At the outset, it must be stated that everything is either God-allowed or God-caused. However, I fear that an extreme emphasis on the sovereignty of God is eliminating personal responsibility from the spiritual equation. I recently listened to an extreme-sovereignty preacher going into detail describing how God “causes” men to commit adultery, whenever He chooses. Proponents who have this view see God as the author of iniquity, and the engineer of all evil.
Under this severe belief system, the devil is seldom mentioned. Satan’s antipathy toward righteousness is rarely taken into account. Of course, this “Satanless Gospel” flies in the face of the entire Bible. Scripture contains at least 84 references to the devil under various names and descriptions. He is referred to as the destroyer, accuser, father of lies, evil one, Beelzebub, serpent, Lucifer, and many other titles. Over and over we find Satan opposing God and His people as in the Garden of Eden, Job’s calamity, and in Daniel’s prayers.
There’s little wonder that Satan is considered inconsequential if God is viewed as a “functional devil.” It is similar to the dark side of the Force in the Star Wars films. There is a dual nature at play, which manifests in contradictory ways, depending on the situation. But the Bible is clear about the nature of God, “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all” (1 John 5:1). God’s nature is pure and holy with no admixture of darkness.
A Gallup poll in 2023 revealed that only 50% of Americans believe in a personal devil. That’s down from over 70% just 15 years earlier. Many professing Christians believe the devil is merely a symbol, rather than a personal being.
Peter wrote about Satan prowling around like a lion looking to devour victims (1 Pet. 5:8). The inspired letter to the church at Smyrna refers to the “synagogue of Satan.” Further, it mentions satanic persecution with the devil imprisoning some of the saints (Rev. 2:9-10). Even the Son of God was “tempted of the devil” in the wilderness (Matt. 4:1-11). Many Scriptures highlight the cosmic conflict with the powers of darkness. Satan and his minions are waging a real war on the saints. They are opponents to overcome. No, they are not all powerful, but they are far from inconsequential. They are a force that must be recognized and reckoned with.
Attributing the works of Satan to God is the worst kind of blasphemy. Believing that God hardwires and foreordains men to steal, rape, molest, murder, and perpetuate every evil known to mankind grossly misrepresents God’s nature. Practically speaking, how could the legal system ever hold men to account if criminals are simply carrying out “the will God” in their scandals? If God is the cause of all evil, then God is responsible for every evil action perpetrated by men. Think about this: if God is the author of sin, then He would need to punish Himself because “the soul that sins shall die.” But Scripture is clear, “Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man” (James 1:14). Clearly, God is not the originator of sin.
The inevitable outcome of downplaying the devil is a paralyzing fatalism. Rather than being participants in God’s redemptive plan, men are mere puppets and spectators. It’s a small wonder that advocates of this grim theological view often trend toward a grim view of life as well.
Throughout the Bible, we find contradicting forces at play. As in Job’s case there were three parties; God, Job, and Satan. Yes, Satan was permitted access to Job. Satan was given permission to go after Job, but limits were placed upon him. And Job was mercilessly assaulted, but the devil was not allowed to kill him. Everything is God-allowed, but not everything is God-caused. Obviously, we have an enemy who is opposed to God, His purposes, and His redeemed people. No wonder Satan is referred to as the “Adversary.”
Over emphasizing Satan’s place and power is a grievous error. But so is downplaying and understating his influence. The Enemy is waging war on the saints and blinding the minds of those who do not believe. He is a personal devil who is adamantly opposed to God’s people and purposes. His emissaries held up the answer to Daniel’s prayers (Daniel 10:13). Satan can oppose, hinder, deceive, and destroy; “but greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world” (1 John 4:4).
We need to recover this biblical tension and balance in our theology. Because extreme positions are not only false, they are debilitating. God did not provide the “armor” so puffed-up theologians could “reason” the church into complacency. He gave the armor so all His children could engage and defeat the Enemy!
I close with this pungent admonition from Paul…
“Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand” (Eph. 6:11-13).
Harold Vaughan
