Today, Thursday August 5
“The Reason the Son of God Appeared”
1 John 3:5 & 8
“You know that he appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin….. Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.
In these two verses we are given at least two of the reasons or the purposes for which Jesus Christ came in human flesh. Jesus came to “take away our sins” and He “appeared to destroy the works of the devil.” We need to know who our enemy is if we are to live a victorious Christian life and not be robbed of our peace and joy that we should enjoy every day in Christ.
The origin of Satan is a mystery. Many scholars believe he was once one of the highest angels, placed by God over the earth and over the other angels, and that he sinned against God and was cast down (Isa. 14:9-17; Ezek. 28:12-14). Satan is not eternal, as is God, for he is a created being. He was not created sinful. His present nature is a result of his past rebellion. Satan is not like God: he is not all-powerful, all-knowing, or everywhere present. However, he is assisted by an army of spirit creatures known as demons, who make it possible for him to work in many places at one time (Eph. 6:10-12).
Satan is a rebel, but Christ is the obedient Son of God. Christ was "obedient unto death, even the death of the cross" (Phil. 2:8). Christ is God but was willing to become a servant. Satan was a servant and wanted to become God. From the beginning of his career, Satan has been a sinner, and Christ came to destroy the works of the devil.
Destroy (1 John 3:8) does not mean "annihilate." Satan is certainly still at work today! Destroy, here, means "to render inoperative, to rob of power." Satan has not been annihilated, but his power has been reduced and his weapons have been impaired. He is still a mighty foe, but he is no match for the power of God.
Jesus compares this world to a palace that contains many valuable goods. A strong man is guarding this palace (Luke 11:14-23). Satan is the strong man, and his "goods" are lost men and women. The only way to release the "goods" is to bind the strong man, and that is just what Jesus did on the cross. Jesus, in coming to earth, invaded Satan's "palace." When He died, He broke Satan's power and captured his goods! Each time a lost sinner is won to Christ, more of Satan's "spoils" are taken from him.
Paul told Timothy that even believers need help “to escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will” (2 Timothy 2:26). John later writes in 1 John 4:4 that we, as children of God, can overcome the evil one because, “greater is He that in you than he that is in the world.”
I will close today with one of my favorite verses that I usually quote every day is found in Hebrew 2:14-15: “Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.” There is no reason for you to remain in the prison of sin when you have a pardon and the guard has been defeated!
God bless!
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