Short Essay on Satanology

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Updated: January 13, 2012

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Most people today commonly accept the concept of good vs. evil. This concept is known as Ethical Dualism, and is accredited to an ancient Persian religion called Zoroastrianism. Unfortunately the idea of two equal opposing forces locked in an eternal struggle for supremacy has been misapplied to Christianity, in the concept of God vs. Satan.

The Bible teaches that God is supreme. In Isaiah 44:6, God states that He is the first and the last, and besides Him there is no God. Again in Isaiah 45:5 God states: “I am the LORD, and there is no other; there is no God besides Me.” Beginning in Genesis, God is called “God Most High.” He is “the Creator of heaven and earth, and all that are in them.” God is supreme and the Creator of all things, Satan, His created being, cannot be His equal in person or opposition.

The Bible also teaches that Satan is a created angel, and inferior to God. According to Isaiah 14:12-17 and Ezekiel 28:12-15 we learn that Satan, originally named Lucifer or “Bearer of Light” was created by God as an anointed angel in the order of the cherubim, a special group of angels attached to the throne of God who guard the holiness of God. We read that Satan was “the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.” And according to the Genesis account of creation, everything that God created, including Satan, was originally good.

So how did Satan become evil if he wasn’t created evil? The answer is found in the following verses: “You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, till iniquity was found in you… for you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God… I will be like the Most High God.’” It impossible for God, who is Holy and good, and in whom there is no evil or shadow of turning, to create evil. Therefore it is reasonable to conclude that Satan, who was originally created by God as good, corrupted himself and become evil through his own choice in turning inward, away from God.

There are some who object to the verses found in Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28 as not referring to Satan, but only to the King of Babylon and the King of Tyre. This limited interpretation of the text does not account for the following statements. First, in Isaiah 14:12, God states that the person He is speaking of is Lucifer, and that he is fallen from heaven. It doesn’t make sense for God to make that statement about the King of Babylon, whose name was not Lucifer, and who had never been in heaven. Second, in Ezekiel 28:13, God states that the person He is speaking of was in Eden, was covered with every precious stone, and was the anointed cherub who covers, on the Holy mountain of God. Since it is impossible for God to lie, the person he is speaking of cannot simply be a human king, but the principality behind that king, Satan himself.

What I find encouraging in all this is that while Satan is a powerful and very cunning adversary to mankind, God is far superior to Satan in power, wisdom, and presence. Satan is a created being who has limited power, limited resources, limited knowledge, and can only be in one place at a time. In fact, we discover when reading the book of Job, that God has complete authority over Satan’s actions, and that Satan can’t do anything without God’s sovereign permission. So by faith in Jesus Christ, obedience to God and His Word, and by the indwelling Holy Spirit, Christians have ultimate victory over Satan and his followers.

Finally, based on what the Bible teaches about God’s supremacy and Satan’s inferiority, the idea of Ethical Dualism cannot apply to Biblical Christianity. God is and always has been the victor, and Satan’s futile attempts to overthrow God will be silenced once and for all when he, by the power of the victorious Lamb of God, Jesus Christ will be cast into the lake of fire along with all his companions and followers, never to be seen or heard from again.

Bibliography

Elwell, Walter A., Evangelical Dictionary of Theology. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House Company, 2001.
The Holy Bible, New King James Version. Thomas Nelson, Inc., 1982.
Towns, Elmer L., Theology for Today. Mason, Ohio: Cengage Learning, 2008.

Joyful Giving

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Updated: July 7, 2017

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In 1999 I was driving home from a business trip in Sacramento California. While I was driving, I was listening to a Bible study on a local radio station.

The topic was “Joyful giving.” The Pastor giving the study commented that when we give, God looks at the condition of our heart. Whatever we give, whether it’s our time, money, effort, or help, He desires for us to enjoy giving with the right attitude. God doesn’t want us to do things or to give with a bad attitude.

The word the Pastor kept using was “hilarious,” be a “hilarious” giver. I confessed to the LORD that I really didn’t understand what that meant. A few minutes later I realized I was hungry and decided to get off the highway and stop at Burger King.

As I pulled through the drive through and ordered, the LORD spoke to me. He told me to pay for the person behind me in the drive-thru. My heart started racing, and I was suddenly gripped with fear. “What, that’s crazy.” “What’s the guy gonna think?” “What’s the person in the drive-thru gonna think?”

“Who cares? Just do it and see what happens.”

So I did. When I got to the window to pay, I asked the clerk how much it was for the car behind me. The drive-thru clerk got a really puzzled look on her face and said “What??” Again I nervously asked how much it was for the person behind me and explained that I wanted to pay for their food.

She told me how much it was and I paid for both and gave her a Bible tract to give to the guy behind me. I got my food and left as quickly as possible. Without looking back, I quickly got back on the highway going home. After a few minutes I settled down, and it hit me what just happened. I began to laugh out loud. “That was awesome. I wonder what happened when that guy got to the window and found out that his food was already paid for!” “What’s he gonna do, refuse it? No way!”

It was hilarious. A random act of kindness for someone else when they least expected it. For a total stranger! Ha ha!

It’s what Jesus does for people all the time.

To this day, at random when I go through a drive-thru to get something to eat, the LORD will remind me of that day, I’ll laugh and buy the food for the car behind me (sometimes 2 or 3 if I have the money), leave a few Bible tracts, and leave without fanfare.

How has the LORD taught you about being a joyful giver?

Out With The Old In With The New

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Posted: January 3, 2012

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Our Sin nature (being born spiritually disconnected from God and in rebellion to Him and predisposed to disobey) is passed on from Adam through every male to all humankind. According to God’s Word it’s because Adam was not deceived when he consciously disobeyed God’s 1st command not to eat the fruit of the knowledge of good & evil as Eve was. That act brought the curse of rebellion & death on all mankind and put us all at enmity with God.

Since there can’t be any human being without a father’s DNA, all humans from Adam on are born with this nature, except for Jesus who was formed in Mary’s womb by the Holy Spirit, making Him a human man without our Sin nature. That did not mean that He couldn’t sin though. Like Adam before he chose to disobey, Jesus could freely choose to obey or disobey, and He chose to always obey the Father even to the point of death on the cross as a willing sacrifice, hence He was sinless by choice. Through that sinless death He was able to do what Adam should have done for Eve, but didn’t.

When Jesus willingly sacrificed Himself, he fulfilled the law of God’s just nature and not only freed all of us from our Sin nature, he also overcame death in order for us all, through faith in Him, to be able to receive both His righteousness and His eternal life. These are imparted to each person when they repent of their rebellion against God and accept Jesus Christ and are born of God’s Holy Spirit, giving us a new nature – God’s Holy nature, so we are now able to choose day by day to be obedient like Jesus, or disobedient like Adam.

Jesus the God|Man

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Updated: April 13, 2011

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While there are some that believe that Jesus was a great teacher, a good man, and even a prophet of God, to deny that Jesus is God is in direction opposition to what the Bible teaches. It is also in direct opposition to what the Lord Jesus Christ claimed about himself, and proved through his actions during his earthly ministry, his death, and his resurrection. If Jesus was just a man and not God, as some would argue, then he would not have the power to save sinners from the just judgment of God, and there would be no hope for salvation for anyone.

To understand the biblical basis for Jesus humanity and deity, we must first understand that the Bible itself is the inspired Word of God, inerrant, and authoritative in what it proclaims. In 2 Timothy 3:16 it is written “all Scripture is given by inspiration of God,” which means that God breathed His Holy Spirit into the words of the Bible, making it living and active. He also inspired who would write it, incorporating even their personalities and writing style, including the punctuation used. Since God is ultimately the author of the bible and it is impossible for Him to lie, the things that the Bible teaches us about Jesus are absolutely true, without error, and worthy for us to accept and put our faith in for our salvation, and for a right relationship with God.

The Bible teaches us that Jesus was 100 percent God and 100 percent man at the same time. In Christianity, we refer to this as Jesus being the God-man. Concerning his humanity, Jesus often referred to himself as the Son of Man. He was not only fully human, but also the Jewish Messiah, and the second Adam, representing human race before God. As a man he was subject to temptation, weakness, pain and suffering, and was limited to being in one place at a time. However, Jesus was not any ordinary man. According to the Gospel of John chapter 1, Jesus was God who became flesh and dwelt among us. In order for Him to be able to redeem us from the just penalty of our sin, he had to be sinless. According to Hebrews 4:15, Jesus can relate to our weakness and give us victory over temptation because “he was tempted in every way that we are, yet without sin.” By subjecting himself completely to the will of God the Father in humility, the man Christ Jesus demonstrated to us the perfect example of what a person should be when governed by the Holy Spirit of God.

Concerning his deity, the Bible teaches that Jesus is the Son of God, fully equal in nature with his Father. Jesus’ deity was proclaimed by Jesus himself in the seven “I am” statements referred to in John’s gospel, and in his claim to pre-existence to the Jews when he said “before Abraham was, I am.” Jesus’ deity is proven through the testimony of God himself when He stated: “You are my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased,” and through the very works that Jesus did. As God, Jesus had the authority to forgive sin, which he demonstrated in the life of the woman caught in adultery, the paralytic man, and the woman at the well. Jesus had power over his creation, which demonstrated by calming the storm on the lake and walking on water. Jesus had power over illness, which he demonstrated by giving sight to the blind, giving hearing to the deaf, making the lame walk again, and healing incurable leprosy. As God, demons were completely subject to his authority. And finally, Jesus had power over death, which he demonstrated by raising Jairus’ daughter, the widow’s son, Lazarus, and even himself from the dead.

Jesus stated that “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever would believe on him would not perish but have everlasting life.” For this salvation to be possible, and available to every human being, Jesus had to be both God and man. God’s holy and just nature demands perfect obedience in order to maintain a right relationship with Him. Any disobedience requires just judgment and atonement. If we as sinners try to atone for our own disobedience, the result is eternal separation from God in eternal punishment. Therefore, our only hope for salvation is for a perfect and sinless human being to be our substitute and suffer the penalty of death on our behalf. Since every human being is a descendant of Adam and born a sinner, our only hope for salvation is for God himself to become a sinless human being and as a prefect representative for the entire human race, suffer and die as our substitute in order to pay the price once and for all for our disobedience to God. That is exactly what Jesus did, and the reason that each person who puts and keeps their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ has the assurance from God that their sins are forgiven, their relationship with Him is restored, and their salvation is complete.

Bibliography
———–

Elwell, Walter A. Evangelical Dictionary of Theology. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House Company, 2001.

The Holy Bible, New King James Version. Thomas Nelson, Inc., 1982

Towns, Elmer L. Theology for Today. Mason, Ohio: Cengage Learning, 2008

Pneumatology: The Gifts of the Spirit

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Posted: April 13, 2011

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When God works through man to accomplish His will, He adheres to a consistent principle which is recorded for us by the prophet Zechariah as spoken to Zerubbabel, when God commissioned him to complete the seemingly impossible task of rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem. That principle is: “not by power, nor by might, but by my Spirit, ‘says the LORD of hosts.’”

Christ Jesus our Lord is the perfect example of this principle, and the perfect pattern for us to follow. Jesus, being completely God chose to veil his glory, and limit himself as a man. As a man, he submitted himself to the leading of the Holy Spirit to accomplish God the Father’s will. This is recorded for us at his baptism. Upon coming up out of the water, the Holy Spirit descended upon him and remained with him. He was then led by the Spirit to be tested. Having overcome every temptation by Satan, he returned in the power of the Holy Spirit to do the work that God the Father had prepared for him to do. Nearing the conclusion of his earthly ministry, he prepared his disciples for his bodily departure, and commissioned them to continue the work of preaching the gospel, making disciples, and instructing and strengthening all those who would come to faith in him until his bodily return.

Jesus instructed his disciples on how this would be accomplished, as recorded in the Gospel of John chapter 14 and Acts chapter 1. “I will pray the Father, and He will give you another helper, that he may abide with you forever – the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him; but you know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you…you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses of me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” He also promised: “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to my Father.”

In these statements, Jesus outlines the work of the Holy Spirit. First, the Holy Spirit “dwells with” people, convicting us of sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16:8). Second, when a person repents and believes on the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation, the Holy Spirit comes “in” a person, and seals them as a guarantee of their inheritance. Jesus referred to this as being “born again” and “born of the Spirit.” When the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in a person, he imparts spiritual gifts to them in order for the person to accomplish what God has prepared for them to do as part of His ongoing work of redemption and restoration in the lives of people. The Holy Spirit also begins to produce fruit in the person’s life, the greatest of which is God’s love. Finally, the Holy Spirit comes “upon” a person, empowering them to be a witness of Christ Jesus. This is sometimes called the “Baptism of the Holy Spirit.” The Scriptures also refer to this as being “filled” with the Holy Spirit. While some people think that this is a one-time occurrence, the Bible teaches us in Acts 2:4, Acts 4:8, Acts 4:31, Acts 9:17, Acts 13:9, Acts 13:52, and Ephesians 5:18 that this is something that can occur multiple times, and that should be ongoing.

In 1 Corinthians 12 we learn that there are many members within the body of Christ, and although we have the same Holy Spirit, God has chosen to distribute various gifts, ministries, and activities to each person according to His will. One of the more controversial gifts is the gift of speaking in tongues. According to 1 Corinthians 13:1 there are tongues of men and tongues of angels. On the day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples, they “spoke with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.” This exercise of the gift of tongues seems to be the tongues of men, since we further read that the Jews that were gathered in Jerusalem for the feast of Pentecost were “from every nation under heaven,” and they heard the disciples speak “everyone in their own language.” We see this again when Peter preaches the gospel to the Gentile Cornelius and his household. Unfortunately, the gift of speaking in tongues has become controversial because rather than being properly exercised as a “sign to unbelievers,” some have put undue emphasis on it, and use it to cause division rather than edification within the church. However, Paul, in writing the letter to the Corinthians and instructing them on these things imparts godly wisdom concerning the spiritual gifts. He exhorts believers to “pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy.” Paul puts the emphasis on love, and the speaking of God’s Word, rather than on speaking in tongues. His argument is that love and prophesying edify, exhort, and comfort others as well as the church. Speaking in tongues only edifies the person speaking, and can even cause problems when not exercised properly within the church.

Finally, concerning the question of whether some of the gifts of the Holy Spirit have ceased, I suggest the answer is no for three reasons. First, God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and what the Holy Spirit inspired the writers of the New Testament to write for the instruction of the church is as valid today as it was during the early church. Second, I myself have seen the proper exercise of many of the gifts of the Holy Spirit among believers in Bible teaching churches, including the gift of tongues and interpretation, the gift of healing, the discerning of spirits, and especially the gift of prophesying (both forth telling of God’s Word, and foretelling of future events.) And finally, until the church is called up into heaven to be with the Lord Jesus Christ prior to His bodily return to establish His kingdom on earth, the Holy Spirit will continue to work in the lives of every believer through the distribution of spiritual gifts, ministries, and activities “till we all come to the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.”

Bibliography
———–
Elwell, Walter A., Evangelical Dictionary of Theology. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House Company, 2001.

Smith, Chuck, Living Water. Santa Ana, CA: The Word for Today, 1996, 2001, 2007.

The Holy Bible, New King James Version. Thomas Nelson, Inc., 1982.

Towns, Elmer L., Theology for Today. Mason, Ohio: Cengage Learning, 2008.

The Holy Spirit Pt. 4 – He is God

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Updated: September 22, 2014

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“And I will pray the Father and He will give you another Helper, that He may remain with you forever, the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.”

Continuing our study series on the Holy Spirit: His Person, Purpose, & Power.

In this session we look at the Holy Spirit as God: Eternal, Omniscient, Omnipotent, and Omnipresent.

Each study is recorded and can be viewed by clicking on the video to the right under My Videos or following this link: http://vimeo.com/disciplefish

Bibliography
—————

Smith, Chuck. Living Water: The Power of the Holy Spirit in Your Life. Eugene, Or.: Harvest House, 1996. Print.

The Holy Spirit – Part 3: He is a Person

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Updated: September 22, 2014

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“And I will pray the Father and He will give you another Helper, that He may remain with you forever, the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.”

Continuing our study series on the Holy Spirit: His Person, Purpose, & Power.

In this session we look at the Holy Spirit as a person, with a will, intelligence, and emotions.

Each study is recorded and can be viewed by clicking on the video to the right under My Videos or following this link: http://vimeo.com/disciplefish

Bibliography
—————

Smith, Chuck. Living Water: The Power of the Holy Spirit in Your Life. Eugene, Or.: Harvest House, 1996. Print.

Father’s Day From God’s Perspective

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Posted: June 21, 2010

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Father’s Day – from God’s perspective

A few years ago, the LORD woke me up early to teach me something very profound from His perspective about being a father.

I had gone downstairs and sat on the floor, leaning on the couch.  Thoughts and worries raced through my mind as I confessed to the LORD that I was tired and needed His help to stay awake.

Gently I heard Him ask me to sit up on the couch with Him.  I did.  He then began to repeat a Scripture verse to me.  “You are my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased.”  Over and over again.

My thoughts sounded something like this: “Okay LORD, what do you want me to learn from this verse?  This is what you said when your Son, Jesus was baptized by John in the Jordan in order to fulfill all righteousness…”

He repeated “You are my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased.”

Finally it began to sink in.  God was telling me personally, “you are my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased.”

You see, I had an identity crisis, and God needed to fix it.  I “knew” that by the blood of Jesus Christ my sins had been forgiven, and had been taught (and even repeated to others) that by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we are made children of God, and that God sees us as He sees His own son.   But God was revealing to me that I didn’t completely believe that God really does think of me the way He thinks of Jesus, because I am in Christ and He is in me.

“You are my beloved son in whom I am well pleased.”  But what about all the mistakes and fail… “You are my beloved son in whom I am well pleased.”

I let down my defenses and began to accept what God was saying.  I am His beloved son in whom He is well pleased.  Not because of anything I have done.  But because of what He has done, and because of what Jesus has done.

I am beloved by God.  I am a son of God.  I am loved by God completely.  God is pleased with me.  God   is    pleased    with    me.   Ahhh, my soul began to rejoice and I was filled to overflowing with joy inexpressible.   My life’s worry has always been that I would do something displeasing to the LORD and would wreck our relationship (just as I thought I had done so many times before.)

God wanted me to know and believe without any doubting that I belong to Him, that I’m His son, and that He is pleased with me.

Once He established that, He asked me another question.  One I’ve never heard or considered, and have never been taught by any man.

“What is a father’s greatest glory?”

I pondered the question.  I am a father, and I’ve never really thought about that.  The answer is so simple, but so profound.

“A father’s greatest glory is to have children.
A father’s greatest glory is to raise those children in love, and bring them to maturity so that they are a reflection of their father in love and righteousness.
A father’s greatest glory is for his children to grow up and become not only his children, but his most trusted friends.  With a friendship that is closer and more special than any other friendship they have.  Friends who are entrusted by him with his most precious treasures. Not to hoard for themselves, but to share with others as he has shared with them.  Friends who will take what they have learned from Him and pass it on to others.”

That is why God has chosen to present Himself as God the Father, and God the Son.  As God’s children, born again through faith in Jesus Christ’s death & resurrection, we are meant to be His greatest glory.  Meant to grow to maturity in our relationship with Him.  Meant to be His close friends.  Meant to be entrusted with every spiritual gift in the heavenly places.  And meant to share those gifts, and what we learn from Him with others, so that they may become children of God as well.

John 1:12 – But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name

Romans 8:16 – The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.

1 John 3:1 – Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of God…

1 John 3:2 – Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.

The Holy Spirit – Part 2: The Mystery of the Trinity

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Updated: September 22, 2014

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“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea & Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Continuing our study series on the Holy Spirit: His Person, Purpose, & Power.

In this session we look at:
– The root words used for the Holy Spirit in the Bible
– The “mystery” of the Trinity, which includes the Holy Spirit

Each study is recorded and can be viewed by clicking on the video to the right under My Videos or following this link: http://vimeo.com/disciplefish

Bibliography
—————

Smith, Chuck. Living Water: The Power of the Holy Spirit in Your Life. Eugene, Or.: Harvest House, 1996. Print.

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