Can believers be deceived by Satan?
Can it really be that Satan is able get an advantage of believers in this age of grace? What purpose or gain would he have in doing so? What vulnerabilities or weaknesses can he exploit, and how should we guard against being taken advantage of?
The origin of Satan’s opposition to God
Lucifer became Satan, the adversary of God, and it is his career ambition to be like the most High, to usurp the position of God himself, and to reign from Jerusalem, from the sides of the north in mount Zion.
This short video summarizes how Lucifer became Satan, the adversary of God, and how he will attempt to achieve his goal, as described in the Bible.
The devices of that old beguiling serpent, called the Devil and Satan
In pursuit of his stated goal, Satan uses certain devices which we must not be ignorant of; he tries to ensnare members of the body of Christ, so that they oppose themselves, cause division, and undermine the furtherance of the gospel. Paul reminds us that the devices which Satan seeks to use against us, are the same as he used to beguile Eve, in the Garden of Eden.
It's important to note the focus of Satan’s tactics in this age of grace; it is to corrupt believers minds from the simplicity that is in Christ. This is why there are so many doctrines in religion, which undermine faith in the sufficiency and completeness of Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection as payment for all sins.
How was Eve’s mind corrupted?
Eve knew what God had commanded, but under the influence of Satan she saw that the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was good for food (lust of the flesh), that it was pleasant to the eyes (lust of the eyes), and she desired it because she had been told it would make her as wise as gods, knowing good and evil (pride of life).
Mankind taken captive to perform Satan’s will
Satan beguiled man to rebel and sin against God. In doing so, mankind effectively became Satan’s captives, in bondage to the sinful nature we all inherited, since Adam. Satan, therefore, became the god of this world and all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. These attributes are not of God the Father, but are of the world, and it is by them that Satan uses man to oppose God, and to pursue his pride-filled goal.
Empires and weakening of nations, in Satan's course of this world
The original Babylonian system of commerce, false religion, and violence, was passed from empire to empire, and has become the ubiquitous and mysterious course of this world, through which Satan seeks to accomplish his goal of world dominion; weakening the nations to establish his united global rule from Jerusalem, via the Antichrist, through whom he will briefly receive worship from all who are deceived on the earth.
Satan is a spiritual being, also known in this age of grace as the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience (obstinate and rebellious unbelief). While God is over all, and his purpose will be fulfilled, despite sin and rebellion, it is Satan who currently directs the course of this world.
Satan is the god of this world, and it is in his course of this world that men walk, according to the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. A detailed study on Mystery Babylon is published as a chapter in the book, "Foreteling Jacob's Trouble: whose side are you on?", by R C Black, 2024.
Believer’s battle, not against flesh and blood
But surely Satan can’t get advantage of us, as believers? Some might think that to be the case, but we must not be ignorant of Satan’s devices. Paul’s epistles contain not just doctrine on salvation and our position in Christ, but on how we should live and function as the body of Christ, to serve him in his purpose. Christ’s purpose is to redeem all of his creation, having made peace through the blood of his cross; to redeem and reconcile all things unto himself, whether they be in earth, or in heaven. Our job, as ministers of reconciliation, is to preach the gospel of Christ, so people can believe and be reconciled to God, translated into the kingdom of his dear Son. Satan opposes this work, as it is an obstacle to his ambition to be as God, the most High.
Therefore, as the prince of the power of the air, Satan tries to use his wiles or crafty cunning against us, particularly in trying to supress and hide the simplicity of the gospel of Christ. It is clear, from scripture, that our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the wiles of the devil and his dominion over the world, exercised through spiritual wickedness in high places.
While rebellion took place in heaven, and sin entered the earth via Adam, God was not taken by surprise. Before the foundation of the world, he already had a plan to redeem both heaven and earth through his own blood. The current course of this world and the visible and invisible occupants of its thrones, dominions, principalities and powers are not as God intended when he created all things by Christ.
God foresaw the rebellion and had made a plan, that through the blood of his cross, he would make peace, reconciling all things unto himself; not just in earth but also in heaven.
The secret plan of the cross, kept hidden
Regardless of the endless attempts by Satan to achieve his goal, by trying to corrupt God’s word and his creation, God had a plan which he purposed in himself, to redeem all of his creation. His plan was a mystery which God kept hidden, which none of the princes of this world knew, otherwise they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
This mystery of redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace, God made known to us through the Apostle Paul. It concerned the gospel of Christ.
The fellowship of the mystery
It is God’s will, according to his good pleasure, and purposed in himself, that he will gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth.
In reconciling all things to himself, in heaven and in the earth, it was for this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.
While Satan would like all of creation to bow down to him, God declared; I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.
This is why God took on the form of a man, to destroy the works of the devil and so that in the fulness of time, every being in heaven, in earth and under the earth shall bow the knee and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Our job as ambassadors of Christ
A remnant of Israel who will have the testimony of Jesus, as the Christ, will inherit the promised kingdom of heaven on earth, while we, as the church the body of Christ, are seated with Christ in heavenly places. Our citizenship is in heaven.
We are ambassadors for Christ, living in a foreign land, a present evil world that is governed by a hostile foreign power, Satan the god of this world. Our job is not to clean up this world; it is not redeemable. This world, and the works within it, will be burned up, and there will be a new heaven and a new earth, wherein dwells righteousness.
While the world tries to reduce carbon dioxide emissions to save the planet, while millions of unbelievers (activists, as they are now called) join one campaign or another, such as extinction rebellion (“in an attempt to halt mass extinction and minimise the risk of social collapse”), our job as ambassadors of Christ and ministers of reconciliation is to rescue mankind by the gospel, before the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.
In short, the church, the body of Christ is part of God’s plan for the heavens. Satan’s will, therefore, is to do everything in his power to stop us from doing our job here on the earth, which is to preach the gospel, that others may be saved from the wrath to come and can take their place as part of Christ’s body in heaven, as foreordained by God.
Exploitation of man’s pride for Satan’s purpose
Satan, in opposition to God’s plan, does all he can to undermine the gospel, of which we are stewards and ministers. He is extremely subtle; his work is not just in corrupting the gospel via his ministers of righteousness but, he can also disrupt the body of Christ by causing division, contention and strife. It is interesting to note the singular source of contention:
We must remember that when we get saved we do not suddenly lose our capacity to sin; we do not suddenly put on the new man, renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created us. We still live in a body of flesh, so it is essential that we recognize and admit, like the Apostle Paul, that sin still dwells in us and that we find a law, that, when we would do good, evil is present with us.
But can Satan use our capacity to sin, as a device to take advantage of us for his purpose? The answer is yes, as we shall see in this study.
Departing from the faith by giving heed to doctrines of devils
It is easy to gloss over, or try to deny the fact, that a saved person can depart from the faith and give heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils. But we see from the scripture, that this can happen to some believers, particularly in the latter times.
The “some” referred to here are not unbelievers, or those with just any faith, but they are believers who depart from the true faith.
The use of false signs and wonders
For example, those who depart from the faith could be believers who are under false teaching, who’ve been told that God is doing miracles today. They might be believers who have been seduced by false doctrines of devils, into thinking that God has chosen them for a special healing ministry, or as a prophet. They could be believers who have not yet learned that Satan can get an advantage of us, simply by pandering to our natural pride of life, our desire to be admired by others.
In this case, according to a seducing spirit’s false doctrine, it might be believed that God is using someone in a very special way, empowering them to perform miracles. The individual’s natural pride would be lifted up, by being admired by others. This is one way in which Satan can get advantage, to promote false doctrines that corrupt the simplicity that is in Christ, and thus blind their minds to the gospel of salvations.
In the study called “Signs and wonders, rightly divided”, we see how God used signs and wonders, even in Paul’s ministry: as a sign to the Jews; to authenticate his ministry to the gentiles; and to verify unsearchable mysteries and secrets and for the establishment of the church. But there was an absence of signs and healing in Paul’s later ministry. Even saints who were fellow workers in the ministry with Paul, were left unhealed. Our conclusion was that God is not using miracles, signs and wonders in the church today.
However, Satan can mimic God’s power in order to cause confusion that serves his purpose in undermining the gospel. We should not be ignorant of his devices.
Common sense tells us that God would not validate false teaching and a false gospel by empowerment with signs and wonders; that would be God working against himself. Yet Satan would seek to do exactly that; he seeks to blind the minds of those who believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ should shine unto them.
People are easily convinced by experiences, so much so that they believe whatever doctrine is attached, such as works for righteousness. This creates confusion and another gospel, which is not another, one that cannot save. That is Satan’s goal and so it’s no surprise that his signs and wonders are called signs and lying wonders.
Taking advantage of our natural man
Satan knows the vulnerabilities of man, the lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes and pride of life; so he can use his doctrines and seducing spirits to try to entice a believer with his lies, thus rendering them ineffective in furthering the gospel and advancing God’s plan of redemption.
Through the lust of the flesh, we can be susceptible to behaviour that brings shame to Christ and his body, once again working to the advantage of Satan, who seeks to destroy our ministry of reconciliation. The lust of the eyes can, at the very least, be a serious distraction that takes our time and causes us to set our affections on things on the earth, rather than on things above. It is all made so simple with modern technology, to be able to compare and covet what others have. Rather than studying God’s word, putting on the mind of Christ and making it a priority to reach the lost with the gospel and to edify one another in love, we can choose to spend our time feasting our eyes on things that the flesh desires.
The pride of life is more subtle. The opposite of pride is humbleness of mind, one of the characteristics that we are told to put on, together with meekness, longsuffering and charity, the bond of perfectness. By this, the peace of God will rule in our hearts as we seek to care for one another in one body.
As previously mentioned, the bible is clear about the source of contention (quarrel, debate and strife); it comes only from pride.
Avoiding division in the church
How should we deal with differences of opinion on doctrine? After all, Paul says:
Yet, the Corinthian church was divided. They were still as babes, not yet spiritually mature but behaving carnally, according to the flesh, and so there was envying, division and strife among them.
The immaturity of the Corinthians manifested in many horrible ways, showing that they were certainly susceptible to the natural lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life. Paul was incredibly patient with them; he took nothing from them and, despite the fact that he ought to have been commended of them (for in nothing was he behind the very chiefest of the apostles), the more abundantly he loved them, the less he was loved. He feared, lest, when he next came to them, things would not go well and that he would find there be debates, envyings, wraths, strifes, backbitings, whisperings, swellings and tumults.
Therefore, we see lots of correctional doctrine in the Corinthian epistles, including the instruction to confirm our love, one toward another, and to forgive one another, lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.
God teaches us, through Paul’s letters to the Corinthians, that we are all members of the same body, dependent and reliant upon each other, that there should be no schism in the body. He teaches them about charity, which is kind, envieth not; vaunteth not itself, and is not puffed up. He wanted them to learn through the example of him and Apollos, not to think of men above that which is written, that no one be puffed up for one against another.
We need to put on bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness and longsuffering in the way that we address each other. We need to be acutely aware of Satan’s devices.
In the case of differences in doctrinal opinion particularly, we know that scripture and history is littered with examples of how not to go about resolving such differences. Satan has used pride to cause contentions that divided the church, in opposition to God’s will. We must put away the natural fleshly pride of life that the devil uses to ensnare believers and cause division in the body of Christ, hindering the furtherance of the gospel.
By Paul’s example, we see that the believer’s life should not be about being admired or followed by men but, rather, about living in a way which influences the furtherance of the gospel and edification of the body of Christ, rather than hindering it.
Conclusions
As we seek to serve God, in his purpose to redeem heaven and earth, we must be conscious that Satan wants to gain dominion, and will oppose at every opportunity. He knows our vulnerabilities, and will try to appeal to our old man, through the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, as he attempts to get advantage of us.
It is possible to oppose oneself and thus end up in the snare of the devil, taken at his will, rather than God’s. For this reason, we should make sure we are not ignorant of his Satan's devices, so we don’t fall into his traps. Furthermore, when we see a brother or sister in this situation, we should not strive (quarrel or dispute) with them but be gentle, apt to teach from scripture, with patience and in meekness (gentle humility), provide instruction where they oppose themselves. If God gives them a change of mind to acknowledge the truth, then they will have the means to recover themselves out of the snare of the devil and will no longer be a captive to his will.
As we put off the old man and put on the new, we will become less susceptible to the devices of Satan, and become more effective members of the body of Christ. On this earth, we are mere vessels of clay, and our boast is not in ourselves, but in Christ and what he has done.
Christ, the Lord of glory, humbled himself and became of no reputation, that he might suffer and die on the cross to redeem all his creation, in earth and in heaven. We should adopt this obedience and humbleness of mind, as we seek to serve him. As we suffer for the sake of the gospel, we can be reminded that we are heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ, and that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the eternal weight of glory which shall be revealed in us.
We have been saved, and God has called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began. This calling and purpose was in God’s plan from before the world began. It’s a calling in which we are beseeched to walk worthy, with all lowliness of mind.
There’s no need to look externally to blame Satan for every bad circumstance or wrong decision we make. We each have the individual capacity to sin, simply because we are born as human beings. We can indeed reckon the old man dead, but this a positional truth; our flesh is still susceptible to all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.
When we get saved, we still have choices. We can close our eyes and ears to the truth, for lots of reasons. What we are naturally, in the flesh, is ugly; it is vile and unrighteous, but we only recognize our sinful nature in its fullness as we grow in the knowledge of the truth of God’s word. As we discover the mind of Christ, through the doctrine revealed to Paul, we have a choice in how to respond. We can put off the old man, or we can continue in sin.
Pray for one another, that we would not be ignorant of Satan’s devices, but be filled with the knowledge of God’s will, that we might walk worthy, being fruitful in every good work.
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