Devil -- Christianity; Spiritual life -- Christianity
There are two passages where the child of God is directed to resist the
devil. The context, however, in both passages warns him that it must be
in utter dependence upon the power of God. He must be wholly submitted
to God and it must be done through a steadfastness of faith. The
passages are as follows: "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the
devil, and he will flee from you" (Jas. 4:7). "Be sober, be vigilant;
because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about,
seeking whom he may devour: whom resist steadfast in the faith" (I Pet.
5:8, 9). And the faith principle is mentioned among the believer's armor
in Eph. 6:16 as the "shield of faith" by which all the fiery darts of
the enemy are to be quenched.
Third: True character may be realized by the power of God, in spite of
the tendency of the fallen nature. This character, however, is that
which is directly promised by the power of God: "But the fruit of the
Spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness,
faith, meekness, self control" (Gal. 5:22, 23). "For the fruit of the
Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth" (Eph. 5:9). "Ye
are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is
he that is in you, than he that is in the world" (I Jno. 4:4). Thus the
true God-honoring character is seen to be the result of the power of
God, and it is only possible to the one who has "ceased from his own
labors and has entered into rest." "This is the victory that overcomes
the world, even our faith" (I Jno. 5:4). This victory demands a constant
exercise of faith. Faith is never finished here, and any true progress
in the Christian life is "from faith to faith," and it is also said of
the one whom God has constituted just, that he shall "live by faith."
The same objection is often raised against the application of the faith
principle as a means to the consummation of a victorious life, as is
raised against the same principle for regeneration. In this objection it
is inferred that when this method is adopted, there is no adequate
incentive or motive left for the individual. Such objections arise from
a misunderstanding of this truth.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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