Works of the Devil

[B-A-C]

1 Jn 3:8; the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil

What are we fighting for? What is Jesus fighting for? The Bible says Jesus came.. "for this purpose".
Now maybe that isn't the only purpose, but it is a purpose. So... what are "works of the devil".

Is is as simple as hate, selfishness and pride? Some say every sin has it's root in one of these things.
I'm not sure if that's true of not. But it certainly seems to be a big part of it.

2 Cor 10:4' for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses.
2 Cor 10:5; We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ,
2 Cor 10:6; and we are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is complete.

What are the speculations and things that are raised up against the knowledge of God?
If the two greatest commandments are about love. ( Love God, and love your neighbor )
and God is love. Would love be the opposite of hate? Is it really that simple?

What are "the works of the devil" really? Can you think of some examples?

What I'm getting at here is... if Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil...
and yet some of us "Christians" are happy and content joining in and being a part of those works.
Who's side are we really on?

 

[KingJ]

The devil is a being who wants to be god. He is disobedient to God and wants to attack and destroy God's work, because God is His obstacle to him being a god. His work on earth, is to cause mankind to not be united with God. He wants to accuse us and mock God. He wants God to grasp '''his''' right to existence as a god. ''God, you created all these beings in your image and look they all hate you. None desire to serve you. I am not alone in this. We want to be god's in our own right.''

So, what does being a god entail? It is better understood as being full of yourself. Pride. Selfishness. Do any sin to please yourself because you are special. You are the one who rules your roost. You must not be judged. You must not be offended. You can do what you want. You don't need to take orders. You are perfect as you are. This leads to hurting others. Two people in a desert. You eat all the food and drink all the water to maximize your odds of survival.

Jesus's works are all anti pride and self elevation. Turn the left cheek. The least in heaven is the greatest. Obey. Take orders. Follow God. Do His will. Give in to His will. Lay your life down for Him as He has for you. It is a complete opposite of the devil's message. Don't lie. Don't cheat. Don't be obsessed with self gain. Don't envy. Don't be jealous. Better to give then to receive. Literally a polar opposite message.

Making oneself a god leads to suffering and misery. Putting others before yourself, leads to joy, love and peace.

Jesus destroying the works of the devil is most evident on the cross. Yes we say ''Jesus got the victory''. But do we understand it? The devil thought he was destroying Jesus on the cross. Causing Jesus to doubt God. Testing Jesus to the point of sweating blood. But Jesus was obedient to God's will and got the victory over death for all mankind, who wants it. The devils work on earth has from day one been to permanently separate all mankind from God. Jesus destroyed that.

When we understand the devil's mindset better, we can understand that it is not simply ''stupidity'' at thinking he can defeat God. He feels he has a claim to being a god of sort and wants God to grasp the error of His ways. Accept the creation He has made. But what he does not get, is that God is a God unlike any '''god''. God is an exceedingly good God. A God that will serve us tea and biscuits in heaven. Not be a tyrant.

If you visit ungodly sites, you see that the accusations of God are all these types of accusations. God is a tyrant. God is evil. God is partial. The devil has this lie blinding many to grasping the goodness of God. It is grasping the goodness of God. Grasping Jesus. That changes lives. Jesus defeating the works of the devil is evident with every life that is changed. Him laying His life down for us, causes us to lay our lives down for God. Not desire to, like the devil be a demi-god of sort who lives for self.