The Devil and Satan Realising the truth
about human nature is a great help towards understanding "the devil" and "satan" in the Bible.
These terms have a long tradition in human superstitions about an Evil Spirit, active against God and tempting
mankind to evil. The popular understanding of them did not originate in the Bible but in the pagan centuries long
before the Christian era.
Where the Bible writers, under the inspiration of God, have occasionally used these terms -they are in fact
comparatively rare in the Bible - they represent only the evil tendencies of human nature. It is significant that
throughout the Bible sinners are never encouraged to blame something or someone else for their failings, but only
themselves. The persistent enemy of God is the human mind and its demands for satisfaction.
The true Bible teaching about human nature delivers us from the fear of some supernatural devil and shows clearly
where the real enemy of God is to be found.
|
