Devil -- Christianity; Spiritual life -- Christianity
The second announcement of Satan assured the woman that they would, by
this independent action, "be as God;" and this, so far from promising
death, seemed to them the immediate realization of the highest human
ideal. It was undoubtedly the original purpose of God in creation that
humanity should eventually become like Himself. By what process of
development this was to have been accomplished, had not sin entered, has
not been revealed. It is enough to know that even after man had fallen
from his high estate through sin, this Divine purpose was not abandoned,
though the problems involved were immeasurably increased: and now,
through the unsearchable riches of His grace, the realization of that
which surpasses all human dreams has been made possible, even to fallen
and polluted man.
The consummation of the transforming work of God is thus described: "For
whom He did foreknow, He did also predestinate to be conformed to the
image of His Son" (Rom. 8:29). "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and
it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall
appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is" (I Jno.
3:2). "When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also
appear with Him in glory" (Col. 3:4). "Now unto him that is able to keep
you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of
His glory with exceeding joy" (Jude 24). "For our citizenship is in
heaven; whence also we wait for a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: who
shall fashion anew the body of our humiliation, that it may be conformed
to the body of his glory, according to the working whereby He is able
even to subject all things unto Himself" (Phil. 3:20, 21 R.V.).
It is natural that Satan should suggest to humanity that which had been
the object of his own unholy ambition; and especially is it natural,
since by such a separation of humanity from its God, he could claim that
authority over them, and secure that worship from them, which he so much
craved.
There are, then, at least two distinct methods proposed for the
uplifting of humanity, and these are brought into sharp contrast; for
one is of Satan, and the other is of God. Since both these methods claim
to aim at the same end--though one ideal is not worthy to be compared
with the other--the method, alone, forms the first point for discussion.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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