“The devil made me do it?”
Jun 29, 2010
The Base for Grace - part five in a series on the book of Hebrews
Mike Gaudet
“The devil made me do it.”
Do what?
“Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death — that is, the devil — and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.” Hebrews 2:14-15
We don’t know much about the devil (also referred to as Satan).
The following passages are commonly applied to him:
“How you have fallen from heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations! You said in your heart, “I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.” Isaiah 14:12-14
“You were anointed as a guardian cherub, for so I ordained you. You were on the holy mount of God; you walked among the fiery stones. You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was found in you. Through your widespread trade you were filled with violence, and you sinned. So I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God, and I expelled you, O guardian cherub, from among the fiery stones. Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor.” Ezekiel 28:14-17
However, these passages aren’t referring to the devil. The first passage refers to the King of Babylon. The second refers to the King of Tyre.
So, what does the Bible have to say about the devil? Surprisingly little. The Bible leaves us with more questions than answers.
Why did God allow the devil into the garden? If he hadn’t become a serpent to play mind games with Eve, it’s safe to say she wouldn’t have eaten the forbidden fruit!
Why does God allow the devil to oppose Him in the first place? The devil is a created being. God created him. God having a fight with the devil is like a sculptor fighting with one of his statues!
While the devil is shrouded in mystery, this much is clear . . .
He is “a liar.”
He “holds the power of death.”
Jesus said, “When he (the devil) lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” John 8:44 The devil is fluent in the language of lying. He claims to speak for God but he misrepresents Him.
Jesus came to “destroy him who holds the power of death — that is, the devil.” The devil has been vested with the authority to sentence men and women to “death.” Spiritual death is in view here, not physical death. The devil has the power to separate human beings from God eternally.
How does the devil separate us from God?
The name “devil” is from a word that describes the actions of someone who creates a rift between people. The name “Satan” is from a word that means to accuse.
The devil accuses us of violating God’s laws in order to create a chasm between God and us. He uses condemnation to drive us away from God.
Jesus came to clear away confusion regarding divine condemnation. His death counters the misguided notion that God uses His commandments to beat us into submission.
When Jesus was taken down from the cross . . .
. . . the law remained nailed there.
“He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.” Colossians 2:13-15
The devil uses God’s commandments as a weapon against us. He accuses us of violating these laws in order to drive us from God. God “cancelled the written code” by “nailing it to the cross.” At the cross, God dealt a deathblow to the devil’s divisive influence. Jesus died so that we would no longer believe that commandment violations separate us from God’s love.
This comes as a surprise to most of us. We were raised to believe that the fear of divine judgment is what motivates us to obey God.
The opposite is true. The fear of divine judgment motivates us to disobey God. Jesus came to “free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.” The fear of death and judgment is an enslaving force.
God doesn’t use fear to encourage obedience.
“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment.” 1 John 4:18
God removes fear to encourage obedience.
“We love because he first loved us.” 1 John 4:19
Don’t let the devil tell you otherwise.