Satan and Safety

Christians do not need to afford much time to the topic of Satan.  A clear understanding of that enemy of God and man is not a necessary accompaniment of salvation.  One who places utter spiritual faith in the redemption of Christ, and cultivates a life of proof of that faith in righteousness is virtually all that one needs to fulfill minimal requirement for God’s acceptance and God’s participation in an individual’s life.  Effectiveness of the redemptive experience is highly related to faith (key to spiritual life), hope (immortality) and love (life context).  God is man’s effective defense against negative life influence.  For the Christian there is faith that there is a hedge on every side that offers spiritual safety.

It is sufficient for those of Christian faith, to know that whatever devilish person there may be, he is repulsed effectively by those who invoke the care of Christ, and live in that assurance – so as not to give undue opportunity for temptation (of mind and emotions) and conduct compromise (acts of persons).  Evil is blunted for the Christian who lives in the God direction. That is nearly all that one needs to know of Satan for one fully taken by the Christian gospel.  There is much more that needs be said if one is to understand how evil works in the world.  Satan is noted in the biblical text as the author of evil, and able to attract mankind to rebellion against God.  The matter was addressed in the doctrine of human depravity, an inevitable constitutional and spiritual factor that causes mankind to sin, but also installed a condition related to all creation.  The circumstances which drew Satan from virtue to sin, are a present mystery for mankind, although various explanations have been advanced, sometimes with extensive speculation.  It likely has some explanation in the meaning of freedom.  God, in sharing the nature of his freedom with created beings, was violated by an Absalom Person from among his children.  All that relates to evil and those who violated the primordial principles are beyond human comprehension.  It is well to leave it there.  Christians cover their ignorance in the matter by acknowledging that the evil they find in nature has to be related to some source.  That source is summarized in a person identified as Satan or the Devil.

From time to time TV’s History Channel runs a lengthy program on the history of Satan as mankind has it, including Satanic Worship with historical detail.  A segment of the program includes the establishment of the Satanic Church in San Francisco.  It includes a worship program with dramatic elements of the service including the bible of Satan.  The author and adherents appeared normal to American life, but the applications, as noted in the program seemed bizarre.  It seemed to most of the city to be Halloween-like with black backgrounds (including the black paint on the headquarters house).  There were skeletons, even imitations of Christian practices like the communion.  The messages (doctrines) were negative, with no underlying doubt about contentions of heaven and life after death.

One does not dedicate a great deal of time in rebuttal to Satanism.  Such an effort offers no hope, and hope is vital to making effective appeals to human beings.  If there is no hope, why would one dedicate the little time available to mankind to Satanism?  We wait for adequate analysis of persons who find meaning for us in the aspirations of a blessed hope.  We look for any contribution of Satanists for improvement in current history, even without the concept of life after death.  What value has Satanism over the neutral humanism by which world populations try to function?  In sum, the Christian acknowledges that there is a god of evil called Satan or the Devil, and that his time is lengthy but limited, and will be ended in the final adjudication.  It is not necessary to have a well ordered concept about the identity and meaning of Satan.  It is vital to have a clear idea about God, his interest in the preservation of life as he forms it for freedom of persons embracing faith in his order to redemption of creative love.  In that plan there is inoculation that grants freedom for all who accept God’s means to that irrevocable life of freedom within his kingdom.    Christianity means to offer hope to mankind, not only in the hereafter, but currently with meaning for the better side of humanity, and for meaning in the creation.  With my integrity in Christ my future is life.