FORGET NONE OF HIS BENEFITS, volume 7, number 22, May 29, 2008
. . .do not give the devil an opportunity, Ephesians 4:27.
Staying Away From Diabolus
Recently two middle school boys, one at Sedgwick Middle School and the other at King Phillip Middle School in West Hartford committed suicide. What is at the root of such horror? No doubt many factors contributed to this but at the root, I suggest, is the devil. John 10:10 says the thief comes to kill, steal, and to destroy but the Lord Jesus came to give life, life more abundant. Do you believe in a personal devil? How does he work on you? What are you to do about it?
The passage mentioned above is a continuation of verse 26 where Paul is commanding the Ephesians to be angry but to not sin in their anger. He commands they not allow the sun to go down on their anger, that they keep short accounts, not allowing it to fester into bitterness which can bring anxiety and violence. From there he goes on to lay down another present tense, imperative mood verb- do not give the devil an opportunity. To give opportunity means to give the devil a foothold, a place from which he can bring havoc and destruction to your soul and mind. It’s like an enemy who invades a land, finally gaining access to a fortress from which he has a foothold to go about the countryside bringing destruction and misery to all in his path.
But what of this word devil? The Greek word is diabolus, from which we get our word diabolical. It is used in Matthew 4:1ff where Diabolus comes to Jesus after He has fasted for forty days, seeking to tempt Him to sin against His father in heaven. It is used the same way in Revelation 20:2, 10 when it speaks of an angel coming down from heaven, having the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand, and he laid hold of the Dragon, the Serpent of old, who is called the Devil (diabolus) and Satan. It speaks of Diabolus being cast into the lake of fire where the beast and the false prophet are. But diabolus is also used in I Timothy 3:11 when Paul speaks of women who are to be dignified and not diabolus (malicious gossips). Paul also uses diabolus in II Timothy 3:3 when speaking of men, in the last days, being lovers of themselves and malicious gossips (diabolus). And finally, in Titus 2:3, when speaking of how older women are to conduct themselves within the body of Christ, Paul tells Titus to make sure they are reverent, not malicious gossips (diabolus). In other words Diabolus is a slanderer, a deceiver, one who withholds the truth, one who blinds the minds of the unbelieving.
More practically, Diabolus is one who kills, steals, and destroys. He is a murderer and thief. In I Peter 5:8 we are instructed to be on guard against our adversary who is described as a roaring lion who roams about, seeking someone to devour. He loves nothing more than to seduce people into suicide that they may destroy themselves. And then he is called the Accuser of the Brethren in Revelation 12:10, one who loves to remind believers of their failures to love and honor Christ as they ought. So Paul is commanding the Ephesian believers to not give Diabolus a foothold in their lives for when this happens, destruction and misery are sure to follow. You are to do the same- stay away from Diabolus.
Okay, that begs a few questions, doesn’t it? What are the schemes or methods the devil uses and what are we to do about them? You can read thousands of pages on this in Thomas Brooks’ Precious Remedies Against Satan’s Devices, William Gurnall’s The Christian in Complete Armor, and Martyn Lloyd-Jones’ exposition of Ephesians 6:10ff in two volumes The Christian Warfare and The Christian Soldier. I will summarize four ways in which Diabolus comes after you. First, he loves to present the bait and hide the hook. He loves to make sin appealing, showing you the immediate pleasure you can gain from it, but failing to reveal the horror and enslaving consequences of taking the bait. Every person generally goes through four major stages of temptation in life. As children and young teens we tend to be tempted by friends. That’s why Proverbs gives such detail on warning us about bad friends who can lead us to destruction and misery. By our mid to late teens, however, our major temptation begins to shift to sexual issues. We are prone to succumb to sexual temptation, all of us from that age forward. Then by middle age, though sexual temptation can remain, the major object of temptation becomes money and wealth, believing that our self-worth comes, not necessarily from friends or sex, but from our display of wealth and outward success. And then finally, as one grows old, the temptation becomes leisure, wanting to spend your time and money on yourself, figuring you have paid your dues, and you have a right to take it easy.
Diabolus also likes to present God as only merciful. Of course, it is a wonderful truth that God is merciful, that He is filled with loving kindness and grace. But He is more than mercy. He is also justice, wrath, and holiness. He reproves and disciplines every son whom He receives. By presenting God in this way Diabolus hopes to convince you that you have nothing to fear in your sin. Third, Diabolus persuades you that repentance is very easy, that all you must do is simply say "I am sorry, please forgive me" and all will be well. However Diabolus does not tell you that repentance is a gift and you cannot presume upon God’s grace in granting you repentance. Esau sought it with tears. So did Judas, and neither received it. And fourth, Diabolus persuades you that you are too far gone in your sin, that you are hopeless, that you might as well give up your Christian confession, that God will never forgive you. How, my friend, is Diabolus working on you?
You need to remember what Diabolus cannot do. He is not God so he is not everywhere at once, he does not know everything, and he lacks all power. Rightly did Martin Luther call Diabolus the Lord’s devil. But Diabolus can tempt you to sin, and when you listen to him, he can accuse you before the Father, bringing you to a place of great misery. Finally he can render you ineffective in your walk with Christ, convincing you that you are a hypocrite and have no business trying to teach the Bible, work in your church, lead a small group, or witness to anyone. He convinces you that you are disqualified for ministry. How is Diabolus working on you?
What are you to do? You are to resist Diabolus and he will flee from you, James 4:7. How? You first submit to God, trusting Him as Lord and Savior. You daily ask the Holy Spirit for sanctifying grace and you put on the full armor of God, Ephesians 6:10ff. I urge you to read Lloyd-Jones’ exposition, noted earlier, for a masterful word on what this means and how to do it? How is Diabolus working on you?
FORGET NONE OF HIS BENEFITS is a weekly devotional by Reverend Al Baker, pastor of Christ Community Presbyterian Church in West Hartford, Connecticut.
If you would like to add your, or someone else’s, name to the list to receive this weekly devotional (or be removed from it), please contact us at admin@christcpc.org.