WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS
The Bible often uses picture-language to describe sin, such as `satan`, or `the devil`.
Last time we had a hard look at the realities of human nature: that the desires to please ourselves are deep within the nature of all of us.
We see it plainly as we observe the world around us.
Try adding up the proportion of human effort that goes into trying to stop people doing what they shouldn`t do – armies and the supply of weapons,
police and their equipment, the security industry in all its forms, courts and prisons, anti-terrorist protection, surveillance and private detectives. The list is almost endless.
The point for us is that we are all made of the same stuff. The desires that make all this necessary are in us too, and when we give way to them we not only make other people unhappy, we sin against God.
The apostle John describes it this way - `All that is in the world – the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions – is not from the Father but from the world`.
The apostle Paul, who told us about his own struggles against sin in Romans chapter 7, puts the contest into picture-language in chapter 6.
He compares Sin and Righteousness to two rival kings who own slaves. If we live to please ourselves we are serving `King Sin`,
but when we repent and try to please God instead we become servants of `King Righteousness` (Romans 6:16-23).
He says `Now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification (set apart for God), and the end – eternal life.
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord`.
We know that many religions have the idea that there is a god of evil, or a wicked angel called Satan who tempts people and is the source of all the evil in the world. But this is a mistake.
Do you notice that in this whole section in the letter to the Romans, Paul never uses the words `devil` or `satan`?
The reason is that these are simply other ways of describing temptation and sin in their various forms, not names for an evil angel who can invade human minds.
Another Bible book - the letter to the Hebrews - tells us that Jesus `destroyed the one who has the power of death, that is the devil` (Hebrews 2:14).
Then in chapter 9:26 we are told that he `put away sin by the sacrifice of himself`. Jesus `destroyed the devil`: Jesus `put away sin` - two ways of saying the same thing.
As always, the Old Testament lays the foundation for our understanding.
Back in Genesis chapter 3:1-15 we saw how the first temptation came to the man and his wife from outside themselves.
A creature called a serpent or snake suggested that God did not mean what He said, and that they could disobey God`s law without problems.
Some people say that inside this snake there was an evil angel called the devil. But when they were found out, Adam blamed his wife and she blamed the snake.
The snake however did not blame anybody else and had to take the blame itself. That proves there was no-one else to blame.
Further, the snake was punished by having to crawl without legs and live on soil like a big earthworm.
This disproves the other idea that an evil angel disguised himself as a snake, because no-one believes that there is a wicked angel crawling about eating soil ! This strange snake was responsible, on its own.
This record leads us into the way that snake-like creatures such as `dragons` or crocodiles are used in the later books of the Bible as a picture of opposition to God.
Eve took the snake`s suggestions into her mind. She adopted his way of thinking, that God can be disobeyed without punishment.
From then on, when a big human rebellion against God arose, the snake or dragon picture was used to describe it.
Here are three clear examples – Babylon (Jeremiah 51:34), Egypt (Ezekiel 32:2), Rome (Daniel 7:19-28).
The prophecy about the rise of Rome leads to the Book of Revelation because Rome ruled the world when Jesus was here.
Rome crucified Jesus and persecuted the apostles. Rome was `that old serpent, the devil and satan` when the book was written (Revelation 12:9).
When Jesus returns, evil men will be oppose him again (Revelation 20:1-3) but Jesus will bring them under control at last, thank God.
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What The Bible Says
