy on a crowded street.
The Christian must continually be aware of Satan and of the multiplicity of his methods and attacks. For this reason Paul admonishes us to “put on the whole armor of God.” As we study the components of that armor, we are reminded of the necessity for the inward qualities of the heart that come alone from the indwelling Christ and the outward manifestations of regeneration that are the work of his Spirit.
Then we are reminded of the one weapon against which Satan cannot stand, the Word of God, the Sword of the Spirit. Little wonder that from the beginning the Devil has feared and tried to give the lie to God’s Word!
Finally, Paul tells us to “pray at all times,” indicating the continuing battle, its spiritual nature, and the spiritual remedy.
Satan works in a multitude of ways. He is literally “as smart as the Devil,” and woe to that one who does not believe in Satan’s existence or who thinks he himself has the resources to defeat the enemy.
The Devil’s methods are designed to thwart us in every good endeavor, to confuse the issue, to lead us into shadow-boxing when the real danger is elsewhere. He points in one direction to distract our attention while he carries out his purposes elsewhere.
Our Lord gives us clear warning: “I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I tell you, fear him!” (Luke 12:5, RSV). In Hebrews we read of Christ, “That through death he might destroy him who has the power of death, that is, the devil” (2:14b).
That Satan will ultimately be destroyed in person and in power gives little comfort until we have, at the personal level, found victory in Christ.
This writer is convinced that the cause of many personal problems among Christians and of many in the Church is our failure to recognize the enemy and to make use of the God-given means of defeat of Satan and victory for ourselves.
A part of the Apostle Paul’s commission from his risen Lord was, “To open their eyes, that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God” (Acts 26:18a, RSV). How often do we hear this imperative mentioned? Too rarely. And what mention there is usually is made by preachers in the smaller and less sophisticated churches!
It would appear that in our sophistication we have become victims of the great delusion—that Satan does not exist.
What a victory … for the Devil!
