The Sovereignty of Satan..?

Have you ever noticed how much praise Satan gets from some Christians? I'm serious! Judging by the words they speak, some Christians seem to think Satan is the sovereign lord of the Universe!

Certainly, the devil is real and is up to no good. We know from the Bible that he loves to attack God's people, but some of the things he gets credit for doing is simply laughable. I honestly think I have heard Satan blamed for everything from lost keys to sore feet!

Common testimonies I have heard -even in church services- sound almost like this:

"Praise the Lord! I thank God I'm a Christian. God is so wonderful! You really need to pray for me, that old Devil has been on my back all week! He caused me to lose my car keys and made me late to work Friday. The Devil has been fighting me so hard lately. I just don't know what I'm going to do. I caught a chest cold this week and I just know this is another attack of the enemy as well. To top it off my car wouldn't crank this morning and I was late to Sunday school. I am sure the Devil had something to do with that because you know he doesn't want me in church. Praise the Lord! Isn't God good?" (hyperbole added)

On the topic of Satan, theologian J.I. Packer has written:

"Satan is a creature, superhuman, but not divine; he has much knowledge and power, but he is neither omniscient nor omnipotent; he can move in ways humans cannot, but he is not omnipresent; and he is an already defeated rebel, having no more power than God allows him and being destined for the lake of fire."

Dr. Packer is correct. We see very clearly in scripture that Satan had to seek permission to attack God's servant Job. Unless God removed the hedge, the enemy could not touch him.

I may have missed it, but I don't recall Job ever once complaining that Satan was "on his back" during his trials and tribulations. Job knew none of those things could have befallen him unless his Lord and Master had permitted it. Job believed in the Sovereignty of God: not the sovereignty of Satan! In fact, Job believed so much in God's sovereignty that in the midst of his trial, he was actually able say to his wife , "You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity?" (Job 2:10) This is definitely not the attitude we see in many Christians today!

In Luke 22, Jesus warned Peter that Satan was seeking to sift him as wheat. Jesus even revealed to Peter that He had prayed for him and that when the trial was over for Peter to strengthen his brethren. Some like to try to say Peter "lost his salvation" during this time, but it is simply untrue because part of Jesus' prayer for Peter was that his faith would not fail. So we see here that even in Peter's denial of the Lord Jesus: God was in control the whole time! God allowed this to happen for Peter's ultimate good, not so the Devil could destroy Peter. Peter never again denied the Lord, in fact, tradition states that Peter himself died upon a cross for being a follower of Jesus!

A good cure for many theological errors -to include semi-Pelagianism and the idea that the Devil is in charge of everything- is a book by A.W. Pink entitled The Sovereignty of God. In this book, Pink uses the Scriptures to show that God is ultimately in charge of everything! Here is an excerpt from the introduction to the book:

"Who is regulating the affairs on this earth today-God, or the Devil? What impression is made upon the minds of those men of the world who, occasionally, attend a Gospel service? What are the conceptions formed by those who hear even those preachers who are counted as "orthodox?" Is it not that a disappointed God is the One whom Christians believe in? From what is heard from the average evangelist today, is not any serious hearer obliged to conclude that he professes to represent a God who is filled with benevolent intentions, yet unable to carry them out; that He is earnestly desirous of blessing men, but that they will not let him? Then must not the average hearer draw the inference that the Devil has gained the upper hand, and that God is to be pitied rather than blamed?"

Pink goes on to state that those who believe Satan has the upper hand are walking by sight and not by faith! The fact is, Satan does not have the upper hand at all. God is in total control of all things in creation. I agree with R.C. Sproul when he states that there is not one atom in all the Universe that is outside of God's control!

As we see in Genesis with Joseph being sold into slavery in Egypt, God is sovereign even over the choices and deeds of wicked men. God actually uses their sinful actions to bring to pass things that bring him praise! Though Joseph's brothers wanted to do him harm, the end result was Joseph being the 2nd in charge of Egypt and his brothers having to come to him for relief from the famine! Joseph clearly understood that God was in control of all that had happened to him. This can be seen very clearly in the passage where Joseph tell his brothers "But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive." (Genesis 50:20 KJV) Again, God is in control!

No matter what the Devil is trying to do to attack God's elect, he has to have permission from God to be able to mess with us in the first place! This truth is something that I take great comfort in when "the road gets bumpy" or when I think the "Devil has been on my back all week." I am thankful that the God I serve -the God of Scripture- isn't a dumb idol sitting on a shelf somewhere who has no control over anything in Creation! The Bible says God is working all things together for good for those who love Him and who are the called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28)! This is an awesome truth that ought to comfort the people of God!

So in conclusion, the next time something doesn't go according to your plans, don't automatically blame it on the Devil. Take a second to examine the situation in light of the Sovereignty of God. Perhaps you ought to ask the Lord why he has allowed the circumstances to work out in that particular way. Ponder what God might be trying to teach you from the experience. Maybe even look for ways that God might be sending you a blessing in disguise -I know in my life that God has done that very thing on more than one occasion! Perhaps the setback is a genuine attack of the Enemy, however, even if it is, just remember that God is in control!

Soli Deo Gloria!