The devil’s basic doctrine

October 7, 2007 · Filed Under theology

For some reason, I’m still receiving Christian News. I expected to receive it in the weeks leading up to the convention, but I figured that it would stop showing up shortly thereafter. I subscribed to CN for several years, but grew weary of it.

Theologically speaking, it’s quite good; however, it is a bit repetitive, sort of like a blunt force assault. Rev. Otten knows a few notes, and while many are quite good, he just plays them over and over and over and over and over. And when some of those notes are more political & less theological… well, it makes sifting through the wheat & chaff even more laborious a task.

Anyhoo, I’m still getting CN, and in the most recent (Oct 01, 2007) issue there was a book review that was really quite good. In particular, at least for the purposes of this posting, the review of Rev. Siegbert Becker’s Revelation — The Distant Triumph Song yielded this nugget:

“The basic doctrine of the devil is salvation by works.”

That quote just jumped out at me & made me think. And after thinking on it for a bit, I realized just how accurate it is.

Satan is far too wily & crafty to lead folks astray by boldface lies & statements that are clearly in opposition to Scriptural Truth. No, he is far more effective when he just twists the truth ever so slightly. By doing so in a way that appeals to our sinful, fallen intellect, he can lead us away from God’s Truth. Even as we might think that we are following that truth, we are instead following the idol of our own thinking & making.

We want nothing more than to think we can fulfill the Law. Man has always wanted to be complicit in his own salvation. Sin has corrupted us such that we would, however subtly, reject that which God has freely given us as the only source of salvation — Jesus on the cross.

This is why Martin Luther was correct in identifying Justification as the doctrine on which the Church stands or falls. If Justification by faith alone is not true, then the devi’s basic doctrine is correct and all is lost.

Thanks be to God that such is not the case!

-ghp

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Tags: christ, doctrine, faith, luther, salvation, sin, the cross, truth