SATAN
CHURCH
MYSTERY
35
AND THE
OF THE
2
4
EPHESIANS
EPHESIANS
`We all had our conversation'.
`The former conversation'.
`The desires (wills) of flesh and
`The old man'.
mind'.
`The lusts (desires) of our flesh'.
`Deceitful lusts (desires)'.
`In time past ye walked'.
`Henceforth walk not as other
Gentiles'.
Now, `dead in (to) sins'.
Then `alienated from the life of
God'.
Then, inwrought by the `prince
Now, the possibility of giving
of the power of the air'.
`place to the Devil'.
The flesh with its deceitful desires is the one point of contact between the member of the One Body and Satan.
Paul's inspired exhortation is NOT to resist Satan, but to put off the old man with his conversation and corruption,
and to put on the new man. If Satan can maintain God's children in an unscriptural conflict with himself, it will
blind their eyes to the two all-important facts, in this connection :
(1) That Satan is already dealt with by Christ for His church.
(2) That the true opposition of the Christian should be directed against the activities of the old man.
A saint who loses his temper may regard this as a slight thing in comparison with holding the fort against the
enemy, but God says, and we most resolutely stand by all He says:
`Can ye be angry and sin not? (Author's translation). Let not the sun go down upon your wrath: neither give
place to the Devil ... let all ... wrath, and anger ... be put away' (Eph. 4:26-31).
Yielding to the old man is yielding to the Devil. Taking the scriptural attitude against the old man is depriving
the Devil of his one point of contact. Fewer prayer meetings spending spiritual energy in waging war against Satan,
and more prayer meetings seeking light and grace to act scripturally concerning the old man would result in a
victory over the Devil and his plans such as transcends the hopes of the most sanguine of those who wage war
against him.
There is a further connection with Ephesians 4 found in Ephesians 6. Both passages stress the need to `put on';
in chapter 4, to `put on the new man'; in chapter 6, to `put on the whole armour of God'. That armour is specified as
truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation and the `Word of God'. God has said that with that equipment, all, not
merely some, of the fiery darts of the wicked shall be quenched. The words `conquest', `battle', `fighting' and
`war', are never mentioned. Conquest and war in this sphere are as out of place as they would have been for Israel
before crossing the Jordan. Our `orders' are to `stand', `withstand', and `wrestle'. Our conflict is neither with flesh
and blood, nor in heavenly places, but with the spiritual wickedness that dominates this world's darkness. In case
some should consider this a contradiction of Scripture, we present the translation of Ephesians 6:12 as follows:
`We wrestle NOT against flesh and blood (but ... spiritual wickedness) in heavenly places'.
The thought is that our wrestling is neither with flesh and blood, nor in heavenly places, but that it is confined to
spiritual wickedness here and now.
We would here draw particular attention to the place of the `truth' in connection with this subject. The Lord
Jesus declared: `The truth shall make you free'. The first piece of armour mentioned is the girdle of truth. Many
become an easy prey to Satan because they do not know the truth. Could a man be held in bondage by Satan if he
knew the truth of his deliverance and translation? (Col. 1:13). Every case of which we have heard where Satanic
interference or demon possession was endured has been connected with those who had no clear understanding of the
truth of the present dispensation. The new man we put on is created in righteousness and holiness of the truth, and
we are enjoined to `put away the lie' (not merely `lying') (Eph. 4:24,25).