The devil is not a creator. He is very good at perverting things, but he never creates new material. He can only use God’s material. - Daniel Heimbach(1)
I want to begin by reminding us how the Bible says that we are at war daily with Satan and his demons (Eph 6:11-12). The devil is real, his demons are real, his schemes are real, and the war is real; and much of the war is fought within the realm of the mind, knowledge, thought and reason (2 Cor 10:4-5). We must become aware of Satan’s tactics, so that we will know how to better defend ourselves.
The devil could be accurately called a pervert, for one of his schemes is perversion. To “pervert something” means, “to lead astray morally, to turn away from the right course, to turn to an improper use, to misconstrue or misinterpret and distort” and “to change to what is unnatural or abnormal.” Daniel Heimbach defines “evil” as a perversion, stating how it is “the deformity of good things, and only exists when things God made perfectly good become bent, twisted, crushed, or damaged compared to what they should be.”(2)
The devil is the great master of perversion, and through perversion he can render believers powerless and helpless. He realizes that if he takes something that God created for good, and twists it until it is completely unrecognizable, and even causes it to look like something evil, that he can cheat us out of what God wanted us to have. He knows that if he can make us afraid of something that God gave for our defense, that we will chuck our spiritual weapon and run, and then be vulnerable to his tactics.
In our message this morning we will be made aware of the devil’s perversion scheme. We’re going to look at a few examples of some things that he has twisted, and we’re going to be shown how to reclaim the weapons and the freedoms that have been stolen from us.
Perverting the Ways of God
Our primary example of the devil’s perversion scheme can be observed in how Satan attempted to rob Paul and Barnabas of their opportunity to witness to the proconsul of Paphos. We read in Acts 13:6-10:
6 Now when they had gone through the island to Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew whose name was Bar-Jesus, 7 who was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man. This man called for Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God. 8 But Elymas the sorcerer (for so his name is translated) withstood them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith. 9 Then Saul, who also is called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him 10 and said, “O full of all deceit and all fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord?”
The apostle Paul, seen here as Saul, along with Barnabas were separated for the work of the Holy Spirit and commissioned for ministry (Acts 13:2-3), and here we find them working on the island of Paphos. They found on the island a proconsul, or governor of the province, by the name of Sergius Paulus who was willing to hear them preach the Word of God. However, there was an evil sorcerer there named Elymus who spoke against Paul and Barnabas, and tried to hinder their work and distract the proconsul from their message.
Paul declared to the sorcerer, “O full of all deceit and all fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord?” (v. 10). Did you catch what Paul said? He called Elymus a “son of the devil.” The reason why is because he was “full of all deceit and all fraud,” an “enemy of all righteousness,” and he perverted “the straight ways of the Lord.” Paul mentioned many of the methods whereby Satan weakens our faith: he deceives, he commits fraud, and he perverts.
The devil deceives people by perverting the good things of God. In Genesis we read how God created everything in the earth, and He said that it was all good (1:31); but Satan knows how to take the good and make it into something bad. The devil cannot create anything new. All he can do is copy what God has made, and distort it and pervert it into something else, and then lie about it and call it his own.
In John 8:44, Jesus said of the devil, “He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.” The devil is called the father of lies, because he seeks to twist the truth into a lie by perverting the good things of God. As I have already said, the devil can’t create anything new; and I want to share a modern day example of how the devil is attempting to play the role of creator, and distort the truth in a process that geneticists call cloning.
Geneticists are able to utilize a host cell from a selected plant or animal, insert some manipulated genes or DNA, and reproduce a clone of the original. When the topic of cloning is discussed in the media, newscasters will often describe this process as “creating” a new plant or animal. This description is a misnomer, for geneticists are not really creating; because they are utilizing preexisting material in their experiments. To truly create, they would have to make everything completely from scratch, by making matter out of thin air.
All too often believers ascribe more power to Satan than he really has. He is like the geneticist who can only utilize what God has already created. The devil himself is a created being, having served the Lord in heaven before his rebellion and eviction (cf. Is 14:12-15; Rv 12:7-9). The only thing of which Satan is capable, is taking God’s creation, and perverting it into something else and something lesser.
Example One: False Christs
I want to provide a few scriptural examples of some things that God created to be good, but which the devil has tried to pervert. The first example pertains to Jesus Christ.
The sorcerer had two names, Bar-Jesus and Elymas. The New Bible Dictionary confirms that these two individuals are one and the same. Bar Jesus means “son of Joshua,” and Elymas is derived from a word possibly meaning “sage” or “wise man.” The meaning of this sorcerer’s name is important in understanding how Satan works to pervert the truth about Jesus.
The name Bar-Jesus in particular is a deception, as it means “son of Joshua.” In Hebrew, the name Joshua means “salvation,” therefore, the name Jesus also means salvation. Matthew 1:21 says of Christ, “You shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” In light of this information, we can see that the name Bar-Jesus actually means “son of salvation.”
Bar-Jesus was trying to copy Jesus Christ and deceive people into believing that he too was salvation, in order to validate himself and his false teachings. Bar-Jesus was far from being salvation to anyone or anything; and Elymus, as he called himself, was far from being a wise man. It was one huge deception to keep the proconsul and others from hearing the truth of the gospel preached by Paul and Barnabas!
Elymus wanted to copy Jesus, yet he could never compare, for Jesus was made the “most good” (excuse my grammar). He was made “the best” of all God’s creation. In fact, I don’t even think you can say that Jesus was made or created, because He is the pre-existent one. The Bible teaches that Jesus was sinless and remained sinless throughout His entire life (cf. 2 Cor 5:21; Heb 2:10, 4:15, 7:26 NCV; 1 Pt 1:19 NLT, 2:22). Jesus was perfect, yet Satan tries to copy Jesus, or pretends to be Him, in order to make Christ look bad.
The devil hopes that people will either be deceived into following false teachings and strange doctrine, or that people will be turned off by the abuse of an impostor, and turn away from the faith altogether. In Matthew 24:23, Jesus cautioned, “If anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.” In Revelation, John portrayed how in the last days the antichrist will mimic Jesus, for he will present himself as a lamb who was healed of a deadly wound (13:11-13), similar to Christ, the Lamb of God (Jn 1:29), who died from the deadly wound of the cross and was resurrected.
The devil can actually assist false prophets and false christs in replicating the miracles of God. As an example, consider the sorcerers (or false prophets) of Pharaoh. We read in Exodus 7:8-12, “Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, ‘When Pharaoh speaks to you, saying, “Show a miracle for yourselves,” then you shall say to Aaron, “Take your rod and cast it before Pharaoh, and let it become a serpent”.’ So Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh, and they did so, just as the LORD commanded. And Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh and before his servants, and it became a serpent. But Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers; so the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments. For every man threw down his rod, and they became serpents.” But let’s not forget the best line, which is in verse 12: “But Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods.” Amen?
The devil will assist false prophets and false christs in replicating the miracles of God, causing people to believe that those who perform such miracles are from the Lord; and then he will accompany these miracles with false teachings. So, if you ever encounter someone performing amazing signs, while simultaneously teaching things contrary to the Bible, or you simply hear someone teaching false doctrine, then please realize that you are witnessing a demonic counterfeit and a false prophet.
The apostle John cautioned, “Many false prophets have gone out into the world . . . and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh, is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist” (1 John 4:1, 3). John called these false prophets antichrists, or those who oppose the truth of Christ, and they are sons and daughters of the devil.
Example Two: Sexual Relations
Another good thing of God that Satan tries to distort is sex, and this is where the term “perversion” rings a bell for many people. Remember, perversion is when something is used in an unnatural manner.
The Bible clearly teaches how the natural order and intended manner of sexual relationships should be experienced between a man and woman within the institution of marriage. For example, the Bible says in Genesis 2:24-25, “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.” The physical relationship between a man and woman was created to be a good thing, so the man would have a companion suitable for himself (Gn 2:18), and so man could become fruitful and multiply and fill the earth (1:28); however, by the time of Sodom and Gomorrah the natural order had been corrupted by the devil (cf. 19:1-12).
Centuries later, the apostle Paul described this terrible perversion in Romans 1:24-27. He said, “God . . . gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature [or the devil] rather than the Creator . . . For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful.”
God created sex for the marital relationship between a man and woman, and any other use than that is perverted, distorted and sinful, including adultery, premarital sex and homosexuality. When Paul stated that they left the natural use of their bodies, he meant they did what was unintended by the Lord. They twisted a good thing of God and “served the creature” (Rm 1:25), or they served the devil, instead.
Example Three: Spiritual Gifts
Spiritual gifts are something else which Satan has attempted to destroy through his perversion. Paul said that God allots His people with gifts of the Spirit to use in ministry for the profit of all. Among these gifts are some controversial things such as healing, prophecy, and tongues (1 Cor 12:4-11); however, the primary reason why these things have become so highly debated is because they have been abused so frequently.
This was a problem that even the apostle Paul dealt with, for he said that there were some who prided themselves in their particular spiritual gifts and felt they were better than others, or more spiritual than others (1 Cor 12:15-27). In 1 Corinthians 14:12, he advised believers to be certain that if you “are zealous for spiritual gifts, let it be for the edification of the church,” not for the edification of oneself.
People were even using their spiritual gifts inappropriately, frightening those who were lacking understanding. For example, in 1 Corinthians 14:23, Paul said in reference to the practice of tongues, “If the whole church comes together in one place, and all speak with tongues, and there come in those who are uninformed or unbelievers, will they not say that you are out of your mind?”
In Mark’s version of the Great Commission, Jesus said that those who believe in Him will be able to cast out demons, speak in tongues, and even get snake-bitten and survive without harm (16:17-18); but then you hear of churches that abuse His words by holding snake-handling services, thus tempting the Lord. An unbeliever will see these abuses and immediately be turned off from Christ and the church.
There are Christians who see these abuses as well; and therefore, become disillusioned to the use of spiritual gifts. As a result, they shun any talk about spiritual gifts, and frown on the practice. Once again, the devil has taken a good thing of God and distorted it through abuse, until God’s people are completely afraid of it.
Redeeming Our Privileges
I could provide numerous other examples of how the devil has perverted the good things of God; however, I believe we probably understand the concept by now. I want to encourage each of us to begin exercising our spiritual understanding by identifying some of the things the devil has perverted, so we can begin taking back what the devil has stolen. Satan has sought to rob us of abundant life, and take away our privileges.
Allow me to provide an example of how our privileges become lost. Suppose you need to call in sick from your job. For years, the policy – and privilege – has been very simple: You need to telephone the boss, and then tell him verbally that you need to take the day off because you are sick. This system worked great until some employees began using the day for fishing or shopping when they weren’t sick at all. When the boss found out, he instigated a new policy that a person could not take off unless he or she went through the hassle of obtaining and submitting a doctor’s excuse.
Our privileges get taken away or stolen when someone else messes things up. The abuse results in new rules and new regulations being enforced that either inhibit or prohibit certain freedoms. The devil has messed things up for us pretty badly; and thus, many of our privileges and freedoms have been taken away. We need to identify what the devil has stolen and take it back! We need to redeem what the devil has perverted!
Did you know that Jesus has actually given us authority in His name over the devil? He said in Luke 10:19, “Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy,” and in Romans 16:20, Paul said, “The God of peace will crush Satan under your feet.” By the authority of Christ, we can take back from the enemy what rightfully belongs to us according to God’s Word! The indwelling Holy Spirit will provide us with the power, authority, and ability to redeem things for the Lord’s good purpose!
For example, the Bible says that we can redeem “time,” stating in Ephesians 5:16, “redeeming the time, because the days are evil,” and in Colossians 4:5, “walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time.” We must not only redeem the time, but we need to reclaim everything we possibly can for the Lord and His kingdom!
We should redeem whatever God says in His Word is good. So, how much is that? Well, the answer is pretty much “everything,” for, in Genesis 1:31, God said that “everything” He created is good! Once again, I want to encourage you to begin exercising your spiritual understanding by identifying some of the things the devil has perverted and stolen; and then begin using your spiritual authority in Christ by taking it back!
Time of Reflection
Our righteousness (or right standing) before God is a prime example of something the devil has stolen that must be redeemed. Mankind was created in the image and likeness of God (Gn 1:26-27), being blessed and free from sin. The devil stole everything when he tricked Adam and Eve into partaking of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil against God’s command (3:1-7). This was the first sin in human history, and because of sin mankind was evicted from the garden, never to live in freedom from death again (3:22-24); that is, until Jesus Christ atoned for sin by His death on the cross!
You see, there is one thing we can never redeem on our own. There is one thing we can never buy back, if you will, and that is our eternal security; our salvation. In Ephesians 2:8-9, we read, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” Jesus Christ, through His grace, redeemed us and bought back our righteousness; and that is something that only He could do.
Consider what the Bible says about the redeeming power of Jesus: “Christ has redeemed us from the curse” – Galatians 3:13; “For You were slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your blood” – Revelation 5:9; and “Jesus Christ . . . gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people” – Titus 2:13-14. Jesus Christ is the only redeemer of a person’s soul! So, I’ve got to ask, “Is He your Redeemer?”
Jesus redeemed mankind from the penalty of sin by dying on the cross, being punished in our place. It was through His shed blood that we have been rescued and our status before God has been renewed. If we have confessed Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, then our standing before God is presently as it was for Adam and Eve in the garden. We now have “garden status,” and we are now seen as the righteousness of God in Christ (2 Cor 5:21). Jesus reclaimed what the devil stole from us! He redeemed what Satan tried to destroy, by restoring our righteousness (or right standing) before God!
The way to receive this redemption and be restored unto fellowship with God is to admit your sins; believe that Jesus is God’s Son, who died for your sins on the cross and rose victorious over sin and death; and confess Jesus as Savior and Lord of your life. Romans 10:9-10 says, “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”
NOTES
(1) Daniel R. Heimbach, True Sexual Morality (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2004), p. 333.
(2) Ibid., p. 333.
