A BRIEF LOOK AT SOME OF THE KEY WORDS IN THE BIBLE
Bible Corner - No. 12 ELDER
It is important that caricatures in plays, cartoons and TV ads do not colour our thinking about the devil; he is not a figure of fun in the Bible.
'Devil' is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew 'Satan', the former meaning 'slanderer', the latter 'accuser'. They suggest a deliberate purpose to distort the truth and to portray God and his people in an unfavourable light. To this end the devil's chief tactic would seem to be to present arguments designed to entice believers to question their loyalty to God. Thus Jesus was tempted to betray his mission in various ways: to proclaim a largely materialistic message; to dazzle people with displays of power; to give the devil the worship due only to God (see Matthew 4: 1-11). Because Jesus was firmly in control of himself he could see through such wiles of the devil but that is not always the case with us (James 1: 13-14).
Other devices employed by the devil are to create dissension and havoc within the church and to stir up opposition outside it; hence warnings like those in Ephesians 4: 25-27 and 1 Peter 5:8
It was to destroy the effectiveness of the devil that Jesus came into the world and in the Cross he openly triumphed over him. He is a defeated enemy as far as Christians are concerned but still able to damage their relationship with God.
Other relevant passages Ephesians 6: 10-18, Colossians 2: 15.
Howard Rady
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