Q of the Day: If Satan knows he's defeated, why does he keep trying?

First, open the following link in a new window to get to Luke 4 - click here.

Second, read Luke 4:1-13.

Third, answer the following question: If Satan knows he's defeated, why does he keep trying?

So Where Does the Desire to Sin Come From?

We asked this question last week and invited you to respond. There were several brave souls who pondered aloud, with not a few differences in opinions. See last week's post and see the comments (either on my "Notes" in Facebook or on http://colbykinser.blogspot.com).

Many noted that God created us with the freedom to choose. Certainly, without the freedom to choose, then our glorification of God is empty, the praise of mere automatons. But with the freedom to choose also comes the ability to sin - the ability to do something against God's will. Without freedom to choose, sin is impossible. True, but freedom to choose brings the ability to sin, not necessarily the desire to sin. Freedom does not explain the origin of the desire to sin.

Also, many noted that the desire to sin came from the desire to be independent from God or to be equal to God. These are, in fact, root issues with sin. Certainly, if we did not desire to be independent from God, a vast majority of sin would never occur (if not all of it - just playing it cautious, here). But this does not explain the origin of the desire to sin - it merely describes it in more detail. The desire to be independent from God is itself the desire to sin, so we can't explain the origin of something by describing it in better detail. Where did the original desire come from?

One mentioned a lust for power, which is similar to a desire to be independent from God. Likewise, it describes sin, but doesn't describe it's origin.

Another argued that man invented sin - that it does not exist as an objective reality, but is merely culturally defined. However, I have asked this particular contributor a number of times to answer the question, "It is always wrong to torture babies for fun?" To date, that contributor has not answered this question. I find it untenable to suggest that this particular example is only sinful if a particular society says so (as if any society ever agreed on right and wrong in the first place).

A few noted the very human habit of wanting something merely because it is forbidden. That is certainly the case with us today, in many cases. But I'm not sure that this is a universal attribute of humanity, and it's also not clear if that was a factor in Eden. Yes, Eve wanted the fruit, but it's not necessarily the case that she wanted it because it was forbidden. So, this remains a viable answer, but hard to establish definitively.

A tandem team offered the idea that the desire to sin comes from a longing for God. This is most intriguing - explaining sin by means of the goodness of creation. This would mean that man was created without sin and without a pure desire to sin. Rather, he was, as Scripture states, created pure and uniquely fashioned in the image of God. That imago Dei (image of God) makes us uniquely capable of a relationship with God and uniquely capable of worshiping Him (we are the only creatures to have theology and doxology, which I cannot fully attribute to mere higher brain function). We were created with a unique capacity and longing for God. We are also uniquely capable of sin. Is there a connection?

It has been argued, and I tend to agree, that all sin can be boiled down to fulfilling God-given desires with God-forbidden means. For example, the sin of acting on one's lust is a misguided effort to fulfill the God-given need for love and companionship. The sin of theft is a misguided attempt to fill the need for the security that is only really found in God. Is it possible, then, that the desire to sin originates from a godly desire, and more specifically, a desire for God?

Eve wanted good things: food, attractive things, and wisdom. That was her desire, and they were godly things to desire. However, she was deceived into pursuing them in ways God had forbidden. Her desire was not a desire to defy God or drive Him away. But she pursued her longing for God in a way that He had prescribed against.

And let's not let Adam off the hook - it's not all Eve's fault. Romans 5 gives the blame to Adam, not Eve, because of his failure in his duties as husband (which is an entirely different topic, discussed in earlier posts).

And it all went downhill from there. Once Man had fallen, his desires fell, too. Now, his desires were as vandalized as the imago Dei he bore. Now the desire to sin would be inherent - human desire was corrupt (except for the Sinless One, who bore human flesh but was without sin).

But, you might observe that Satan fell before Man. How do we explain his desire to sin? We do not have any real, detailed description of these events (despite our over-reliance on Dante for theology). So, we can't really know, but I would venture a guess that we would find a similar origin.

Now ... this is my opinion. Please don't take this as indisputable theology. Actually, once the question came up, I've been shocked by the fact that I've yet to find any scholarly work on this particular question. It may be out there, and I've not spent a lot of time hunting, but it's not readily available in the standard works I refer to. But short of saying that the desire to sin preceded the Fall, which would conflict with all kinds of orthodox doctrine, this is about the only way that I've seen that makes any sense.

Feel free to comment, disagree, propose alternate theories. It's an interesting question, in my opinion. (I would be particularly curious to hear what the tandem team has to say - does this summarize what you were thinking, or does your point go in a different direction?)

Spiritual Warfare

In our Wednesday night study, the youth have been discussing the reality of spiritual warfare - that the spiritual world is real, and that there is a real battle being waged there ... a battle that includes us! There are several important observations about spiritual warfare that we can all benefit from (using Systematic Theology by Wayne Grudem and Know Your Enemy by Michael Youssef):

The reality of the spiritual battle

• Not all evil from Satan and demons. Some of it is, but not all. Our flesh gets some of the blame, too. Which means that we can't just blame everything on demonic activity. Sometimes, it's not the devil that made you do it!

• The nature of the battle is ultimately about the Gospel (cf. Act 13.8-11; 16.16-18). The battle is over the Gospel itself - it's truth, it's impact on our lives, and it's advance. As we talk about becoming more missional, we necessarily engage more in the spiritual battle.
  

• We are always undergoing spiritual warfare. It may be subtle, but the battle never rests. When we rest, then the enemy gains the advantage.
  

• Christians cannot become demon-possessed (as far as my research reveals). But, we can still be influenced by them.
  

• The demons key activities are: to tempt, to deceive, and to inflict. We must be alert to all three, and defend against all three.
  

• Seven-point profile of the enemy (according to Youssef):
  

1. The enemy believes in questioning authority (his fall, the Fall, abortion, views on the Bible / church etc.)

2. The enemy goes to church!

3. The enemy wants to meet your needs (self-centeredness)

4. The enemy is a supreme forger (he won’t necessarily look evil)

5. The enemy detests the down-and-out (i.e. they have needs and know it)

6. The enemy disguises falsehood with truth (e.g. business, personal life, dating, giving to your church)

7. The enemy never attacks from the front (“acceptable sins”, like gossip, critical spirit, unforgiveness, etc.)

How to engage in the battle

• We have been given authority to rebuke demons (Jm 4.7; 1 Pe 5.8-9)

• But our real authority over demons is the cross (Heb 2.14; Col 2.15; Rev 12.11; 1 Jn 4.4; Php 1.28; 2 Cor 10.4)

• Speaking directly to demons can be more effective, but we don't want to become too fascinated with them or focused on them.
  

• God has given us plenty of weapons (Eph 6.10-20; see also 2 Cor 10.3-4).
  6:10 Finally, be strengthened in the Lord and in the strength of his power.6:11 Clothe yourselves with the full armor of God so that you may be able to stand against the schemes ²¹ of the devil.6:12 For our struggle ²² is not against flesh and blood, ²³ but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world rulers of this darkness, ²⁴ against the spiritual forces ²⁵ of evil in the heavens. ²⁶ 6:13 For this reason, take up the full armor of God so that you may be able to stand your ground ²⁷ on the evil day, and having done everything, to stand. 6:14 Stand firm therefore, by fastening ²⁸ the belt of truth around your waist, ²⁹ by putting on the breastplate of righteousness, 6:15 by fitting your ³⁰ feet with the preparation that comes from the good news ³¹ of peace, ³² 6:16 and in all of this, ³³ by taking up the shield ³⁴ of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation ³⁵ and the sword ³⁶ of the Spirit, which is the word of God.6:18 With every prayer and petition, pray ³⁷ at all times in the Spirit, and to this end ³⁸ be alert, with all perseverance and requests for all the saints. 6:19 Pray ³⁹ for me also, that I may be given the message when I begin to speak ⁴⁰ – that I may confidently make known ⁴¹ the mystery of the gospel, 6:20 for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may be able to speak boldly as I ought to speak.

• Seven-point strategy against the enemy (according to Youssef):
  

Remember: The victory is ours.


The secret of Masada: Lay down your life (Jm 4.7; Rom 6.13-14). Take up your cross daily and experience death to self. The enemy has no defense against that.


Lock the doors each morning. Pray each morning.


Put on the battle gear. Understand the passage from Ephesians 6 and put it into practice.


Praise the Lord (demons can’t stand that).

If in a conflict, pray for the other person (by name, in humility).

Start thinking of heaven (turn your attention away from things like anger and toward the things of eternity).

One thing Satan would love would be for us to ignore the spiritual battle entirely. He would love for us to ignore the reality of the battle - to think ourselves too "scientific" for such things. But if he can't get us to ignore him, his second strategy would be to make us inordinately interested in him. The most effective response for us is to be fully aware of his methods and activity, to address it simply by the power of Christ, and then to focus our attention on Christ.

I recommend reading The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis. This is not a book that tries to describe exactly how demons behave, but through the story, Lewis does show how the demons use trickery to deceive us.