Does the Devil Run the
Show?
(The
following was modified from a letter written by Pastor Powell to a person who inquired
about a certain conspiracy theory and the unpardonable sin.)
Dear _________________,
Ephesians 1 tells us very clearly who controls the world and its
history. That Person is the Mediator,
Jesus Christ, who sits at the right hand of God. Because everything that is
named has been put under His feet, He is in control of all events and people
and brings everything to pass for His own glory and for the good of the Church.
His agenda is not our agenda, certainly, and that is often the reason for our distresses.
This truth was taught by all the reformers: Luther, Knox, Calvin,
Melanchthon, Cranmer, etc. The rejection of this truth by the modern age that
has led to all the conspiracy theories and all the theological box canyons we
are in, in my view.
The Bible commands me to give thanks for all things. It tells me that
all things work for my good and for the good of the Church. It tells me that
God will bruise Satan under our feet, and that the kingdom, the power, and the
glory are to be ascribed to God alone. The battle has been won in principle at
the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, and what is left is the mopping up action.
Of course, God will not take credit for what He does not do. If we are commanded to thank Him for
everything, because all things are for our good, and if the kingdom, the power
and the glory belong to Him, then He must be the cause of all things.
The unthankful heart is the source of all our troubles. If we can
ascribe our troubles to the devil, then we can grumble and complain about them,
and accuse others of being in league with the devil, and justify a great many
ungodly attitudes on our part.
I think that Luther had the right idea. He thought we should mock the
devil, make fun of the devil, and not take him seriously, because his head was
bruised at the cross. Because of Christ's victory over sin and guilt, the devil
has no power over the church or any believer; he only can do what we in
unbelief allow him; and then only within the will and purpose of God.
Conspiracy Theories
Conspiracy theories abound, and they all lead the same way: to
disillusionment, despair, fretting against God (Psalm 37: shows that the cure
for fretting is faith in God's control over all things and the ultimate
destruction of the ungodly).
Ps. 2 speaks of the vanity of men imagining vain things against God and
the Messiah, and how God laughs at them and brings all their plans to nothing.
It is true that man plots against God, and sometimes God allows their plans to
develop to a point (just like the green bay tree of Ps. 37), but eventually
they pass away and come to nothing.
Where are Hitler, Stalin, Mussolini, Napoleon? In hell, where their
modern counterparts will be soon; where are the saints who were distressed by them?
In heaven, where today's saints will be shortly. All things are for the church
and for preparing God's people for heaven--nothing else changes.
This does not make Jesus Christ the author of evil, for He has His one
plan and purpose in the events. God was not the cause of the jealousy and
hatred that burned in the hearts of Joseph's brothers when they sold him into
Egypt. But God turned their evil for good, for it was His purpose to send
Joseph ahead of Jacob's family into Egypt to preserve their lives. It was no
surprise to God when the seven years of famine came upon Egypt, for He was the
cause of that, too (Gen. 50:19).
Neither was God the cause of the hatred of the Jews and the perfidy of
the Romans that sent Jesus Christ to the Cross, but it is madness to say that
the death of Christ was not designed by God for the good of mankind. Christ's
enemies could only do what God had willed to be done. Acts 4:25-28 says that
Ps. 2 was fulfilled when Herod and Pilate and the people did what God had
purposed before should be done. But they did it by their own wickedness.
We must be careful concerning the unpardonable sin. It is true that it
consists of attributing the work of Christ to the devil, but it is only
committed if the person really knows that he is doing that. It is not the
unpardonable sin if the person thinks that it really is the work of the devil
(Paul, for instance, I Timothy 1:13ff). Only God knows who has done this. One
of the problems with those who follow the conspiracy theories is that they
become immersed in the work of the devil, and cannot see the work of God. God's
work is in the midst of sin and misery, and if we only see the sin and misery,
we will miss the work of God completely. Even Paul said, that when he would do
good, evil was present with him. On this basis, some might think that even Paul
was of the devil. If we say we have no sin, we are deceived, according to John,
and worse, make Christ a liar.
Years ago, I rejected the idea that the devil was in control of the
world because of Ephesians 1. Jesus now sits at the place of power and glory:
the right hand of the Father. “Babylon is fallen,” is the theme of Revelation,
and our message is to announce it over and over again. The humanists will not
be able to build their “one world” or their “new world” or whatever they fancy.
They will fail for one reason and one reason alone: Psalm 2:6 God
laughs at their efforts, and so should we, and bear witness against them and
their emptiness.
May God bless you. Return to menu
--------------
Pastor
C. W. Powell
Trinity
Covenant Church
6050
Del Paz Drive
Colorado
Springs, CO 80918
719-590-1477
http://www.trinityrcus.com/Home.htm