The Bible speaks a lot about this evil being. His Hebrew name is Satan en his Greek name is ‘diabolos’ from which comes our word ‘devil’. The meaning of these names are “enemy” or “adversary”. Indeed, he is the opponent of God and the enemy of man. He wants to separate man from God and destroy the image of God in man (see meditation 18).
Jesus says about him: “He was a murderer from the beginning and has always hated the truth. There is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44).
Furthermore, in John 12:31 Jesus calls Satan “the ruler (or: prince) of this world.”
The apostle Paul calls Satan ‘the god of this evil world’ when he says to the Christians in the Greek town of Corinth: “Satan, the god of this evil world, has blinded the minds of those who don't believe, so they are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News that is shining upon them. They don't understand the message we preach about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God” (2 Corinthians 4:4).
To the followers of Jesus in Ephesus the apostle Paul refers to Satan as ‘the mighty prince (or: ruler) of the power of the air’ when he says: “Once you were dead, doomed forever because of your many sins. You used to live just like the rest of the world, full of sin, obeying Satan, the mighty prince of the power of the air. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God” (Ephesians 2:1-2).
Moreover, the apostle Paul explains that Satan has an army of evil spirits at his side. Those who want to follow Jesus Christ face a constant battle with evil powers: “We are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against those mighty powers of darkness who rule this world, and against wicked spirits in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 6:12).
The apostle Paul exposes the evil strategies Satan might use in his attempt to entice people: “Satan can disguise himself as an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14).
That’s why the apostle Peter warns those who want to follow Jesus: “Be careful! Watch out for attacks from the Devil, your great enemy. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for some victim to devour” (1 Peter 5:8).
The apostle John reminds us of Satan’s enticement of Adam and Eve when he speaks of Satan as ‘the ancient serpent’: “This great dragon-- the ancient serpent called the Devil, or Satan, the one deceiving the whole world...” (Revelation 12:9).
As we read in the Bible about the immense control Satan and his evil spirits have over human hearts and over our world, one wonders how we ever can break free from that confinement of darkness.
When Jesus Christ calls Paul to be his messenger to the nations, he says: “I am going to send you to the nations, to open their eyes so they may turn from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God. Then they will receive forgiveness for their sins...” (Acts 26:17-18).
In the ‘Epistle to the Hebrews’ we read how the power of Satan was broken: “Jesus ... became flesh and blood by being born in human form. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the Devil, who had the power of death” (Hebrews 2:14).
The apostle John explains why Jesus Christ came into our world: “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work” (1 John 3:8).
So, if Satan is the great evildoer in our world, can we simply blame him for all our wrongdoings?
All Bible verses are quoted from the ‘New Living Translation’, except 1 John 3:8 (‘New International Version’) .
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Saturday, June 12, 2010
19. INTERRUPTION (b) - WE ARE REBELS, RESISTING GOD’S AUTHORITY !
The first book of the Bible tells us that God was pleased with the way he had made his creation, including man: “Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was excellent in every way” (Genesis 1:31).
The apostle Paul explains further: “From one man (i.e. Adam) he created all the nations throughout the whole earth” (Acts 17:26).
Genesis continues to recount the story of the start of man’s rebellion against God. It begins with the way Satan - in the appearance of a serpent - questions God’s trustworthiness: “Now the serpent was the shrewdest of all the creatures the LORD God had made. ‘Really?’ he asked the woman (i.e. Eve, Adam's wife). ‘Did God really say you must not eat any of the fruit in the garden?’” (Genesis 3:1).
From Eve’s answer it is clear that she knew what God had said: “‘Of course we may eat it,’ the woman told him. ‘It's only the fruit from the tree at the center of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God says we must not eat it or even touch it, or we will die’” (Genesis 3:2).
Next Satan starts to denounce God as a liar and adversary in an attempt to destroy the personal and loving relationship between man and God: “‘You won't die!’ the serpent hissed. ‘God knows that your eyes will be opened when you eat it...’” (Genesis 3:4-5).
Then Satan tries to set man up against God. He seduces man with the enticement to become a ‘god’ himself: “You will become just like God, knowing everything, both good and evil” (Genesis 3:5).
We continue to read that man yielded to Satan’s temptation to become an autonomous being, a ‘god’ in his own right. In doing so man, changed his allegiance: he put himself under Satan’s dominance and became a rebel, resisting God’s authority.
Consequently, man could not remain in God’s pure and holy presence anymore. The personal and intimate relationship between God and man was dead. His pure and true love for God (“with all his heart, all his soul, and all his mind”) was gone.
The apostle Paul elucidates this story when he says: “When Adam sinned, sin entered the entire human race. Adam's sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned" (Romans 5:12).
Yet, Genesis tells us also that God continues to love us in spite of our rebellion; he had already promised Adam and Eve a future mediator who would rescue man from the dominion of Satan, darkness and death.
The apostle John explains: “He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work” (1 John 3:8).
The apostle Paul points to the salvation of our rebellious heart and to the liberation from Satan’s domination, when he jubilates: “He (i.e. God) has rescued us from the one who rules in the kingdom of darkness, and he has brought us into the Kingdom of his dear Son” (Colossians 1:13). That is a transformation which all true followers of Jesus have experienced.
So, who is Satan or the devil? Does he really exist? Next time we will see what the Bible tells us about him.
All Bible verses are quoted from the ‘New Living Translation’, except 1 John 3:8 (‘New International Version’).
The apostle Paul explains further: “From one man (i.e. Adam) he created all the nations throughout the whole earth” (Acts 17:26).
Genesis continues to recount the story of the start of man’s rebellion against God. It begins with the way Satan - in the appearance of a serpent - questions God’s trustworthiness: “Now the serpent was the shrewdest of all the creatures the LORD God had made. ‘Really?’ he asked the woman (i.e. Eve, Adam's wife). ‘Did God really say you must not eat any of the fruit in the garden?’” (Genesis 3:1).
From Eve’s answer it is clear that she knew what God had said: “‘Of course we may eat it,’ the woman told him. ‘It's only the fruit from the tree at the center of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God says we must not eat it or even touch it, or we will die’” (Genesis 3:2).
Next Satan starts to denounce God as a liar and adversary in an attempt to destroy the personal and loving relationship between man and God: “‘You won't die!’ the serpent hissed. ‘God knows that your eyes will be opened when you eat it...’” (Genesis 3:4-5).
Then Satan tries to set man up against God. He seduces man with the enticement to become a ‘god’ himself: “You will become just like God, knowing everything, both good and evil” (Genesis 3:5).
We continue to read that man yielded to Satan’s temptation to become an autonomous being, a ‘god’ in his own right. In doing so man, changed his allegiance: he put himself under Satan’s dominance and became a rebel, resisting God’s authority.
Consequently, man could not remain in God’s pure and holy presence anymore. The personal and intimate relationship between God and man was dead. His pure and true love for God (“with all his heart, all his soul, and all his mind”) was gone.
The apostle Paul elucidates this story when he says: “When Adam sinned, sin entered the entire human race. Adam's sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned" (Romans 5:12).
Yet, Genesis tells us also that God continues to love us in spite of our rebellion; he had already promised Adam and Eve a future mediator who would rescue man from the dominion of Satan, darkness and death.
The apostle John explains: “He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work” (1 John 3:8).
The apostle Paul points to the salvation of our rebellious heart and to the liberation from Satan’s domination, when he jubilates: “He (i.e. God) has rescued us from the one who rules in the kingdom of darkness, and he has brought us into the Kingdom of his dear Son” (Colossians 1:13). That is a transformation which all true followers of Jesus have experienced.
So, who is Satan or the devil? Does he really exist? Next time we will see what the Bible tells us about him.
All Bible verses are quoted from the ‘New Living Translation’, except 1 John 3:8 (‘New International Version’).
Friday, June 4, 2010
18. INTERRUPTION (a) -- WE ARE MADE IN JESUS’ IMAGE !
Before we ask ourselves the question if we can live a perfect ‘life of love’ like Jesus did, we must see what the Bible says about the origin of man.
In the first book of the Bible, Genesis 1:26-27 we read: “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, in our likeness...’ So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them” (Genesis 1:26-27).
God created man in his own image so that we could have a direct relationship with him, but we were not created as divine beings. In Genesis 2:7 we read: “The LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being” (Genesis 2:7).
We just read in Genesis 1:26: “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, in our likeness...” The One God expresses himself here in the plural. That means that man originally was created in the image of God the Father, God the Son, Jesus Christ, and God the Holy Spirit.
The apostle Paul explains: “Christ is the one through whom God created everything in heaven and earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can't see … Everything has been created through him and for him. He existed before everything else began, and he holds all creation together.”
(Colossians 1:16-17)
(About Jesus Christ as the Son of God see Meditations 2 and 3).
So, if we are created in the image and likeness of God the Son, Jesus Christ, why don’t we live such a perfect ‘life of love’ as Jesus did? Let’s think about that question next week.
All Bible verses are quoted from the ‘New International Version’ except Colossians 1:16-17 (‘New Living Translation’).
In the first book of the Bible, Genesis 1:26-27 we read: “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, in our likeness...’ So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them” (Genesis 1:26-27).
God created man in his own image so that we could have a direct relationship with him, but we were not created as divine beings. In Genesis 2:7 we read: “The LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being” (Genesis 2:7).
We just read in Genesis 1:26: “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, in our likeness...” The One God expresses himself here in the plural. That means that man originally was created in the image of God the Father, God the Son, Jesus Christ, and God the Holy Spirit.
The apostle Paul explains: “Christ is the one through whom God created everything in heaven and earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can't see … Everything has been created through him and for him. He existed before everything else began, and he holds all creation together.”
(Colossians 1:16-17)
(About Jesus Christ as the Son of God see Meditations 2 and 3).
So, if we are created in the image and likeness of God the Son, Jesus Christ, why don’t we live such a perfect ‘life of love’ as Jesus did? Let’s think about that question next week.
All Bible verses are quoted from the ‘New International Version’ except Colossians 1:16-17 (‘New Living Translation’).
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