The moment we enter upon the enjoyment of any blessing,
Satan will seek to rob us of it.
We never enter upon any service rightly unless we expect
to encounter the opposition of Satan.
There is nothing like boldness in the face of the adversary:
"Resist the devil and he will flee from you."
It is easier to keep the enemy out than it is to expel him
after he has effected an entrance.
There is not a single operation of the Spirit of God, nor a
single form of His working, that Satan does not imitate.

"He hath chosen us in Him [that is, in Christ] before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love; having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will" (Eph. 1:4,5).

God’s choice of us was before the foundation of the world when God alone was. Man had no voice nor choice in the matter. It was purely God acting from Himself. It was a matter of God’s own choice that He would have others to be in heaven besides Himself. But if they were to be near Him and before Him, how could they be so with sin upon them? Impossible. How could God sanction souls, even in the most distant part of His dominion, with sin upon them? It was the positive necessity of His character and nature that if He chose to have any with Himself in heaven, they must be there "holy and without blame before Him."

But that is far from being all:it must be "in love," because nothing could be more miserable than that they should not be able to enter into His own affections. Merely to be in the most blessed place of creatures without taint, without anything that could sully the presence of God, would not be enough. He will give them a nature not only capable of being before Him without reproach and fear, but also answering to His own love. "We love Him, because He first loved us" (1 John 4:19).

Here we have God’s choice of us personally. For it is not merely to have a people, as if it were some vague thing, a certain number of niches in heaven to be filled up with so many souls. There is no such notion in the Bible. It is persons He chooses. There cannot be such love without a person distinctly before it. God loves us individually. Hence He has chosen us in Christ before the foundation of the world, to show how entirely it is a choice independent of our character and ways.

"Holy and without blame before Him in love." This does not refer to what we have been. If we examine any person we may find grievous faults in him. Even as a Christian, he is very far indeed from being what is due to God. He is ashamed of himself, grieving over the little his heart responds to the favor God has shown him. Now, will God be satisfied with that which even a Christian finds fault with? In the saint now there is that which is very unsaintly indeed, unlike God and His beloved Son. But for all this, are they not saints? And He has chosen us in Christ that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love. How can that be? The answer is because God looks at us here according to that which He gives us in Christ, and nothing less. All is based on that new nature which flows from His grace to the objects of His choice.

But even this is not all. Blessed as it is to answer to the holy character and nature of God, yet this is not enough. We might be there holy and without blame before Him in love, yet simply as servants. But such is the wonder of God’s grace, He has formed a positive relationship, and that relationship is nothing less than His redeemed ones being sons according to the pattern of the risen Son of God. Christ was pleased to call us His brethren when He rose from the dead. God has predestinated us unto the adoption of sons by Jesus Christ unto Himself. We now find the special privilege and glorious relationship of sons before God in His presence by Jesus Christ. He might not have done it, but it was "according to the good pleasure of His will."

(From Lectures on Ephesians.)

The sovereignty of God is what alone gives rest to the Christian heart in view of a world full of evil. To know that in spite of the rebellion of the creature, things are as absolutely in His hand as they ever were, and that we can still adore "one God and Father of all, who is over all, and through all" (Eph. 4:6 JND), brings full relief. He still rules over all, and, where evil cannot be turned to good, limits and forbids it. He makes the wrath of man to praise Him, and the remainder of wrath (what would go beyond this) He restrains (Psa. 76:10).

We rest, for we know who reigns. It is not mere sovereignty, the almighty despotism of a supreme will, to which we bow because we must, but the sovereignty of wisdom, holiness, and goodness_of One in whom love is revealed in light. How strange and saddening that in any phase of it the sovereignty of God should be an unwelcome theme to a Christian heart! Is it not so that the sovereignty of God in salvation is by the large mass of Christians perhaps a thing most vehemently denied; and even where entertained, it is entertained with coldness and suspicion? Yet if God be perfect goodness, and wisdom without fault, what could one possibly desire but that everything should be absolutely in His hand, plastic to and moulded by His blessed will, working, according to plan and forethought, His eternal purpose?

While God is sovereign and "worketh all things after the counsel of His own will" (Eph. 1:11), the will of man must also be recognized and not set aside. Certainly we are nowhere led from Scripture to think of man as a mere intellectual machine, moved necessarily by influences external to himself. Rather, we see him as a free and responsible being, though now, alas! fallen, and become the willing slave of sin.

It is certain that in no way are we to think of God as determining to evil the wills of His creatures. There may be things difficult to understand concerning the relationship of God’s sovereignty and man’s will; but however even insoluble may be the mystery, God has given us adequate witness that man’s evil and man’s ruin are of himself alone.

Let us consider now a key manifestation of the sovereignty of God, namely, His election of individuals to salvation. Election is so plainly taught in the Word that it is surely only the opposition of the heart to it that can account for its not being universally received among Christians. Nor is this simply an election nationally to privileges or "means of grace" such as plainly Israel enjoyed, but an election to salvation. And this election to salvation is not on account of foreseen holiness or faith, but through, or by means of, these. "We are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth; whereunto He called you by our gospel" (2 Thess. 2:13,14). This is so very plain. However, the difficulty with the doctrine of election is not textual; it lies elsewhere.

Election involves many truths most humbling to man’s pride of heart, and this is in a large number of cases the real hindrance. On the other hand, it is quite true that in the conflict of minds upon a subject which has been in controversy for centuries, the balance of truth has been very much lost by those who have contended on either side; extremes on either part have tended to throw men off into the opposite extreme. Thus Calvinism and Arminianism have nearly divided Christians between them, each refusing to recognize, for the most part, any truth in the other. Yet each has in fact its stronghold of texts and arguments, and its unanswerable appeals to conscience, never fairly met by the other. The mistake has been in the supposition that what was really strong on both sides was in necessary opposition. The fact is that, in general, the strength of each lies in what it affirms; its weakness, in what it denies. The truths of Calvinism cluster about the pole of divine grace; those of Arminianism about that of man’s responsibility. The world revolves upon its axis between the two.

Let us take up first the texts upon which the Arminian relies, and see how far they lead us. In the first place, God’s love to the world is manifested in the cross:"God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." It is not allowable to narrow this down to a love simply to the elect, as has been done too often. It is true that the elect are all originally of the world, and that thus He loves them when dead in trespasses and sins, and in His great love quickens them (Eph. 2:4,5). But we cannot limit His love here to this; it is out of keeping with the "whosoever" that follows. Moreover, the "world" cannot fairly be interpreted as less than the whole of it if we believe in the transparent honesty and accuracy of Scripture. God’s love to the world, then, is so deep and wonderful that it can only be measured by the gift of His Son. We dare not refuse to credit fully what is so solemnly assured.

But this being so, it settles decisively the meaning of Christ’s death being for all. "For there is one God, and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus; who gave Himself a ransom for all" (1 Tim. 2:5,6). "He is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world" (1 John 2:2). These and many similar passages assure without any doubt of full and sufficient provision for all made in the atonement.

Upon this ground, and to give express utterance to what is in the heart of God, the gospel is bidden to be proclaimed to "every creature" (Mark 16:15). We are assured that God is "not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance" (2 Pet. 3:9), and that He "will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth" (1 Tim. 2:4). These testimonies are simple, and they deny that there can be any contrary decree of God hindering the salvation of any. The Redeemer’s words as He wept over Jerusalem assure us that it is man’s contrary will that resists God’s will:"How often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!" (Matt. 23:37).

But this will of man itself, what shall we make of it? Man’s will is something which is in Scripture and in conscience held as his own personal, righteous accountability. God ever addresses Himself to men, as fallen creatures, born in sin and shapen in iniquity, "by nature the children of wrath," yet always proper subjects of appeal. If individuals are destroyed finally, then they are self-destroyed.

The Spirit of God is represented as striving with man (Gen. 6:3), with those who nevertheless to the last resist the Holy Spirit. It is of no special consequence whether we can show the manner of this striving; it is enough that the Word of God speaks of it. All this shows something very different from a simple condemnation merely, and a giving up by God of all but the elect. While Calvary’s cross has proved that the mind of the flesh is enmity against God, still in this very cross it is manifested that "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son." And the gospel goes out addressed to every creature.

Thus far we go with the Arminians, and the truth of election does not conflict with this in any way. We can affirm that Omniscient Goodness did not desire or work the evil found in man, though He did allow it. The mystery of God’s allowance of evil we accept, though we do not explain it or suppose it possible to be explained. We know that God is against the evil. The cross has glorified God in every attribute with respect to sin; it demonstrates that not mere power could deal with evil, but that the victory must be that of goodness and in suffering.

Christ dying for the world, the testimony of God’s love to men at large, is no vain thing because in fact all are not saved by it. It demonstrates to us that infinite goodness from which men have to break away. He has sworn, "As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?" (Ezek. 33:11).

Men die because of their own will, not of God’s will. And men crudely ask of God’s omnipotence why He cannot convert them all. But we must remember that God’s omnipotence is in perfect balance and harmony with all of His other attributes, including His infinite wisdom. Let it suffice us that "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son," and that full provision has thus been made for that return of all to God to which they are besought.

But now what? Are we to conclude that because, if a man die, he wills himself to die, therefore if he live, it is by his own will also? We may not argue so; for here too God has spoken, and the conscience of His saints responds ever to what He says. "He was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not. He came unto His own, and His own received Him not." Was this rejection universal? No; some received Him. What, then, of these? "But as many as received Hun, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name; which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God" (John 1:10-13).

This is most decisive. It is not, of course, that the will of man is not implied in the reception of Christ, for reception of Christ is surely not forced upon unwilling souls. Rather, as the apostle tells the Philippians, "It is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure" (Phil. 2:13).

Every description of this new birth ascribes it in the fullest to divine and sovereign power. The very idea of "birth" implies it, for who is anything but passive in his own birth? It is also quickening from the dead, and "as the Father raiseth up the dead and quickeneth them, even so the Son quickeneth whom He will" (John 5:21). It is a new creation, "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works" (Eph. 2:10).

This sovereign, gratuitous work in man, done in accordance with that eternal counsel which all things work out, defines clearly for us what is election. It means the gracious interference of divine love in behalf of those who, no different from others, dead in the same sins, instead of being given up to perish, are given to Christ to be the fruit of His blessed work, "that He might be the firstborn among many brethren." It is love, righteously and in perfect goodness manifested in salvation of those worthy of damnation. To charge upon God’s election the damnation of the lost is blasphemy. If others remain obdurate in pride and careless unbelief and are going on to destruction, while we, justified by faith, and having peace with God, rejoice in hope of the glory of God, is it because we are better than they? What Christian heart can believe this? No; it is because "God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ" (Eph. 2:4,5). No man has found his true level who has not come down there, and only there do we find the full and impregnable assurance of perfect and enduring peace. "Who shall lay anything to the charge of God’s elect!" (Rom. 8:33). A love that found us with nothing, to endue us with all, is a love that has in it no element of change.

"For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Rom. 8:38,39).

(From Leaves from the Book.)

Our study of the attributes of God began with a consideration of the divine attributes, that is, those peculiar to God alone, such as infinite, eternal, omniscient, omnipresent, etc. This has been followed by a study of His moral attributes, such as love, grace, holiness, righteousness, etc., that He desires to be manifested in His children as well. We conclude our study by considering another of His divine attributes_ the sovereignty of God.

The word "sovereign" is defined in Webster’s New World Dictionary as "above or superior to all others . . . supreme in power, rank, or authority." As an attribute of God, sovereignty includes all these things plus the idea of being free to do whatever He wills to do at all times to carry out His eternal purposes. God’s sovereignty is well established in the Scriptures; let us read some of the passages.

"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth" (Gen. 1:1). As Creator of the universe, how could God be anything other than sovereign?

"I … will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy" (Exod. 33:19).

"The Lord killeth, and maketh alive; He bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up. The Lord maketh poor, and maketh rich; He bringeth low, and lifteth up. He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory; for the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s, and He hath set the world upon them" (1 Sam. 2:6-8).

"Thine, O Lord, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty; for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O Lord, and Thou art exalted as head above all. Both riches and honor come of Thee, and Thou reignest over all; and in thine hand is power and might; and in thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all" (1 Chron. 29:11,12).

"Who hath directed the Spirit of the Lord, or being His counsellor hath taught Him? With whom took He counsel, and who instructed Him, and taught Him in the path of judgment, and taught Him knowledge?" (Isa. 40:13,14).

"I am God, and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure. . . . Yea, I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it" (Isa. 46:9-11).

"O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?" (Rom. 9:20).

"In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of Him who worketh all things after the counsel of His own will" (Eph. 1:11).

A number of questions have arisen over the years in relation to the sovereignty of God. One has to do with the presence of sin, pain, and death in this world. Since God is sovereign, He could have prevented these from coming into existence. Why did He not do so? I doubt if anyone has a fully satisfactory answer to this question. It is sufficient to rest upon the declaration of Scripture, "Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?" (Gen. 18:25).

Another question widely debated in Christian circles for centuries relates to the will of man. If God sovereignly rules His universe with the freedom to do whatever He wills to do, how is it possible for man to exercise free choice? And if man cannot exercise freedom of choice, how can he be held responsible for his behavior? Again, there is no totally satisfactory answer to such questions, and ultimately we must fall back on the fact that a God who is equally holy and loving will do those things that will be equally best for mankind and glorifying to Himself. But having said that, let us consider some of the issues involved.

The Scriptures clearly reveal the sovereignty of God in electing or choosing individuals for salvation. "He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love" (Eph. 1:4). "God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth" (2 Thess. 2:13). "Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit" (1 Pet. 1:2).

A number of facts about election are apparent from Scripture. First, God has by election chosen some to salvation, but not all (John 6:37-40,44,65; 17:2,6,9; Acts 13:48; Rom. 9:22,23). Second, this election was accomplished in eternity past (Eph. 1:4; 2 Tim. 1:9). Third, election does not rest merely on God’s foreknowledge of those who will respond to the gospel call. If it did, it would make God’s choice dependent on man’s choice, and thus could not properly be referred to as God’s election. Further, election to salvation is according to the grace of God, not the good works of man, whether anticipated in the foreknowledge of God or already realized (Rom. 11:5,6; Eph. 2:8,9). Even the faith to accept God’s free gift of salvation is itself a gift of God.

The following objection is often raised against the notion of God’s election of some for salvation:If God has selected certain individuals to be saved, then has He not therefore selected the remainder to be lost? This may seem like a logical conclusion, but a careful study of Romans 9 will show that while God has appointed some to blessing, He has left the non-elect to reap the just punishment for their wicked deeds. "God . . . endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted [not by Him but by their own sinful behavior] to destruction; and that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had afore prepared unto glory" (Rom. 9:22,23). Those chosen for salvation were no less wicked. In fact, except for God’s sovereign election, not one person would have chosen by his own free will to receive God’s free gift of salvation. There are many things we do not understand about all this; but instead of condemning God for showing partiality or unfairness in not choosing all to be saved, we should rejoice and praise Him that He has at least chosen some! Those of us who have heeded the gospel message and have trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ for our eternal salvation now realize in retrospect that we are among God’s elect. How this draws out our hearts to God in praise and adoration for His sovereign grace in choosing, calling, and saving us. Well might we join with Isaac Watts in asking:

"Lord! why am I a guest?
Why was I made to hear Thy voice,
And enter while there’s room,
When thousands make a wretched choice,
And rather starve than come?"

While God’s sovereign choice of individuals to be saved is not based on any foreknown merit on the part of those individuals, we can be certain that His choices are not random or haphazard. The fact that oftentimes entire families are saved and that those who are objects of prayer and evangelistic efforts seem more likely to end up being saved than the rest speak against a purely random selection. Perhaps God’s election does in some way take into account His foreknowledge of the prayers and the efforts of others to present the gospel to a given individual. In any case, we know that God is "long-suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance" (2 Pet. 3:9). We also know that God has enjoined us to go "into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature" (Mark 16:15), and to pray "for all men" since God "will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth" (1 Tim. 2:1,4). So the doctrine of God’s sovereignty in election must not deter us from actively seeking, through prayer and evangelistic activities, the salvation of the unsaved. We can be certain that every soul that places his trust in the Lord Jesus Christ alone for salvation will find that he is among God’s elect. We know this because Jesus said, "Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out" (John 6:37). Also, "The Spirit and the bride say, Come. . . . And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely" (Rev. 22:17).

I have purposely avoided mention of the term "predestination" in the foregoing discussions. If we consider this word in the various contexts in which it is found in Scripture, it seems to have a more narrow application than election. Election refers to God’s choice of certain individuals to be saved. Predestination refers to God’s determination that those thus elected should become His sons (Eph. 1:5), receive His inheritance (Eph. 1:11), and become "conformed to the image of His Son, that He [Jesus] might be the firstborn among many brethren" (Rom. 8:29). God could very well have chosen us to be delivered from eternal punishment and live forever as His bondslaves. Surely we would be grateful for this much. But in His sovereignty, "according to the good pleasure of His will" (Eph. 1:5), He has brought us into a much higher and nearer position to Himself, "having predestinated us unto the adoption of children [or bringing into the position of sons]." This leads us to far deeper gratitude, even "praise of the glory of His grace" (verse 6).

One further note concerning the will of man in relation to the sovereignty of God:Many scriptures attest to the fact that God has given each individual a will of his/her own (see Gen. 6:5; 11:4,6; 49:6; Dan. 8:4; 11:3,16,36; Luke 23:23; Acts 24:27; 27:43; Rom. 7:18; 1 Cor. 7:37; 16:12; and many others). The fact that God is sovereign and free to do whatever He wills to do at all times does not mean that He always forces His will upon man’s will. The sin and rebellion against God throughout the millenia of man’s history on earth indicate that God has largely given man free reign to act according to his own will. No man can stand before the great white throne or the judgment seat of Christ and claim that he sinned because God willed that he sin. The fact that God has allowed man to sin without divine hindrance does not make God responsible for the sin.

Sometimes we hear people say, unthinkingly, "God is in control of all things. Therefore, while so-and-so sinned, it must have been God’s will that he sin." In the same vein, the "all things" that "work together for good" in Rom. 8:28 are sometimes taken to include man’s sin. Let us be very clear that God is not the author of sin. He is holy and abhors sin! It is true that in special instances (notably the crucifixion) God has worked good and blessing for man out of man’s wickedness. (God may use man’s sin to work out His purposes, but He is never dependent on man’s sin to accomplish these purposes.) But let us never condone or make light of sin by saying, "God allowed it," or "All things work together for good."

It is probably safe to say that whenever we have a desire to do something pleasing to God it is a result of God moving our wills in that direction. This is true concerning our desire to trust in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation, as noted previously in connection with election. It is also true for the believer in a more general way as indicated in Phil. 2:13:"It is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure." It is quite a different matter with regard to the sins we commit. "Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God.. . . Every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lust and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin" (James 1:13-15).

In conclusion, our God is sovereign; He has absolute authority in all areas of existence, even though He does not always impose His authority and will upon His creatures. He is not dependent upon the advice and actions of others for the decisions and choices He makes. How wonderful to know that the One who has absolute authority is the same One who is eternal; infinite in power, knowledge, and wisdom; present everywhere; the God of love, grace, mercy, and longsuffering; the holy, righteous God. So we can be assured that the One who has absolute freedom to carry out His own will is working that which is good and beneficial to His created beings.

"To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever" (Jude 25).

FRAGMENT
Eternal Sov’reign, Lord of all,
Prostrate before Thy throne we fall,
While here our claim and song we raise,
"Thou art our God, and Thee we’ll praise!"

In Part II of this series we considered the first three pieces of armor for the Christian warrior_the girdle of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, and the shoes of the preparedness of the gospel of peace (verses 14,15). This armor, as noted previously, is needed to combat Satan’s cunning efforts to divert us from making a definite effort (a) to learn more about our God and Saviour, (b) to worship, pray, and commune with God, (c) to know and to do His will, and (d) to be of service to Him. Some of Satan’s tactics include (a) presenting to us through false teachers error concerning the person and work of Christ, (b) ever reminding us of our sinful, unrighteous behavior in the past, and (c) whispering to our minds excuses for not sharing the gospel of peace with others, and hindering us from being peacemakers, living peaceably with others, and manifesting a peaceful spirit before all.

We conclude this series of articles by considering still more of Satan’s devices and more of the pieces of armor given to us by God to protect us from Satan’s wiles and attacks.

"Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked [one]." Another tactic of Satan is to cast fiery darts into the minds of the believers. What is the nature of these darts? No doubt it varies according to the temperament and spiritual maturity of each individual believer. For some, the darts may be blasphemous thoughts and doubting questions implanted by Satan and his demons in the minds of believers. For example:"How do you know there really is a God?" "The Bible is a bunch of lies and fantasies." "Are you sure the truth of God is found in the Bible and not in the Koran or the teachings of Buddha?" "Jesus was an imposter, not the Son of God." "You were never really saved; you only think you were." No doubt we all, on occasion, have experienced some such thoughts flitting into our minds. Most are able to dismiss them immediately as untrue and invalid. However, some believers may become very upset and agitated by such thoughts, thinking that they initiated the thoughts and hence that God must be angry with them, or wondering if they could really be saved and think such thoughts. To protect against these darts we need to take the shield of faith, that is, unflinching, unshakeable belief in the Word of God_that what God says in His Word is true. The fact that such thoughts most often come when one is positively seeking to worship, please, or serve God, and the fact that we are horrified at them, should be sufficient evidence to us that the thoughts did not originate with us but were really the fiery darts of the wicked one. Thus, our best response to such darts is to dismiss them immediately by confirming our belief in God’s Word, and then going on about our business.

For others, the darts may take the form of words or pictures that bring to mind past sins, habits, or indulgences. For a former alcoholic such a dart might be, "Wouldn’t a cold beer taste good right now?" For one with a past history of sexual sin the dart might be a lewd picture implanted in his mind. Again, one must combat such darts with the shield of faith, the confirmation that I now belong to Christ and am dead to those old habits, and the immediate dismissal of such thoughts and pictures from one’s mind. If one is not careful to take up the shield of faith, there will be a tendency to dwell on these thoughts; this may lead in turn to fantasies and longings for the old life; and this, if not checked, may lead to a sliding back into those old habits and sins. It is important to note here that while Satan is absolutely delighted if his darts result ultimately in a Christian falling back into old sin patterns, he is still happy, and has achieved his immediate objective, if he succeeds in getting the believer’s thoughts off the Lord and onto something else.

"Take the helmet of salvation." Our failure with regard to other parts of the armor may result in doubts arising in our minds as to whether we are saved. Without the girdle of truth I may fall into believing those who proclaim that it is possible to lose one’s salvation. Without the breastplate of righteousness I may allow Satan to convince me that if I were really saved I would not have committed so terrible a sin. Without the shield of faith I might start believing that those blasphemous thoughts that have popped into my mind have issued from my innermost being, and then think that this indicates that I very likely have never been saved. Satan may use yet other ways and means in addition to these, such as taking advantage of physical weakness or mental depression, to bring doubts into the believer’s mind as to his salvation. As far as Satan is concerned, no doubt the next best thing to preventing a person from becoming saved in the first place is making him either think that he has lost it or doubt that he ever had it. In such a condition, the individual will have little interest or ability to pray, worship, serve, or commune with the Lord. Either he will spend his time fretting about whether he really is saved, or else will tend to give up hope and fall back into his pre-Christian life style.

To combat such satanic efforts to make us doubt our salvation, we need to be armed with the "helmet of salvation," that is, by continually having fresh in our minds and memories those scriptures that speak of the assurance of our salvation. "These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God, that ye may know that ye have eternal life" (1 John 5:11-13). This eternal life cannot be lost, for Christ said, "I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand" (John 10:28). Also, we "are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time" (1 Pet. 1:5). If a believer sins, he does not lose his salvation; he does lose his joy of salvation (Psa. 51:12) and fellowship with his Father, but not his salvation. And even this fellowship is restored when he confesses his sin:"If we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin. … If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:7,9).

If Satan suggests * that you never really trusted Christ to begin with, you might review in your mind those verses that speak of the way of salvation. Remind yourself and your tormentor that you have acknowledged to God your sin and guilt, that you have owned that you deserve God’s eternal punishment, and that you have placed your trust for salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ who bore the penalty for your sin on the cross. Then quote John 6:37_"Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out"_and ask God to protect you from the enemy.

Taking the helmet of salvation may also refer to having a complete, balanced understanding of what is entailed in our salvation. Our salvation has past, present, and future aspects. "Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver; in whom we trust that He will yet deliver us" (2 Cor. 1:10). There are many New Testament scriptures that present to the believer his eternal portion in the heavens, to be totally delivered from the presence of sin, both in self and in others; on the basis of such a wonderful hope, we are exhorted to live accordingly in this present life (see, for example, Eph. 5:25-28; Tit. 2:11-14). Satan, on the other hand, will take advantage of the blessed truth of eternal security and will suggest to those who have an ear to hear:"Since there is nothing you can do to lose your salvation, why not treat yourself to some of those pleasures you enjoyed before you were saved." So for attacks like this we also need to have the

helmet of salvation, that clear understanding that God has saved us for the purpose of serving Him, worshipping Him, manifesting the fruit of the Spirit, and obeying His Word, and that He wants us to live in view of that soon coming day when we shall be delivered totally from indwelling sin. True joy and happiness in eternity will come as a result of such deliverance from sin and total attachment to Christ. In like manner, true joy and happiness in this present life will result from deliverance that God will give us_if we but allow Him_from the power of sin in our daily lives.

*As always, he will try to do this in a way that will make you believe the thought originated in your own mind. It is very important to be aware of this wile of the devil.

"Take … the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." The best example in Scripture of wielding the "sword of the Spirit" is given by the Lord Jesus Himself when tempted by Satan in the wilderness. Jesus responded to each of the three recorded temptations with a quotation from the Old Testament Scriptures:"Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. . . . Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. . . . Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve" (Matt. 4:4,7,10). It is important to note that Jesus did not simply state scriptural principles, but quoted the Scriptures themselves. There is a lesson here for us. As important as it is for us to be familiar with the basic doctrines and teachings of Scripture, it is equally important to be familiar with the Scriptures themselves on which the doctrines are based. If we only know doctrines, Satan can confuse us and trip us up by pointing out Scriptures that seem to contradict the doctrines we have learned.

"The sword of the Spirit … is the word of God." "Word" here is not the Greek word logos (as in John 1:1) but rhema, meaning "speech" or "sayings." Thus it is not referring to the entire Bible as such, but to the individual passages of Scripture which the Spirit brings to our minds at appropriate times. And the most efficient way for the Spirit to bring specific scriptures into our minds is for us to have read them often, better yet, to have committed them to memory, and best of all, to have put them into action in our lives.

While the sword is often used as an offensive weapon, in the present context its use would seem to be intended, like the pieces of armor, to defend the believer against the attacks of Satan (verses 11,13). Along with the shield, helmet, and breastplate to protect against the blows of the enemy, the sword is used to parry the offensive thrusts of Satan. Thus the believer is equipped to meet both the error and the mangled or incomplete Bible quotations used by the enemy with the truth of Scripture (see Matt. 4:6 where Satan quotes Scripture incompletely and misleadingly, and Matt. 4:7 where Jesus responds with a concise statement of truth from the Scriptures).

"Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints." Prayer is not presented as one of the pieces of armor per se but that attitude of total dependence on the Lord that should accompany the use of each piece of the armor. And that prayer is not solely for ourselves as we personally "stand against the wiles of the devil." We are enjoined to engage in "supplication for all saints." How much we need the help, the encouragement, and the prayers of one another as we all experience the attacks of Satan. May we all be more diligent in praying for our fellow saints, not just for their physical health, but much more for their spiritual health and energy as they, too, wrestle against "principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places."