“DANGEROUS BUT DEFEATED”

20 “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.”

Romans 16:20

We have been talking about victory in the Christian life, and the main reason why we do so is because we are in an ongoing battle with evil forces led by Satan, the leader of demonic forces. What should we keep in mind about this dangerous enemy?

In our previous blog, we learned that to live the Christian life successfully, we should be wise enough to avoid harm and gentle enough to avoid causing it.

Here’s our final spiritual nugget for this series:

Satan is a defeated foe.

In today’s verse, Paul writes that God is the God of peace, who wants to preserve the harmony among His people and keep them safe against the enemy’s divisive plots. He is powerful to subdue the enemy and thwart his schemes. Paul’s use of the word “crush” implies the promise of Christ’s victory over the serpent in Genesis 3:15.

Despite the plethora of biblical passages telling us of Satan’s ultimate defeat, we somehow still dread him; we shouldn’t. He is not God, so he doesn’t deserve the same fear. Satan is not omnipotent, so he can’t do what he pleases. He is not omnipresent, so he can't be in two places at the same time. He is not omniscient, so he is not all-knowing. He is not equal to God, and he is not the ruler of hell. 

On our own, we don't stand a chance against him, but the Bible prophesies our victory over him.

11 “And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.”

Revelation 12:11

Yes, Satan is a formidable enemy, and we shouldn’t wage war with him. While he is powerful, he is still no match for our King. The Creator is greater than the creature. And let’s not forget that God does the crushing, not us. The Bible does not instruct us to rebuke the devil, but it does advise us to resist him.

God is the One to whom we should submit ourselves. When we do, He will give us discernment, wisdom, and the confidence to overcome the Enemy. And let’s not forget: “Greater is He that is in us than he who is in this world (1 John 4:4).

Conclusion

To live a victorious Christian life, we should: 

• exercise discernment and reject false teachings,
• seek wisdom and make biblically sound decisions,
• understand that Satan is a defeated foe.

Pursue the Savior today!

Photo by Jonatán Bercerra on Unsplash