Why Does Satan Hate Holiness?

[Alive]

I was reading from my old paper bible this morning, which I seldom do these days. I was reading 1 John, which I love.

:-)

I wrote a ton of notes in the margins over the years and crazy highlighting, underlining and generally marking up. I sure did enjoy doing that as the Lord would shine a Light or speak to me, usually in a manner that accented an ongoing understanding. Ha ha. Anyway, I found the following note in the column next to 1 John 2:24-29.

"Living by a Life and not do's and don'ts. No one can teach you Life. Life just is. Conciousness of His Life is evidence that we are His and abiding in Him makes Him not a stranger to our soul."

I hope and pray this will be edifying.

[Duck]

Jesus Christ, in Revelation, reveals that the devil (Satan), "who deceives the whole world…the accuser of the brethren" (Rev. 12:9-10), will attack and attempt to deceive His Church. He warns us that the devil and his angels were cast to the earth and will persecute the church, because he knows that he has a short time to do so (Rev. 12:9, Rev. 12:12-13).

Peter the apostle warned the Church, "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world" (1 Pet. 5:8-9, KJV).

God's Church has been a sanctuary for protection, but Jesus warned His disciples, "…Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many" (Mat. 24:4-5, KJV). "For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall [show] great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect" (Mat. 24:24, KJV).

Satan is subtle, cunning and crafty. Paul throws up a huge red flag of warning to us, "…I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he that [comes preaches] another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if [you] receive another spirit, which [you] have not received, or another gospel, which [you] have not accepted, [you] might bear well with (the Greek "anechromai" can mean “to hold oneself up against, forbear, shun, endure”) him... For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as ministers of righteousness..." (2 Corinthians 11:3-4, 2 Corinthians 11:13-15, KJV).

 

[Michael37]

6 hours ago, GandalfTheWise said:

believing "correct" doctrine in labyrinthian detail

 Those charts.

And labyrinthian is my word of the day. An a-mazingly illustrative description if I may say so, GandalfTW.

[Michael37]

6 hours ago, Speks said:

There is a scripturally right way and an inquisitive wrong way to draw attention to the powers of darkness. Scripture has plenty to say, but always in the authority of Christ and in the context of His people being spiritually equipped to overcome.

For example, in James 4:7, 8 successfully resisting the devil is sandwiched between submitting to God and drawing near to Him.

Thanks for your concise comment, Speks, and you are right, Scripture does give us guidelines for engaging with the enemy .

• The gifts of the Spirit listed in 1 Corinthians 12 include discerning of spirits, a gift that is helpful on many occasions: 

1Co 12:10  To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:

• Also 1 John 4 has a paragraph about the right way to check out the spiritual landscape:  

 1Jn 4:1  Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world...1Jn 4:6  We are of God: he that knows God hears us; he that is not of God hears not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

• And 2 Corinthians 2 teaches that by having relevant intel of Satan's tricks and tactics we prevent him from getting the upper hand. (See also Ephesians 6)

2Co 2:11  Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.

Once again, excellent points by you, @Speks

[Don19]

On 11/28/2020 at 11:47 PM, JohnD said:

According to the Bible, Satan is the personification of human nature.

Matthew 16:23 (AV)
23 But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.

The fear of the BIBLICAL study of Satan is the fear of studying self: what makes us tick, the answer to "why did I do this?" 

Usually responded to by "I don't know..."

Human nature is satanic insanity.  And IMHO this is the big bug-a-boo as to why people fear

it... it means facing that which we are in self denial about.

 

Excellent post! Yes, I totally agree! By nature, we are the same as Satan. What can be said of Satan can be said of the natural man. That's why nothing that can come from this body of death can be good. The corrupt tree is our flesh, and the good tree is the body of Christ. We are dead to the law by the body of Christ (Rom 7:4).

And, with that in mind, read passages like Matthew 12:29, Revelation 20:1-3, Song 4:12, Song 8:6-7, Eph 4:30, as these show what salvation in Jesus Christ truly is!

Edited November 30, 2020 by Don19

[Michael37]

20 minutes ago, Don19 said:

Excellent post! Yes, I totally agree! By nature, we are the same as Satan. What can be said of Satan can be said of the natural man. That's why nothing that can come from this body of death can be good. The corrupt tree is our flesh, and the good tree is the body of Christ. We are dead to the law by the body of Christ (Rom 7:4).

And, with that in mind, read passages like Matthew 12:29, Revelation 20:1-3, Song 4:12, Song 8:6-7, Eph 4:30, as these show what salvation in Jesus Christ truly is!

Also Luk 4:1-2  And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,  (2)  Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered.