I have a question about the devil. I was wondering whether or not he knew of God's plan for salvation beforehand or if he thought he was victorious when Jesus died on the cross.  I heard somebody talking about this once; they said Satan believed that he had won when Jesus died on the cross.  I was just wondering if and where the verse was that stated this because I don't want to believe it if I can't find it.

Sincerely, Devilishly Curious

Dear Devilishly Curious,

There is no specific verse that states the devil didn’t know what was going to happen when Christ died on the cross – but there is some really good circumstantial evidence that he didn’t see it coming.

God says that the angels didn’t know what was going to happen when Jesus went to the cross (1 Pet 1:11-12). If the angels didn’t know, I doubt the devil did either.

Another thing is that the devil isn’t stupid. Evil?  Yes.  Stupid?  No. Just read the account of Christ’s temptation by the devil in Luke 4, and you can see how wiley and clever he can be. If he had known that he was causing his own demise by attacking Jesus, he probably wouldn’t have done it. Even Jesus said that it wouldn’t make sense for Satan to attack himself (Mk 3:23).

Instead, we see that the devil had his hour of darkness (Lk 22:53), and in his attempt to destroy Jesus’ life (Lk 22:3), Peter’s faith (Lk 22:31), and the church’s future (Jhn 16:32), the devil was unwittingly defeated. Nope, I don’t think he ever saw it coming.

5 minutes a day 5 days a week All the New Testament in a year

Is salvation by faith alone, or faith plus works, or just works?

 

Sincerely,
Faithfully Worked Up

Dear Faithfully Worked Up,

The Scriptures clearly say we are saved by faith (Heb 10:39), but they also clearly say that we are saved by hope (Rom 8:24), endurance (Matt 24:13), calling on the name of the Lord (Acts 2:21), confessing Christ (Rom 10:9), the gospel (1 Cor 15:1-2), and baptism (1 Pet 3:21)... just to name a few.  All of these conditions are requirements of salvation.  We cannot cherry-pick what conditions we like or do not like.

Jas 2:14-21 explicitly states the importance of working for Christ.  The work James is talking about isn't about earning salvation - but about loyal service to Christ.  God expects us to bear fruit for Him (Jhn 15:8), work to grow (1 Pet 2:2), and keep His commandments (Jhn 15:14).  Like a transmission and an engine in a car - faith and works function together and need each other.

5 minutes a day 5 days a week All the New Testament in a year

How can I know if something is a sin?

 

Inquisitively,
Wanting To Be Faithful

Dear Wanting To Be Faithful,

Sin is disobeying what God says.  The very word 'sin' is defined as 'missing the mark'.  God defines what a good life looks like in His Word.  We wouldn't know who we ought to be if He didn't tell us.  We are made in His image (Gen 1:26) and created for His glory (Col 1:16).  We are the creation, and He is the Creator.  Understanding His supreme authority is crucial.  We must realize and accept that we are designed with a purpose and that the Creator understands how to properly guide our lives to fulfill that purpose.

Sin can be doing something that God has condemned (i.e. David sleeping with Bathsheba - 2 Sam 12:13).  Sin can also be failing to do what you ought to (i.e. Jonah refusing to preach to the Ninevites - Jonah 1:3).  We must model our lives after God's commandments and teachings.  Our lives must bear godly fruit (Jhn 15:12, Lk 3:8), and we must flee from wickedness (1 Tim 6:11).  It is our adherence to both the positive and negative commandments of God that shows our friendship with Him (Jhn 15:14).  The Bible is God's roadmap for life; follow it to avoid the pitfalls of sin.