Christ Refused to Argue with Satan

Christ Triumphant - A Devotional by E.G. White

Christ Refused to Argue with Satan

Today's Text: When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace. Luke 11:21

The Message: He [Satan] ridiculed the idea of Christ, the Majesty of heaven, being left in the wilderness to suffer from hunger. Would God treat His own Son thus? Would He leave Him in the desert with wild beasts, without food, without companions, without comfort? He insinuates that God never meant His Son to be in such a state as this.... The words from heaven, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased," were still sounding in the ears of Satan. But he was determined to make Christ disbelieve this testimony. The word of God was Christ's assurance of His divine mission.... It was Satan's purpose to make Him doubt this word. If Christ's confidence in God could be shaken, Satan knew that victory in the whole conflict would be his. He could overcome Jesus. He hoped that under the force of despondency and extreme hunger, Christ would lose faith in His Father and work a miracle in His own behalf. Had He done this, the plan of salvation would have been broken. And Christ, the Son of God, answering said, "It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." Christ had been warned not to enter into argument with Satan. And though He recognized him from the beginning, He was not provoked to enter into controversy with him. Strengthened with the memory of the voice from heaven, He rested in His Father's love. He would not parley with temptation. Satan tempted the first Adam in Eden, and Adam reasoned with the enemy, thus giving him the advantage. Satan exercised his power of hypnotism over Adam and Eve, and this power he strove to exercise over Christ. But after the word of Scripture was quoted, Satan knew that he had no chance of triumphing. Satan came to Christ hoping to gain the victory. He thought that he had every advantage over Him. But he was conquered by the Saviour's meekness and humility, and by His reliance on the Word of God. Meek and lowly, and seemingly helpless, Christ was stronger than the strong man armed. Oh, how Satan strove to make Him sin against God! But all his efforts failed to make Christ swerve from His allegiance. Our Saviour could receive the heavenly revelation without becoming self-exalted.... The enemy is subtle and very daring, but he is not invincible. He is a strong man armed, but if we keep close to the Captain of our salvation, using the weapon that He has given us, we shall be victorious.-Letter 159, 1903 (Manuscript Releases 21:9, 10).

Commentary: My friend, "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." (Psalm 46:1), yet so many times we fall into sin.  The reason why we do not gain the victory over sin is because we do not fortify our hearts and minds with the Word of God, and we try to overcome sin in our own strength.  Jesus, while He was in the wilderness, hungry and alone, was tempted by Satan upon appetite.  He was not in the wilderness by His own direction but by the direction of the Lord.  As long as the Son of God trusted and relied upon the Lord, Satan could have no power with Him. Many times we are overcome by temptation because we like to parlay with sin; we seek to find out how close we can get to sin without actually sinning.  It is in this way that we are overcome.  We cannot play with sin, neither can we partake of it in anyway without being ensnared by its tentacles. In the garden of Eden, Eve entered into controversy with the arch deceiver and was lead into sin.  Satan, through the medium of the serpent, caused Eve to first doubt the word of God and then shaped her thoughts by his words.  Had Eve not entered into controversy with him, she would not have sinned and entice her husband into sin.  In the same way Satan tried to led the Son of God to doubt in the word of God and entice Him to enter into controversy him, but Christ's answer was given in the only way that could assure us victory, by the Word of God.  "It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." (Matthew 4:4).  The Son of God quoted from Deuteronomy 8:3. It is only as we rely upon the word of God in our daily lives that we can live a victorious life.  The word of God has the power to keep us from falling into sin and if we would but fortify our minds with it, we will not be led into sin.  "Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee." (Psalm 119:11).  Satan well knows that those whom he can get to neglect prayer and the searching of the Scriptures, will be overcome by his devices, therefore we must be in constant communion with God through His Son Jesus Christ, and seeking Him through His word. My friend, Satan is a mighty foe and we are no match for him.  The only way that we can contend with him is through a complete surrender of our wills to the Lord.  As we thus surrender and accept Christ into our hearts, it is not we that are contending with Satan, but Jesus Christ the righteous.  As He was victorious over sin and Satan, so too will He gain the victory for us. God bless,

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