Denial of Evil
I posted this first in November of 2006.
Everyone on the face of this earth has a common enemy. He hates us all - whether lost or saved. He seeks to destroy all. His name is Satan.
It’s no surprise that those who deny the existence of God will deny the existence of Satan.
What is a surprise is how many so-called Christians and pastors reject belief in a literal Devil. This is especially true in what is called Liberal or "Progressive" Christianity. Most liberals regard the existence of Satan as a myth, just as they believe Adam and Eve and most of the Bible are myths.
Ignorance of Satan is dangerous, because he is then able to move about freely in our lives with us being unaware of what is happening. Scripture warns us about being ignorant of Satan: “Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.” (II Corinthians 2:11)
Satan is very real. He is mentioned in 26 of the 66 books of the Bible, 7 of them being in the Old Testament and 19 of the 27 New Testament books. Jesus Himself mentions the Devil numerous times.
Satan is not just an “evil force”. He has the three basic characteristics of personality: mind, will, and emotion. He is the opposite of Christ. On a side note: He is NOT Jesus’ brother, as the Mormons teach.
He is the author of pride. When we are prideful, we are most like Satan.
In Isaiah, Satan says, “I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation…I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.” Isaiah 14:13-14. Contrast this with the words of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane: “...Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.” Luke 22:42.
Satan is a great imitator of God. He is a counterfeiter. He has his own doctrines, which are contrary to God’s doctrines. Some or all of these doctrines are embraced by so-called Christian churches all over the world today.
The Word is not inspired
The Birth of Christ was not divine
The Morals of Christ are not absolute
The Miracles of Christ didn’t happen
The Way of Christ is not the only way
The Blood of Christ does not save
The Resurrection of Christ did not happen
The Return of Christ will not happen
Does your church teach any of the above doctrines?
Satan was the first to cast doubt on God’s Word. “Yea, hath God said…?” (Genesis 3:1). Does your church cast doubt on God's Word?
He was the first to deny God’s Word “…Ye shall not surely die.” (Genesis 3:4).Does your church deny God's Word?
Just as God has a plan for your life, Satan also has a plan for your life. He wants to destroy it. If you are lost, he wants you to stay that way so that you will share his fate in the pits of hell someday. If you are saved, he wants to make you an ineffective Christian. He wants to ruin your witness and your testimony.
How are we to combat Satan? Not by focusing on him, or trying to “cast him out” as some religious movements today teach. Scripture tells us exactly how to combat him. Turn from Satan and towards God.
“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you...” James 4:7-8
Be aware of your enemy.
thoughts from Ms.Green @ Monday, April 06, 2009
11 Comments:
With all due respect, you scare me! :) But, I respect your faith/belief system. It's a free world.
With all due respect, I'm not the one you should be afraid of. It's the spiritual enemy, in whose hands you belong at the moment.
I respect your right to deny it, but it saddens me greatly, because what I do know about you tells me you are a nice person with a sense of right and wrong, even though we differ on many things.
Satan is real. You don't have to believe in him for that to be so.
I hope I didn't offend you with my previous comments. I do apologize. I guess we disagree on certain things - but it doesn't give me the right to be sarcastic.
No problem, V. I wasn't offended.
We were discussing this topic last night in Bible Study. Interesting that you should post about it. Thank you, I know a lot of people do not want to address this topic.
Hi Syinly,
Thanks for stopping by. You are right. A lot of people do NOT want to talk about Satan. I had a Catholic priest tell me once that he had come to realize that Satan was just a metaphor for the evil within us all.
As long as people don't believe in him, he is much freer to work behind the scenes doing his damage.
There is a spiritual world, and many (even professing Christians) are quick to discount that fact.
If one believes in a holy, righteous and just God, then one must also believe in an unholy, unrighteous and unfair entity as well - otherwise, evil would have to come from God - and that would negate all the attributes that are attributed to him.
"For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." Ephesians 6:12
Hi. Just a Catholic passing by. I would just like to say that my Church teaches all of the above. And that priest does not speak for my whole religion. I have done enough investigation into exorcisms and the reality of demonic possession to know the reality of conscious evil. I also notice how almost unreal it is that so many follow what is so painfully obviously a lie. For instance, that intelligent people deny that a fetus is human is beyond comprehension unless you understand that the master of all lies is out sowing his seeds like never before. Or how about those in power in the UN trying to make universal abortion a human right? In college I've had liberal "Catholic" theologians try to tell me that Satan is just a metaphor, but I know better.
Hi Scott,
You are welcome here any time.
I'm glad you didn't buy in to the "metaphor" explanation. The priest who told me that was a Franciscan, and they tend to be more liberal - though they're extremely wonderful people to know, at least the ones I've known.
Evil and the Devil are religiously incorrect... you might say.
You could say all the same things about "evil". Some act as if it doesn't really exist in our world, or refuse to call it by name, or refuse to accept that it can manifest in seemingly benign ways. It can masquerade as goodness and light. We see this with those who defend homosexuality by presenting them as "some of the nicest people I know". Well, Satan isn't concerned with torture and pain and misery, though he may use all of those. He's only concerned with turning us from God. Whatever way he can.
Well, Satan isn't concerned with torture and pain and misery, though he may use all of those. He's only concerned with turning us from God. Whatever way he can.
And he's doing a pretty good job of it as of late. What a huge and horrible suprise many are in for on judgment day.
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