Satan and His Gospel by Arthur W. Pink

Author:Arthur W. Pink
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: Chapel Library
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

5. The Work of Satan

Having dwelt at some length on the person of Satan and the position he has occupied both before and since his fall, we turn now to a consideration of his work. The apostle declared “we are not ignorant of his devices” (2Co 2:11). Not only does God’s Word throw much light upon the nature and character of the devil, but it also informs us concerning his work and the methods he employs in the prosecution of it. We have already seen that the popular ideas of the masses in regard to the person of Satan are utterly erroneous and misleading, and still more is this the case respecting his work. The general belief is that Satan is responsible for all the wickedness which pertains to the moral sphere (thus does man seek to shift the burden of responsibility from off his own shoulders), that he tempts men to sins of theft, drunkenness, vice, etc., whereas the Scripture of truth reveals to us the fact that his energies are chiefly confined to the spiritual realm.

Now it is a law of scriptural interpretation that the first mention of anything in God’s Word hints at and forecasts much of what is subsequently developed. An illustration of this principle is seen in connection with Satan. The first time he is brought before us in Holy Writ his true character is unveiled, the sphere in which he works is clearly revealed, and the methods he employs are expressly set forth. His subtlety is indicated in that he used a serpent through which to approach our first parents; his cowardice in that he assaulted the woman rather than the man; his evil nature in that he lied to her and sought her ruin; his character of tempter in that he captured his victim by means of an attractive bait (“Ye shall be as gods”); his sphere of operations in that he incited Eve to commit not a moral but a spiritual sin—transgression of God’s command; his real object of attack—God’s Word: “Yea, hath God said?”

In the sentence which God pronounced upon that old serpent the devil, Satan’s purpose and program is definitely revealed—“And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shall bruise his heel” (Gen 3:15). There is much in this remarkable announcement which calls for study and comment, but for our present purpose we limit ourselves to one declaration—“Enmity...between thy seed and her seed.” We are here informed that the woman’s “Seed”—the Lord Jesus Christ—is to be the object of Satan’s unrelenting hatred. This reveals to us in a word the age-long work in which Satan has been engaged. Ever since this first Messianic prediction was uttered in Eden, Satan has been the enemy of the woman’s Seed. The Person and Work of the Lord Jesus have been the objects of his attack. His methods of opposition have followed two lines, namely, first a work of anticipation, and second a work of imitation, and these we shall now consider at some length.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.