BiblicalInsights.net

The Warren Christian Apologetics Center under the directorship of Charles Pugh III continues to promote and publish religious error.  I have published a review of Mac Deaver’s article, “Could God Create (ex nihilo) on the First Day?”  that appeared in Sufficient Evidence, Fall of 2020.  Sufficient Evidence is a publication of the Warren Christian Apologetics Center.  The basic affirmation of Mac Deaver is that it is not possible for anyone to know the age of the earth and so it is not a matter of faith or doctrine which could be a test of fellowship.  This position opens the door to cosmological evolution and geological evolution. This concept must be put to the test of truth.  Deaver argues that the creation of the heaven and the earth (Gen. 1:1) does not occur during the six days referenced by Moses in Exodus 20:11.  This brings up the question, “What is the relationship between Gen. 1:1 and Exodus 20:11?”   This is the question that I address in my reply to Deaver’s article.  You will find my reply under the page Biblical Articles.

The human mind is a terrible thing to waste!  We can fill our minds with mundane information that will not enhance our lives.  Or, we can fill our minds with useful, magnificent truths that will guide us through life and prepare us for eternity.  Almost everyone has heard the phrase, “just google it.”  The word google is used as a verb in that phrase.  But, Google is a noun that describes a search engine on the internet.  The noun Google is derived from the word googol which was named by Milton Sirotta, the nephew of the American mathematician Edward Kasner.  Kasner was working with very large numbers and in particular the number 10 to the 100th power (a 1 with 100 zeroes after it).  Kasner felt it deserved a name and so he asked his nephew to invent a word for the large number.  Milton made up the word googol and so the enormous word was given this descriptive term.  The name Google signifies how much information the originators believed they could catalog.  The information on the internet is a large collection of data that is not cohesive.  Information that lacks meaning.  Knowledge on the other hand is different.  Knowledge is information that has been processed into a cohesive whole.  We can further divide knowledge into two groups:  secular and sacred.  God’s Word is knowledge of God.  It is knowledge of the holy (II Tim. 3:15).  It is knowledge of truth (John 17:17).  It is essential knowledge (John 12:48) because it will be used in Judgment.  Knowledge of the sacred holds a higher place and is more significant than secular knowledge.  A person can know much information about various aspects of the world that we live in but that information does not save the soul from the servitude to and consequences of sin.  Only the knowledge of the sacred informs us of God’s plan of salvation and our part in that plan (II Tim. 3:15; James 1:21).  The Christian mind is rich with the sacred truths from God that will guide it to heaven.  The Christian mind is the mind of Christ (Phil. 2:5-11).  There are three aspects of the mind of Christ that are worth considering.
First, truth vs. relativity.  If you don’t know the truth, you don’t know anything!  The opposite of truth is lies.  Lies can fill the human mind with a lot of information, but it is worthless and useless.  The basic idea of postmodernism is that you can create your own reality or your own truth.  Truth becomes subjective and is self-determined.  This leads to moral relativity and a redefinition of what it means to be human.  Some information is evil and detrimental to the human soul.  The human mind can become corrupted and deceived.  The corrupted mind is reflected in our present culture when we have lost the ability to define a man and a woman.  We have lost the basic ability to discern gender identity.  Gender identity has become fluid and limitless in the postmodern mindset.  The truth of God’s Word declares that there are only two genders:  male and female (Mark 10:6).  The corrupted mind is seen in that we have lost the ability to determine right from wrong.  Moral relativity prevails in our present culture.  However, the Word of God is clear about what constitutes sin and what comprises righteousness (Gal. 5:19-23-the works of the flesh contrasted with the fruit of the Spirit).  The mind of Christ was saturated with truth. Truth is synonymous with the Word of God (John 17:17).  This body of sacred knowledge comes from God and is objective -not self-determined.   Jesus used the Scriptures authoritatively and decisively (Matt. 4:1-11; 13:1314-15; 22:29-32).  Jesus did not equivocate on gender identity (Mark 10:6).  He did not call evil good and good evil (Matt. 5-7).   God has spoken unto us through His Son (Heb. 1:1-3).  Jesus is the Son of God and possesses the authority to bind and loose.  Jesus is truth (John 14:14).  His life and His teaching give us knowledge of the sacred that can save us from condemnation and give us hope beyond this life.  Truth is corrective of the profane mind and transforms the mind so that it conforms to the thoughts and ideas of God (Rom. 12:1-2).
Second, spiritual vs. a carnal mind.    The Christian mind is spiritual not carnal.  The carnal mind pursues the flesh (lusts of the flesh) while the spiritual mind is led by the Spirit and follows the sacred things of God.  The carnal mind is worldly, sensual, devilish (James 3:15).  The carnal mind pursues the works of the flesh (Gal. 5:19-21).  The works of the flesh are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revelings, and such like.  Paul further exposes the carnal mind in I Cor. 3:1-3.  Strife, envyings and divisions flow from the carnal mind and are obstacles to the spiritual mind.  The spiritual mind is led by the Spirit of God through the word of God (Rom. 8:14).   The spiritual mind knows God.  It knows the truth revealed by God.  It knows Jesus Christ the savior of the world.  Jesus’ mind was saturated with spiritual promises and precepts.  He knew the will of God and acted on it with humility of heart and obedience (Phil. 2:5-11). This produced selflessness and service in sacred acts of sacrifice.  The Christian mind is selfless and sacrificial.
Third, righteous vs. reprobate.   In Rom. 1:28, Paul describes the profane mind that has rejected God as reprobate.  The word reprobate means morally reprehensible.  A mind that is sin-sick because it is sin-saturated.  If we reject God, God allows us to pursue every sinful, wicked and evil thing imaginable.  Later in Romans 1, Paul enumerates 23 sins (Rom. 1:28-32).  In contrast, the mind of Christ was holy, pure, and just.  Jesus’ mind is aptly described by Paul in Phil. 2:5-11 and in Phil. 4:8, he indicates the Christian mind which focuses on: “whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report…”  These things are virtuous.  These are the things that the human mind is enriched by and that enhance life now and prepare it for eternity.  Jesus lived a sinless life.  His mind had to be pure to produce a virtuous life of holiness (Heb. 4:15; I Pet. 2:22).  Only the pure in heart will see God (Matt. 5:8).
In 2005, the most popular Google searches were: Janet Jackson, Xbox 360, Brad Pitt, Michael Jackson, American Idol, and Angelina Jolie.  You can have a lot of information about these people, but it doesn’t rise above the mundane.  The human mind must be illuminated by the word of God in order to benefit from the wisdom which is from above and experience the sublime truths given to us from God.  All information is not profitable.  Some information is evil.  Knowledge of the secular may help you get a job.  But, only knowledge of the sacred will save your soul!

How would you define the good life?  Do you think that it would be to have plenty of money to do whatever you wanted to do?  More play and less work?  Self-indulgence, but not to the point of self-destruction? Being the envy of your neighbors?  Success, yes, but how do you define success?  What do you really want out of life?
God’s word defines the good life.  Psalm 34:11-14 and I Peter 3:10-11 point us in the right direction.  Psalm 34 was written by David and Peter wrote I Peter 3 and quoted David’s Psalm.  The Psalm invites us to consider the aspects of the good life.  There is the invitation, the explanation, the question and the answer.
First, the invitation is given.  “Come, ye children, hearken unto me….”  Are you interested?  Listen and learn.  Your life begins to be shaped by who you listen to.  What voice(s) direct your choices?  Each person is a collection of voices.  We have those voices in our memories and they affect our thinking and our decisions.  Most of us can recall what our parents have taught us.  We can remember the words of our grandparents or other family members.  Add the voices of good teachers and friends.  Who are you listening to?  The wisdom from above comes from God.  If we are not listening to God, can we say that we are pursuing the good life?  The invitation has been extended.  You have to answer.  What will your answer be?
Second, the explanation is given.  “I will teach you the fear of the LORD.”  This sounds like a great life lesson.  What does it mean?  The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge (Proverbs 1:7).  Knowledge of God, God’s Will, life itself, and the good life of course.  Life’s decisions are based on what we know.  When we know the truth and utilize it, our decisions become more attuned to God’s wisdom.  The fear of the LORD is a combination of love for God (adoration, affection, attachment and allegiance) and knowledge of God’s punitive power which produces reverence and godly fear (Heb. 12:28).  The good life is shaped by our attitude toward God.  The right attitude toward God is the pathway of wisdom.  The wrong attitude toward God is the pathway of fools.  The good life is shaped by the fear of the LORD.
Third, the question is given.  “What man is he that desireth life, and liveth many days, that he may see good?”  Let’s break this thought down.  “Desires life” means that he wants to live life to its fullest.  The optimal life is the spiritually optimal life (John 10:10).  Spiritual life comes from God and is given only by God to us.  Sin brings corruption, destruction, and death (both spiritual and physical).  Only God can redeem our soul and impart spiritual life.  Can we say we are living the good life if we are not spiritually regenerated?  “Loveth many days” refers to the length of life and its productivity.  The longer we live, the more fruitful we can be.  “See good” refers to experiencing the good.  God is good!  Good is defined by God.  God is morally perfect (holy).  God is infinite in goodness.  The goodness of God is the fountain of His grace toward us.  To be good is to be like God and manifest His nature and undefeatable, benevolent, goodwill.  Good is the opposite of evil.  God leads us in the pathway of righteousness.  If we are not following God, can we say that we are living the good life?
Fourth, the answer is presented to us.  There are four aspects to the answer.  “Keep thy tongue from evil” is the first aspect.  James 3:2-18 reveals that if we can control the tongue, we can control the entire body.  Self-control is an attribute of the good life.  All relationships depend upon being able to control the tongue.  Evil communications are destructive to the soul of man and destroy relationships with others and with God.  No wonder James says that the tongue is a fire and is set on fire of hell!  The good life must be characterized by speaking the truth and speaking words of encouragement and edification.  The second aspect is lips that speak no guile.  Guile is deceit.  Jesus said that out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks (Matt. 12:34).  Out of an evil treasure, evil things are spoken.  Out of a good treasure, good things are spoken.  The good life is characterized by speaking the truth thus indicating a good heart.  Relationships are built upon trust and without truth there can be no trust.  The third aspect is departing from evil.  The only intrinsic evil is sin.  The good life is characterized by the pursuit of righteousness and godliness.  We must pursue love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (the fruits of the Spirit–Gal. 5:22-23).  We must reject every sinful attitude and behavior.  The good life is marked by Christlikeness.  Finally, David encourages us to seek peace and pursue it.  True peace is the tranquility of soul that fears nothing from God because it rests in God’s grace and love.  Spiritual peace is reconciliation to God.  Sinners live in enmity with God.  The righteous live in peace with God.  The good life is characterized by oneness with God where there is salvation, security, safety and peace.
The apostle Peter quotes this Psalm in I Pet. 3:10-11.  He defines the spiritually optimal life, indeed the Christian life, utilizing the words of David.  The good life is shaped by the voice of God.  It is shaped by an attitude of reverence and godly fear.  It is shaped by a pursuit of God and imitation of God.  It is shaped by self-control, a good heart, the pursuit of good not evil,  and peace with God through the redemption that was secured by the Lord Jesus Christ.  The good life is the Christian life.  All are invited to come and learn the wisdom from above that leads us to spiritual life now and eternal life in the world to come.

“Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water” (Heb. 10:22).  The heart (inward man) is at the center of all human life and activities.  “Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life” (Prov. 4:23).  “Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh” (Matt. 12:34).  “A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things” (Matt. 12:35).  A true heart is an aspect of true religion.  True hearts are purified by obedience to the truth, characterized by genuineness, and blessed by fellowship with God.
Purified By Obedience to the Truth
“Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently” (I Pet. 1:22).  There are two parts to our purification from sin.  The first part belongs to God.  The human heart is cleansed by the power of the blood of Jesus Christ.  Sin is forgiven on account of the atoning power of the blood of Jesus which was shed on the cross.  His blood secures our redemption.  “In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace” (Eph. 1:7).  God’s love, grace and mercy are all involved in our salvation.  God has done His part.  The second part belongs to each of us.  We must manifest an obedient faith in Jesus Christ.  Our bodies are washed with pure water. This is a reference to baptism (an immersion in water for the remission of sins).  “The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us; not the putting away of the filth of flesh but the answer of a good conscience before God.”  Our sins are washed away in baptism. “And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord” (Acts 22:16).  Paul’s conversion was a pattern to them that should believe unto everlasting life (I Tim. 1:13-14).  Paul was baptized into Christ (Acts 9:18).  Later, he taught others that they must be baptized into Christ and put on Christ (Gal. 3:26-27).  The human heart is purified by obedience to the truth.  When we are baptized into Christ, our sins are washed away by the power of His blood.
Characterized By Genuineness
The word true means, “genuine, free from iniquity, hypocrisy, deceit and so sincere, unfeigned, true-hearted.”  A person must be sincere in one’s faith.  Faith is conviction of the precepts of God and confidence in the promises of God (Heb. 11:1).  Conviction produces assurance (nothing doubting).  A person must not vacillate between two different religions, i.e. Judaism and Christianity.  Paul is an example once again.  When Paul became a Christian, he left Judaism behind.  Immediately after becoming a Christian, Paul began to preach Jesus Christ (Acts 9:20) that He is the Son of God.  This spiritual fact affirms the deity of Jesus Christ which previously Paul had denied.  Paul changed from being a persecutor of the Lord’s church to becoming a proclaimer of the Lord and His kingdom.  A good heart produces good fruit (Matt. 12:35).  This will be manifested in word and in deed.  It will be seen in pure speech and pure religion (James 1:27).  Blasphemy does not come from a pure heart.  Hypocrisy does not come from a pure heart.  Truth comes from a pure heart.
Blessed By Fellowship With God
The writer of Hebrews encourages us to draw near to God.  First, no man can draw near to God apart from Jesus Christ.  John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life, no man cometh unto the Father but by me.”  Access to God is made possible by Jesus Christ who opens the door to heavenly realms.  We must be forgiven.  We must be redeemed.  God is holy.  In order to approach God, we must have pure hearts.  Authentic faith in God and genuine love for God secure relationship and fellowship with God.  We draw near to God when we worship Him.  Praise and prayer are avenues of worship whereby the human heart pursues God.  We have fellowship with God through the bond of love that is manifested in our adoration of God.  The pathway to God involves a true heart.  True hearts make true religion.  “Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God” (Matt. 5:8).

Have you ever heard someone say, “It doesn’t matter what you believe as long as you’re sincere?”  This expression affirms self-righteousness.  It rejects God’s righteousness (Rom. 1:16-17).  God’s righteousness is the way God makes men righteous through the gospel of Christ.  If we reject God’s way of making men righteous, then, we are left with some form of self-righteousness.  Self-righteousness cannot save.
Self-Righteousness Fails to Obtain the Goal of Salvation
Consider Romans 10:1-3.  Paul addresses the brethren at Rome.  New Testament Christians constitute the true spiritual Israel.  Paul addresses, “Israel” which refers to physical Israel or Paul’s own countrymen (Paul was a Jew, but He had become a Christian (Acts 9).  Paul’s desire or his heartfelt longing was for them to be saved.  Paul’s prayer was also for their salvation.  The greatest expression of love for another person is to desire, work and pray for his/her salvation.  This indicates that Paul did not believe that many of his own countrymen were saved.  They were “under the Law of Moses” but, they were not saved.  The law (covenant) had changed when Jesus died on the cross (Col. 2:14, Rom. 7:1-4).  Salvation is in Christ and results when one follows Jesus not Moses.
They were zealous and sincere, but, they were not saved.  When Paul persecuted the Lord’s church, he was zealous for the Law of Moses and sincere (lived in all good conscience, Acts 23:1).  Later, he admits that he was in ignorance and unbelief when he persecuted the Lord’s church and was injurious and blasphemed (I Tim. 1:13-14).  Ignorance, unbelief, and disobedience to God adds up to being eternally lost rather than saved.  Paul was acting self-righteously when he rejected God’s righteousness.  The phrase, “it doesn’t matter what you believe as long as you are sincere” is a false concept and must be rejected.
The Righteousness of God
Jesus Christ is the end (aim) of the law of Moses.  Jesus fulfills the law (Matt. 5:17).  When the law changed from the Mosaical law to the Law of Christ, the details of how God makes men righteous also changed.  Under the Law of Moses, thousands upon thousands of animal sacrifices were made and none of them provided for absolute atonement for sin (Heb. 10:4).  The blood of bulls and goats could not take away sin.  Under the law of Christ, we have absolute atonement (forgiveness of sin) through the power of the blood of Christ (Eph. 1:7; I Pet. 1:18-19).  Through the blood of Jesus was have justification.  To be justified is to be pronounced not guilty and so we stand before God as if we have never sinned.  We are justified by faith in Christ Jesus (Rom. 5:1) when we obey the commands the Lord has given to us in the gospel (Rom. 10:16).  God’s word was nigh unto Paul’s countrymen.  It was in their ears and hearts through the preaching of the gospel.  But, it was not mixed with faith in those who heard it (Rom. 10:6-8; 16-17).  If they would confess the Lord Jesus and believe in their heart that God had raised Him from the dead, they could be saved (Rom. 10:9-10).  This confession is a verbal statement of the faith that is in the heart.  When faith is absent, no confession is made and the result is a lost condition.  Faith, confession and baptism (Rom. 6:3-4) are involved in the salvation of the human soul under the law of Christ.  The gospel was and is a universal message that all people must hear and obey (Rom. 10:13).  Calling on the name of the Lord is illustrated in Paul’s own obedience.  Paul’s sins were washed away in baptism (Acts 22:16).  “And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.”  Paul’s desire for his countrymen was that they would obey the gospel just as he had done and be saved from past sins.  This is God’s righteousness as it is revealed in the law of Christ.
All people are saved in the same way.  They are saved by faith in Jesus Christ.  They are saved by loving God supremely (Mark 12:29-31).  They are saved by repenting of all sin and making the great confession that Jesus is God’s Son.  Finally, they are saved by being baptized into Christ.  When they undergo the New Birth (John 3:3-5), they become the children of God.  The New Testament redefines what constitutes a child of God (Gal. 3:26-29).  The righteousness of God is revealed in the gospel of Christ.  By following Jesus and His teaching, we can be saved.  If we reject God’s righteousness, we are left with some form of self-righteousness which cannot save.

May 24, 2022 a male, 18 years old, shoots his grandmother and then proceeds to Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, TX and kills 19 children and two school teachers.  He is shot and killed by a boarder patrol officer. The community and nation are stunned and shocked.  This tragedy will be scrutinized in many ways over the next few days.  The nagging question is why? What was the motive of the shooter?  The specific details of this question remain unanswered at this time.  However, the evil represented in the actions of this person is not unfamiliar.  He is not alone in being in the grip of Satan.  Jesus states, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin” (John 8:34).
The Lost
Those who give themselves over to sin become corrupted by that sin.  They are capable of horrendous acts of violence against themselves and others.  Those outside of Christ are empty souls.  Five words characterize them.  The first word is deceived.  They are not guided by the truth revealed by God.  They are guided by strong delusions.  When we reject God’s truth, we enter into darkness.  Darkness is the second word.  Those in darkness are ignorant of the truth.  In darkness, the understanding is compromised and these individuals are guided by perverted thinking.  Paul states, “This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind.  Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart.  Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness” (Eph. 4:17-19).  The third word is destruction.  Sin always destroys.  Sin always corrupts.  Sin always brings condemnation from God which results in damnation.  Corrupt minds produce corrupt works.  The fourth word is despair.  Despair captures the essence of life without God.  It brings meaninglessness and hopelessness.  This defines even further those who manifest empty souls.  The last word is death.  But, this is not physical death, it is spiritual death.  The spiritually dead are separated from God due to sin.  The corruption and destruction caused by sin ruins the mind and heart of man.  These people are dead in trespasses and sins (Eph. 2:1).  Paul further characterizes those who are spiritually lost, “Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience.  Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of the flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others (Eph. 2:2-3).
The Saved
God offers us a better life.  Christ was manifested to give us life and more–the abundant life (John 10:10-the spiritually optimal life).  This better life begins with enlightenment.  We must know the truth.  We must know God and His Will.  God has revealed Himself in two great books:  His created world and His Word.  The ultimate quest of the human heart is to know God!  To know God, we must seek Him diligently (Acts 17:27).  He is not far from every one of us.  Second, we must follow the Light.  Jesus Christ is the light of the world (John 8:12).  Jesus said, “he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”  Being a disciple of Jesus is wholly transformative.  “But 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, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Eph. 2:4-6).  This transformation begins with our spiritual conversion.  When we obey the gospel we put our trust in the Lord and set our affections upon Him and obey Him.  We repent of our sins.  We confess Christ that He is the Son of God.  Then, we are baptized (immersed) into the name of Christ for the remission of sin (Acts 2:38).  Undergoing this new birth (John 3:3-5), we become new creatures (II Cor. 5:17) to walk in newness of life (Rom. 6:4).  The old man is crucified.  The new man is adorned (Eph. 4:20-32).  Now, we have hope in Christ.  We have new meaning and purpose.  We are defined as God’s children (Gal. 3:26-27).  We are productive, perfected, and promised everlasting life.  We are alive in Christ Jesus!  Empty souls give way to enriched and empowered souls. Once again, Paul declares, “But if our gospel is hid, it is hid to them that are lost.  In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them” (II Cor. 4:4-5).
Too many follow the god of this world to their own destruction.  Too many company in the darkness.  When our hearts are shocked by the darkness, it is the time to run to the Light.

The Sermon on the Mount includes the prayer that Jesus taught to His disciples (Matthew 6:9-13).  The prayer contains sixty-six words (KJV).  But, it includes all of the essential elements of a prayer:  address, body, and closing.  We now pray through Jesus’ name because He is our mediator and intercessor (John 16:26; I Tim. 2:5; Rom. 8:34).
The prayer includes the phrase, “Deliver us from evil.”  The petition involves satan exposed, countered and defeated.
Satan Exposed
The word of God exposes satan as the enemy of every human being.  I Pet. 5:8, “Be sober, be vigilant: because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.”  Satan is a destroyer (Rev. 9:11).  He is a deceiver.  John 8:44, “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do.  He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him.  When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.”  Satan is a tempter.  He tempts us to bring us to condemnation before God.  “Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.  And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.  And when the tempter came to him, he said If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread” (Matt. 4:1-3).  Paul declares that we are not ignorant of his devices (II Cor. 2:11).  Through the truth of God’s word, we are informed about our enemy and so can prepare to overcome him.
Satan Countered
Jesus is our example in overcoming temptation (Matt. 4:1-11).  Jesus met each of the temptations presented to Him by satan with the word of God.  Knowledge of God’s word is indispensable in refuting the lies (temptations) of satan.  A firm commitment to the truth is also necessary.  Jesus was determined to maintain virtue of heart and soul.  Jesus also exercised spiritual discernment (righteous judgment) in order to differentiate between truth and error.  Jesus resisted satan and satan fled from Him.  Paul states that with every temptation there is a way of escape (I Cor. 10:13).  “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape.”  In I Tim. 6:11-12, Paul gives three was to escape any temptation.  First, we may flee.  Joseph did this to escape from Potipher’s wife (Gen. 39:7-12).  Second, we my follow after Jesus.  Pursuit of righteousness is a sure way to defeat temptation.  Third, we may fight (contend earnestly for the faith).  This may involve reproof (Eph. 5:11), defense of truth (Phil. 1:17), instruction in righteousness (II Tim. 3:16-17). Through following God’s Word and the example of Jesus we can be delivered from evil.
Satan Defeated
The ultimate defeat of satan occurred when Jesus died on the cross. “Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil” (Heb. 2:14).  “He that committed sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil” (I John 3:8). Satan’s work involves bringing  people to condemnation before God by tempting them to transgress God’s precepts.  When they sin against God, they die spiritually.  Sin and death are conquered by Jesus Christ in His death and resurrection.  He makes reconciliation to God possible by the atoning power of His blood.  When we are forgiven by God, we are delivered from evil.  Through the Lord Jesus Christ, we can overcome satan and live victoriously!  Forgiveness of sins is contingent upon our willingness to obey the commands of Christ given in the gospel (Luke 24:47; Acts 2:38).  These commands are to repent of our sins and be baptized into Christ for the remission of sins.  Obedience must be from the heart (Rom. 6:16-17) and so must be executed in faith and love for the Lord.  “Being made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness (Rom. 6:18).  Yes, delivered from evil.