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THE KING’S BUSINESS
existence of a personal Devil. If there is not a personal Devil we may as well give up our Bible as a book that is full of folly and of fraud. If there is 'not a per sonal Devil we must give up our belief in the inspired authority of the Apostle Paul, the Apostle John, the Apostle Peter, and we must give up our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. No intelligent student of the Bible can retain his faith in the inspiration and authority of that Book, or his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, if he gives up belief in the existence of a personal Devil. As intelligent men and women we must take our choice between believing in the exist ence of a-personal Devil or giving up our faith in Jesus Christ and Christianity. Any t .system of doctrine that denies the existence of a personal Dtevil is radically unchristian, whatever name it may arrogate to itself. II. What Sort of a Being Is the Devil? Having settled the question of the existence of-, a personal Devil, the next question that confronts us is, what sort bf a being is he? 1. First of all the Bible teaches us that he is a being of great power and authority. This we learn from Eph. 6:11-12: “Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” These words make it clear that the Devil is so mighty that the people of God can not} resist his cunning wiles without hav ing on “the whole armour of God,” and it is also evident from the tenth verse, “Be strong in the Lord, and in the strength,of his might,”That we cannot resist his power unless we are strengthened with the strength of God. But this is not all. In the 12th verse we read: “For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world- rulers of this darkness, against the spirit ual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” These are tremendous words. If they mean anything they certainly mean that
pose that led to his death and that of his wife, the purpose to lie to the Holy Spirit. It was not an impersonal temptation that came to Ananias, but a temptation from a living person who was opposed to the Lord Jesus and His church, a person known as “the Devil.” Peter’s words are mean ingless, or worse than meaningless, if there is not a personal Devil. 3. Now we will turn to the teaching of John "the beloved disciple, as to tjie exist ence of a personal Devil, and we will find this teaching in John 13 :2: “And during supper, the Devil having already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son to betray him.” Here John distinctly teaches that the purpose of betraying the Lord Jesus was ^ not a temptation that came to Judas Iscariot merely through a love of money, but came from a personal enemy—the Devil—that this person put into the heart of Judas Iscariot this infernal purpose to betray his Lord and Master, the Son of God. 4. Now let us turn to the teaching of Paul. We find it in Eph. 6:10-12: “Be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of His might. (11) Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the Devil. (12) For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” Here Paul distinctly tells us that the great reason why we need to be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might and why we need to put on the whole armour of God, is because there is a being of great cunning, subtlety and power, named the Devil, and that this being has under him a multitude of other personalities of such dignity and power as. to be called by the titles: “principalities,” “powers,” “world rulers,” “spiritual hosts of wicked ness,” Beyond a question our Lord Jesus, the Apostle Peter, the Apostle John, and ' the Apostle Paul believed in and taught the
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