The Devil Inside
What do you think the devil looks like?
There are thousands if not millions of different depictions of the devil from all four corners of the globe. From the classic red-skinned, horned guy with a tail and a pitchfork that you see pretty much every Halloween to well… Elizabeth Hurley. Sometimes I think that the devil is a plate of homemade chocolate chip cookies. There is nothing more tempting to me in the world – my own personal devil. But what do YOU think the devil looks like? It might surprise you to know there is no description of him at all in the Bible. None. There are lots of places in the Bible that talk about the devil – like in the book of Job where God allows Satan to test Job. Or in the New Testament in the Gospels where Jesus is tested in the wilderness by the devil and offered many temptations to which Jesus refuses them all. Many believe the devil was in the Garden of Eden and is the one responsible for tempting Eve to take the fruit from the tree. Or perhaps the devil is the dragon represented in the book of Revelation. But nowhere is there a definitive description of the devil in the Bible.
Pretty much, our ideas of what the devil looks like come from us.
Whether it’s Dante’s Inferno or the song by INXS or any other expression, the image of the devil is one we have created. One of my favorite descriptions comes from the movie Broadcast News which I’m now realizing dates me horribly! But even after all of these years, I still love that quirky but poignant reflection on life. If you’ve seen it, you know it’s the story about a love triangle between Aaron the news reporter, Jane the producer, and Tom the news anchor. Aaron and Jane are in his house talking about Tom, and Aaron’s trying to convince Jane she shouldn’t be with Tom and he says to her, “Tom, while being a very nice guy…is the DEVIL.” She gets mad and is about to storm off when Aaron keeps going, “What do you think the devil’s going to look like if he’s around? Come on, no one is going to be taken in by a guy with a long, red pointy tail… He will be attractive. He’ll be nice and helpful. He’ll get a job where he’ll influence a great, God-fearing nation. He’ll never do an evil thing, he’ll never deliberately hurt a living thing. He’ll just bit by little bit lower our standards where they’re important. Just a tiny little bit. Just coax along. Flash over substance. Just a tiny little bit…and he’ll get all the great women.” When I first saw this movie, this was the part that stuck out to me the most. Not that he’ll get all the great women, but that the devil, whatever we believe the devil to be – might look like us. When you think about it, this concept we have of the devil as being some guy with red skin is pretty ludicrous. But I hadn’t thought I might not be able to tell the difference.
So again we ask, “What do you think the devil looks like?”
Does the devil even exist? Everyone has an opinion, even if they don’t go to church. But even in the church we have different understandings of what or who the devil is. Some believe the devil is an actual physical being. A flesh and blood embodiment of evil. Others believe the devil is simply a spiritual being not having any real form. Like the little devil and angel we think about on our shoulders. And others believe the devil is the personification of evil. But regardless of what your personal beliefs on the matter, it’s clear evil exits. And more, evil is something we as Christians not only struggle with, but have a duty to overcome. And God gives us the prescription for how to do that. If you have your Bibles or a Bible app on your phone or the Bible, please turn to the book of Ephesians, chapter 4, beginning with verse 22. Ephesians 4:22. In this letter, Paul is writing to the church at Ephesus. The world in which the Ephesians live is filled with people fascinated by magic and the occult.[1] These early Christians are surrounded by a culture that is captured by beliefs very different from their own, not unlike ours. For us, we deal with New Age thinking that rejects Jesus, belief in a multitude of gods, belief in a “personal God.” We put our faith in technology, science, money, or anything else that isn’t God. And this is where Paul’s letter comes in. writing to tell us how to combat the temptation to give in to the devil, to give in to those things that separate us from the love of God.
You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body. “In your anger do not sin”; Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need. Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. – Ephesians 4:22-32
This is the prescription for fighting off the devil.
Do not go to bed angry. Do not talk unkindly about people. Build people up! Don’t tear people down. Get rid of bitterness, rage, anger, brawling, and slander in your life along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate. Be forgiving as God forgave you. These are the ways we can fend off evil. These are the ways we can triumph over that which separates us from God. Because if there is one thing true about evil, no matter what form it takes, is that it separates us from the love of God. Evil is that which separates us from the love of God. It might be through temptation, anger, jealousy, rage, hate, bitterness or any of those negative feelings we have toward one another, but evil is simply anything that separates us from the love of God.
Evil wasn’t meant to be part of God’s creation.
When God created the Earth the Bible tells us in Genesis that “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. (Genesis 1:31)” In fact, God tells us the heavens and the earth were completed at this time (Genesis 2:1) and evil did not exist. Evil came into the world because we allowed it to through our actions, through our willful disobedience of God’s plan for our lives. Any time we act contrary to the will of God, we manifest evil. Bitterness, rage, anger, brawling, slander, hatred, holding a grudge, not being able to forgive people – this is how evil continues in the world today. But WE have the power, by God’s grace and forgiveness, to DO something about it. Because the choice is ours. It’s tempting to say, “The Devil made me do it,” but it’s also not true. Whether we call it the devil or evil, it has no power over us except that which we allow it to have. When we give in to our baser selves, when we give in to things like rage and anger, we are CHOOSING to allow the devil a foothold in our lives. The expression “Don’t go to bed angry,” comes from this passage in the Bible. And these wise words are given to us for a reason. When we hold on to our anger, when we hold on to bitterness and hurt and feelings of ill will, they take on a life of their own. They become ingrained in us and we begin to look at the world through these lenses. Pretty soon, that person or that object or that event or whatever it is takes on the personification of evil and everything associated with it becomes against us in our heads when the truth is usually far from it. The more we hold on to those things which separate us from God, the more we ourselves become separated from God, and the worse our lives become. But we can do something about that. The power is in our hands. The choice is ours to make. It’s not always easy and at times it’s exceptionally difficult, but before those negative feelings take root in your soul, work on getting rid of them. Don’t let the devil get a foothold in YOUR life. Instead, choose to forgive. Choose to be understanding. Choose to be patient. Choose to be kind. Choose to exemplify in your life the prescription of love which can root out evil. The truth is evil exists, but by the grace and mercy of God, we CAN do something about it. And we can choose to love.
[1] ESV Study Bible, 2258.
Craig's Corner 