The World - The Flesh - The Devil
The course of this world is the path that follows the ways of culture and society, ways that oppose God. Ungodly trends, materialism, naturalism, the desire for instant gratification. All of these passions has, at one time or another, ruled the hearts and minds of every human being. And we all do battle, or don't, against the ways of the world and our own flesh (our will) “the passions of our flesh”, the “desires of the body” (Ephesians 2:3).
Outside our own weaknesses exists Satan, the persistent opposition to God's creation, and especially opposition to the human creatures made in God's image. These God-imaged creatures mock and humiliate the once mighty and beautiful archangel of light. This fallen angel become demonic, and he's malevolent, hypocritical, deceptive, and charismatic. And he's completely opposed to Christ. He's often playing the substitute, trying to replace the genuine Christ. And he's so good at it that the scriptures suggest he will even deceive the elect.
Think about this, Christ Jesus is called The Lion of Judah, and Satan too is referred to as a lion, a lion seeking those whom he will devour. He's stronger than you are. He's smarter than you are. And every Christian is involved in this fight against the evil spirits and the devil. In fact it's impossible to avoid involvement in the battle apart from acquiescing to his schemes and calling that being at peace. Every Christian is more than a servant, more than a theologian, they are participating in a process of temptation and resistance. And this is God's design for conversion, sanctification, and faithful obedience.
“I did not learn my theology all at once, but I had to search deeper for it, where my temptations took me.”
And our instructors are; The Holy Spirit (inspiration), the temptations of our own flesh, the ways of the world, and the Devil. Outside the works of The Holy Spirit, all the tempting influencers are passive, instinctive, except for one, Satan. And he's very good at what he does.
Genesis 3:1
"Now the serpent was more crafty (subtle, skilled in deceit) than any living creature of the field which the LORD God had made."
And for this reason every one of us must put on the WHOLE armor of God to resist the Devil and survive his deception. All are included in Satan's story . It is not possible to say that anyone is exempted from his story. He is operating in the unseen realms and at the same time gravitating towards this world, even in our own family. He's streaming through our world. He's light, remember that. You'd better let your light shine because he certainly is. And he's capable of making trouble in our existence as well as in the spiritual plane.
Every Christian must learn to deal with Satanic temptations, both before and after coming to faith. In fact, I believe that unless a Christian does battle against the devil, they cannot fully understand the fear and love of the Lord. They cannot fully experience the scriptures, or the spiritual life without participating in that conflict.
Luther described the ill-equipped, compromised church-goers as carpenters hewing poorly with a chipped and jagged axe. They work and work, chipping away, but with every swing of that axe, they err. They can't help it, their tools are flawed by sin, and the desires of this world. And Satan knows this and uses it. The power of evil, and of temptation, has a great place in this present world and among the believers. Primarily because they allow themselves to be ill-equipped.
The shepherds of this age often unknowingly introduce deception for Satan. The church leaders nurture the deception. And the congregation is largely unconcerned about it because they're participants in it.
Jesus believes in Satan. Jesus Christ called him, “the ruler of this world”, and the apostle Paul referred to him as “the god of this world.” Everyone, inside and outside the church, are in some way connected to Satan's story, either formerly or continually, consciously or passively.
EPHESIANS 2:2–3
“You once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience"
Satan holds captive to his will all who are not snatched away from him by the Spirit of Christ. He cannot prevent Christ from snatching them away. As powerful as he is, Satan MUST obey the LORD just as all creation does. And so he relies upon the ill-equipped to do his work for him. In Christ's kingdom Christ reigns, and his Kingdom ceaselessly resists and makes war on the kingdom of Satan. On earth the sons of men either work to protect against Satan or work (willingly or passively) with Satan until such time that all creation is set free from this age by Jesus' coming with the new kingdom of heaven. Until then, the Christian finds himself in the middle of a mighty struggle. And struggle they must.
Today, for the church-goers, the struggle is cheap grace. Recently they renamed it "cheap fake". It's appropriate. It's false teaching as was prophesied, it's fake and it's cheap. It's biblical and the scriptures often warned us about it. And it's really just Satanic deception. It's about making the teachings of Christ cheap. Making it into what Christ didn't.
Jesus taught the rebuilding of the broken vessel. He remakes the broken pottery, but the world resists the potter, demanding the potter mold it into something else. And Jesus doesn't acquiesce. See Jesus with the Canaanite women in the gospels (Matthew 15:21-28). The Lord rebukes the woman, first silently, then rejecting prayers on her behalf, and finally calling her a dog, refusing to allow the suggestion that she is predestined to life everlasting. She cannot presume upon a cheap grace. Jesus uses this experience to drive home the true importance of God's full and genuine grace given to those who love God and live faith in him. Her conversion was no cheap and easy believeism. She had to do battle with Satan first to get where she'd gotten. She had to put aside her pagan gods of her heritage and culture. She had to run after Jesus and struggle with Satan in order to achieve her faith in Christ. And ultimately she showed that great faith to Christ who tested her resolve. This is the way of it, the conversion experience.
The principles of the world are force, greed, selfishness, ambition, and pleasure. Satan rules that world. Jesus's way is light, easy he calls it. Not cheap. We are all constantly in danger of getting wrapped up in the cheap fake world, and we are in danger of giving our spiritual values second place.
Only conversion can rescue us from that world. The Bible says, "EVERY knee shall bow" too Jesus Christ. That MUST happen to receive the grace of salvation in Christ. The “lust of the eyes” (materialism) must kneel. The “lust of the flesh” (sensualism) must kneel. The “pride of life” (egotism) must kneel. You cannot escape that narrow way by climbing in by any other means.
Jesus couldn't be any more clear.
John 10:1
"I tell you the truth, anyone who sneaks over the wall of a sheepfold, rather than going through the gate, must surely be a thief and a robber!"
Conclusion:
Satan may not be a doctor of theology (though he probably attends or even instructs at seminary) , but he is very well trained in philosophy, and has had 6,000 years to practice his craft. Satan is the ultimate cheap faker, but you can't cheap fake faith. Jesus is the ultimate fact-checker.