How Satan is Actually a Legalist
According to the Bible, sin is often personified as the nature of Satan himself. Satan injected sin into humanity through the tree of knowledge of good and evil. This is evident in Genesis 3:1-7. By doing this, he seduced Adam and Eve, bringing something foreign into them that was death to them. This was the knowledge of good and evil, damaging their conscience and causing them to shrink back from God. As a result of the fall, sin has been a part of humanity. Why did Satan do this? Because man was given dominion, that he believed was his by right. He wanted to become the God of this world, and to even be worshipped. He was offended that God had created this “foolish” thing from clay and set it over the works of His hands. Since then, his intention has been to force God to judge man. Satan hates justification by faith, and hates the fact that God qualifies sinners based on the blood of Christ to be children of God and heirs. He accuses God of being lawless in justifying ungodly sinners, and does everything he can to bring man into all kinds of depravity to illustrate his point. We often tend to forget that God is not only justifying man, but being justified in the work of Christ, who in the propitiation is said to be “the manifestation of God’s righteousness, that He may be just and the justifier of those who believe in Jesus. Satan stands before God accusing Him and us night and day. He is the father of legalistic pharisees, and he is the father of Cain, who hated Abel because of Abel’s offering, which was accepted by God and indicated his faith in the blood. (Gen 3:1-7, rom 3:23, Rom 5:12; John 8:17; )
Sin is the Nature of Satan Himself
In Romans 7, sin is personified as the nature of Satan himself. It deceives, it takes capvtive, and it kills, using the holy of God to deceive man into misunderstanding its purpose (rom 7:8-11). The purpose of the law is to condemn sin and expose it, as a ministry of condemnation and death. But man is deceived by sin into thinking that he can somehow keep it, which brings him into condemnation, weakness and death in his attempts to be justified it (Gal 2:22-3:6). Satan is always people to rely on law-keeping and their own works to earn righteousness. This is antithetical to the Gospel of grace, which teaches that righteousness is a gift from God that cannot be earned (2 Cor 3:7)
Satan’s Deception
Satan’s deception leads people into thinking they can achieve righteousness by their own efforts, but this is a lie. The only way to receive righteousness is through faith in Jesus Christ. As stated in Galatians 3:10-14, Satan’s nature of sin makes him a legalist, tempting people to rely on law-keeping and their own works to earn righteousness. This is why it is so important to have faith in Christ and not to rely on our own works. In Ephesians 2:8-9, it is emphasized that salvation is a gift from God and cannot be earned by our own efforts.
Outline:
I. Satan’s injection of sin into humanity through the tree of knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 3:1-7)A. Seduction of Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:1-7)II. Sin personified as the nature of Satan himself in Romans 7 (Romans 7:14-25)
B. Sin as foreign to humanity (Genesis 3:1-7)
C. Sin damaging the conscience (Genesis 3:1-7)
D. Sin causing humanity to shrink back from God (Genesis 3:1-7)
A. Sin deceives, takes captive, and kills (Romans 7:8-11)III. The Law becoming a veil to blind those who pursue it instead of Christ (2 Corinthians 3:14-16)
B. Purpose of the law as a ministry of condemnation and death (Romans 7:8-11)
C. Deception of man by sin into thinking they can keep the law (Galatians 2:22-3:6)
IV. Satan’s nature of sin making him a legalist, tempting people to rely on law-keeping and their own works to earn righteousness (Galatians 3:10-14)
V. Satan’s deception leading people into thinking they can achieve righteousness by their own efforts, antithetical to the Gospel of grace (Ephesians 2:8-9)
Keywords: sin, Satan, Law, legalism, righteousness, Gospel of grace.
Related Content:
- How Does the Law of Sin Work to Deceive and Defeat Us?
- How the Gospel is Not Just About Sin
- How the Gospel Reveals the Righteousness of God
- Is Satan Actually a Legalist?
- How to Have Righteousness and Holiness in Life