Who is the enemy?
According to a 2023 Gallup survey, 58% of Americans believe in the devil, often referred to as Satan or “the enemy.“ Many Christians regularly hear sermons from leaders who caution us to beware the tactics of the enemy– God‘s counterpart who is always looking to pull people away from the way of Jesus. Some Christian leaders encourage people to engage in “spiritual warfare” with the enemy as a way of resisting the temptations of sin.
But who exactly is the enemy and how are Christians supposed to identify where or when that enemy is at work in our day to day lives?
Christians hold a wide range of views about the nature of evil. While some see the devil as a literal being, others prefer to view Satan as a metaphor for all kinds of worldly sin. Many reject the idea that an “enemy” exists at all, preferring to explain evil in the world by pointing to human nature.
Even among those who agree that Satan exists, however, there is disagreement about exactly how he shows up in our day to day lives. Is “the enemy“ primarily the temptations of sexual sin or the pressure to conform to modern culture? Or could it be something else– such as the temptations of power and greed?
The idea of “the enemy“ comes up in many Christian conversations about politics because Christians associate Satan with the evils of the world. But who exactly is the enemy and how does he show up in our politics, if at all?
Your answer depends on how you view Jesus’ encounters with demonic forces.
How Christians across the political spectrum have answered this question
“The enemy is the devil, a literal being who tempts us with sexual and cultural sins.”
God is good and cannot be the source of evil in the world. The existence of evil proves that the devil is real.
The devil is the source of all temptations of “the world“ such as lust or the desire to be popular within “the culture.“ We must resist the temptations of “the world“ by returning to God.
Returning society to God means helping people to resist the temptations of sex and culture. We can do this by electing politicians who support a Christian agenda.
“The enemy is a metaphor for our human desire for wealth and power.”
God is all powerful and created everything, which means that the devil cannot exist. God created humans, who then began to sin. God is not responsible for human sin and neither is Satan. Humans are responsible for human sin.
Human desire for wealth and power is at the root of worldly evil. Social sin, in the form of oppression and persecution of marginalized people, is the primary form of sin that we are called to resist. We must resist the temptations of wealth and power by following Jesus‘ example.
Returning society to God means dismantling systems of power and greed. We can do this by electing politicians who are focused on social and political reform.
Jesus’ encounters with Satan and demons
After Jesus‘ birth, the gospel accounts largely jump ahead to his baptism, which took place at the beginning of his ministry when he was about 30 years old. After his baptism, Jesus retreats into the wilderness for 40 days, where he is tempted by the devil. While Jesus successfully resists Satan’s temptations, this isn’t the last time that Jesus encounters demonic presence in the gospel accounts. Throughout the course of his ministry, he is frequently called on to cast out demons and at one point yells “Get behind me Satan!” when his disciple Peter questions him. What is the significance of Jesus’ repeated brushes with the enemy? As you read these encounters, consider how Jesus’ interactions with demonic forces can inform how we identify and understand evil today.
Read the New Testament passages
How these passages build on the Old Testament
When Satan begins to tempt Jesus, Jesus responds by quoting the Hebrew Bible. When Satan asks him to prove that he is God by asking him to turn a stone into a loaf of bread, Jesus quotes Deuteronomy and says “one does not live by bread alone.” Here he’s making a reference to God’s instructions to the Israelites as they wandered the desert. God provided for their material needs by ensuring that they had manna, but the more valuable thing that God provided them was guidance and comfort— that’s what’s more important than bread alone. Next Satan tempts Jesus with the promise of power if Jesus agrees to worship him. Jesus responds by again quoting Deuteronomy and says that he will only worship God. This, again, is an instruction that God gave to the Israelites as they wandered the desert. Finally, Satan quotes scripture in order to tempt Jesus. Satan quotes Psalm 91, which assures readers that God will protect them. Satan uses this scripture to tempt Jesus to jump off of the pinnacle of the temple to prove that he is God. Jesus responds by quoting Deuteronomy for a third time— he says that he will not test God in that way. Here he’s quoting a part of scripture where God warned the Israelites not to test God as they had earlier.
This exchange is really about proving Jesus’ identity. Satan is tempting Jesus to prove that he is the Son of God, but Jesus refuses to be tempted in this way. Instead, he makes his identity clear by demonstrating his understanding of scripture and casting himself as the next phase in God’s relationship with Israel.
Satan appears at multiple points in the Hebrew Bible in two different roles: as a tempter and as an accuser. In the story of Adam and Eve, Satan appears as a serpent, tempting the humans to defy God’s commands. Similarly, in 1 Chronicles, Satan tempts King David to disobey God by conducting a census of Israel. In Job and Zechariah, however, Satan plays a different role. Satan accuses Job of only being faithful because of his good fortune and proceeds to test his faith. In Zechariah, Satan accuses Joshua of failing to righteously fulfill his role as high priest. As you read these Old Testament passages, consider how their portrayal of Satan adds to our understanding of evil.
Read the Old Testament passages
Now that you’ve read the scripture…
Reflect
What are you thinking and feeling right now?
Request
Ask God to open your heart and your mind to a different perspective. Challenge yourself to see another point of view— even if you don’t agree with it.
Respond
Thank God for working through scripture and through the people around you. If you’re about to discuss this section with other people, pray for them and for your time together.
Questions for reflection & discussion
Do you believe that “the devil” exists? If so, how does the devil appear to you in the world? If not, how do you explain the existence of evil?
Talking about Satan makes some people very uncomfortable. Why do you think that is? Do you get uncomfortable discussing Satan? What do you think is helpful or harmful about attempts to personify evil?
Do you think the devil or evil works through people? If so, how do you reconcile our call to love people with our call to oppose evil?
How is Jesus tempted by “the world” in the wilderness? What do you think it means to be “tempted by the world”? What is “the world” to you? In what ways do you feel tempted by the world and how do you resist those temptations?
Where do you see evidence in the text that the devil tempts with sexual and/or cultural sin? Where do you see evidence in the text that the devil tempts with power and greed?
Both Jesus and Satan quote the Old Testament during Jesus’ temptation. Why do you think they do this? How do their scriptural references impact your interpretation of this passage?
How do you interpret the story of the possessed man? What was the nature of the evil that ailed him and what was Jesus’ remedy? How does this story contribute to your view of the nature of evil?
Some Christians have equated mental and physical illness with demonic possession. Do you think that there is a difference between spiritual sickness and mental/physical sickness? If so, how would you characterize that difference? Do you see any danger or downside to equating these sicknesses?
Some Christians believe that we’re called to engage in “spiritual warfare” against demonic forces. Have you ever engaged in a form of spiritual warfare? What was that like? Do you think that we’re called to engage in spiritual warfare, and if so, how?
After Jesus predicts his death, Peter rebukes him, which prompts Jesus to say “Get behind me Satan!” Why do you think that Jesus says this to Peter at this moment? What does this encounter tell us about the nature of evil?
What does it mean to you to “return the world to God”? How does this impact your politics, if at all? Do you think that our political choices have a role to play in returning the world to God?
What do these encounters tell us about Jesus’ identity? Where do you see Jesus’ humanity in these stories? Where do you see his divinity? Do you see these stories as political? Why or why not?
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