Doctrinal Statement Part 13

For the last two weeks, I have been sharing my Doctrinal Statement for the purpose of communicating why they should be written and shared.  They are not trophy statements to someone's intellectualism.  They are not diplomas for theologians.  They are worldview standards by which the human beings who write them should truly strive to live.  They are declarations saying "This is what I believe is the ultimate purpose, function and aim of life is to be, and how I should live it in general."
For me, the purpose is to Glorify God by stewarding the life I have.  It is important to note that the greatest enemy in my own life as a redeemed Christian is myself.  Satan has no power over me; however, that being said, Satan is still a very real and dangerous being.  He is active in our world and bent on his version of success.  He will fail, but many will be led astray by him in his efforts.
I believe in this real being.  I believe in dark powers and witchcraft.  They exist in Scripture, and they are never figurative occurrences when they appear.  But he is not all powerful or all knowing.  He is not ever present either.  He is limited in time, space, and function.  This is because he is a fallen creature.  He was made.  He is not the opposite side of the same coin as Christ.  He is not the yin of the yang.  He is simply Satan.
For me, that means that I will never fear him, because I am hidden in Christ and Christ will never let me go.  It also means that my failures are mine.  I must acknowledge them and repent in order to move forward in fellowship with my God.  Finally, it means that this broken world may affect me negatively from time to time, and that does not mean that Satan is trying to thwart my plans.  The broken projector during my presentation is not Satan's doing (most likely).  Cancer is not the work of Satan.
Those may be a hard statement for someone to read, but my worldview says that God is good and everything else is fallen and broken.  Even without Satan, it would still progress as such.  Satan is not the all powerful monster that I need to fear from fairy tales, but he is real.  My children need to know what Scripture says about him, and the realms he operates in, so they can have a mature faith, confident in Christ, but respectful of the nature of things here and now until He returns to make it all new.

With you for His glory



12.  Satan  Satan is a literal fallen angel, the present "ruler 
of the air".  I believe in his limited presence, knowledge, and 
power currently at work on earth to frustrate the purposes and 
glory of God.  He must still bow to the sovereignty of God in 
all things, and his eventual rebellion against that sovereignty 
will result in his ultimate destruction in Hell. (Gen. 3:1-5; 
Job 1:6-7; Luke 4:1-13, 10:18; 2 Corinthians 4:4; Ephesians 2:2; 
Rev. 20:7-10)