Instead of believing what they knew was the truth about God, they deliberately chose to believe lies. So, they prayed to the things God made, but wouldn’t obey the blessed God who made these things. Romans 1:25 (TLB)
Welcome back my dear friends. I pray that last month’s lesson on the Gospel of Satan was an eye opener for you. Now that you know Satan’s modus operandi for hiding the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ through man-made religion, it’s time to reveal the “You” factor phase of Satan’s two prong approach. When you put the two together you will begin to understand why it so easy for him to do what he does.
His “You” factor deception plan is built on nothing but lies. And why wouldn’t it be? In the eighth chapter of John vs.44 we are told, “when he tells a lie, he is only doing what is natural to him, because he is a liar and the father of all lies.” My friends have no doubts he is very, very good at what he does otherwise he wouldn’t be called the father of all lies. A name of which I’m quite sure he is proud of. So, what is the “You” factor? You are correct! This lesson is about you and me, and how Satan takes two important acts of God and uses them against us to deceive us into believing we don’t need Jesus Christ or God in our lives.
However, before I go any further, I need to lay the groundwork that is necessary to help you better understand the “You” factor. For that we must turn back to God’s Holy Word and review a couple theological lessons concerning the creation of man, and the Common Grace of God. Let’s begin.
Creation of man:
It will probably amaze you to realize that when the Creator of the universe wanted to create something “in his image,” something more like himself than all the rest of creation, he made us.
26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
27 So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” Genesis 1:26-28 (NIV)
What did God mean when He said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness?” Does it mean that when you look in the mirror in the morning that is what God looks like? No, because God is spirit (John 4:24), he does not resemble a human being’s reflection. Making man and woman in His image does not refer to physical appearance — our flesh and blood. We were made to resemble God’s characteristics. However, this doesn’t mean men and women are equal with God, for in (Hebrews 2:7) we find that God made us a little lower than the angels.
When God created Adam and Eve, He made them perfectly. After His own image. And when He was finished, God said.
Then God looked over all that he had made, and it was excellent in every way. This ended the sixth day. Genesis 1:31 (TLB)
Why did God create mankind? Did he make us to provide Him entertainment, or maybe for His amusement? Maybe He was lonely and needed a “friend.”
No, God did not create man out of need. As God, He needs nothing. However, God is loving and personal, and it gives Him pleasure to have other beings with whom He can have a genuine relationship. He loves us, but this is not the same as needing us. God is a creative God, and it gives Him pleasure to create.
6 The Lord does whatever pleases him throughout all heaven and earth, and on the seas and in their depths. Psalm 135:6 (NLT)
24 “I am the Lord, your savior; I am the one who created you. I am the Lord, the Creator of all things. I alone stretched out the heavens; when I made the earth, no one helped me.” Isaiah 44:24 (GNT)
That He chose to do anything was purely a Sovereign act of His own choosing. Concerning man, He said, “for I have made them for my glory; I created them”. Isaiah 43:7
So, let’s try to understand what being created in God’s image means. Anthony Hoekema describes it in an easy common-sense way.
“The image of God refers to the immaterial part of humanity. It sets human beings apart from the animal world, fits them for the dominion God intended them to have over the earth, and enables them to commune with their Maker. It is a likeness mentally, morally, and socially.
Mentally, we were created as a rational, volition agent. In other words, human beings can reason and choose. This is a reflection of God’s intellect and freedom. Anytime someone invents a machine, writes a book, paints a landscape, enjoys a symphony, calculates a sum, or names a pet, he or she is proclaiming the fact that we are made in God’s image.
Morally, humanity was created in righteousness and perfect innocence, a reflection of God’s holiness. Our conscience or “moral compass” is a remnant of that original state. Whenever someone writes a law, recoils from evil, praises good behavior, or feels guilty, he or she is confirming the fact that we are made in God’s own image.
Socially, humanity was created for fellowship. This reflects God\’s triune nature and His love. God made the first woman because “it is not good for the man to be alone”. Every time someone marries, makes a friend, hugs a child, or attends church, he or she is demonstrating the fact that we are made in the likeness of God.
Part of being made in God’s image is that Adam had the capacity to make free choices. Although they were given a righteous nature, Adam and Eve made an evil choice to rebel against their Creator. In so doing, they marred the image of God within themselves, and passed that damaged likeness on to all their descendants.
When Adam sinned, sin entered the entire human race. His sin spread death throughout all the world, so everything began to grow old and die, for all sinned. Romans 5:12 (TLB)
Today, we still bear the image of God, but we also bear the scars of sin. Mentally, morally, socially, and physically, we show the effects of sin.”
- Because of the sin state we live in our way of thinking has been marred or tainted.
They don’t care anymore about right and wrong and have given themselves over to impure ways. They stop at nothing, being driven by their evil minds and reckless lusts. Ephesians 4:19 (TLB)
- Because of the sin state we live in our morals have been marred or tainted.
for all these worldly things, these evil desires—the craze for sex, the ambition to buy everything that appeals to you, and the pride that comes from wealth and importance—these are not from God. They are from this evil world itself. 1 John 2:16 (TLB)
- Because of the sin state we live in our social interactions have been marred or tainted.
They are filled with every kind of sin, evil, greed, and hatred. They are full of jealousy, murder, fighting, lying, and thinking the worst things about each other. They gossip and say evil things about each other. They hate God. They are rude, proud, and brag about themselves. They invent ways of doing evil. They don’t obey their parents, Romans 1:29-30 (ERV)
- Because of the sin state we live in our very existence has been marred or tainted.
“For the wages of sin is death,” Romans 6:23 (NIV)
What does it mean that our image of God has been marred? Wayne Grudem explains it this way;
“Man is still in God’s image. The New Testament gives confirmation to this when James 3: 9 says that men generally, not just believers, “are made in the likeness of God.” However, since man has sinned, he is certainly not as fully like God as he was before. His moral purity has been lost and his sinful character certainly does not reflect God’s holiness. His intellect is corrupted by falsehood and misunderstanding; his speech no longer continually glorifies God; his relationships are often governed by selfishness rather than love, and so forth.
Though man is still in the image of God, in every aspect of life some parts of that image have been distorted or lost. In short, “God made people good, but they have found many ways to be bad.” (Eccl. 7: 29). After the fall, then, we are still in God’s image — we are still like God and we still represent God — but the image of God in us is distorted; we are less fully like God than we were before the entrance of sin.”
Sin is any failure to conform to the moral law of God in act, attitude, or nature.
So now that you have an understanding of Part 1 of what Satan’s needs to accomplish his “You” factor. Let’s look at Part 2 the final piece of his plan, God’s Covenant with man. This will answer the question many of us have, which, is “Why do good things happen to bad people?”
What is a Covenant?
A covenant is an agreement between one individual and another or it can be between one individual and a group of individuals. When it comes to a Biblical covenant this is a solemn promise or oath of God with man, and it defines the relationship between two parties. God did not have to enter into any covenants with us, but he did so because he wished to display his love and nature to his creation. When God is involved in a covenant, this relationship is a dispensing of his kindness, goodness, and wisdom. Biblical covenants have requirements attached, such as God says to man if you do this, I will do that, or if you don’t do this, then I will be forced to do that. Other Biblical covenants are ones that God says to man, I will do this, and you do not have to do anything. The Noahic Covenant is one where God has said to man, I will promise to do this, and you do not have to do anything in return. (I will talk more about the Covenants of God later in my series).
The Noahic Covenant
‘Then Noah built an altar and sacrificed on it some of the animals and birds God had designated for that purpose. And Jehovah was pleased with the sacrifice and said to himself, “I will never do it again—I will never again curse the earth, destroying all living things, even though man’s bent is always toward evil from his earliest youth, and even though he does such wicked things. As long as the earth remains, there will be springtime and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer, day and night.”
God blessed Noah and his sons and told them to have many children and to repopulate the earth.
“All wild animals and birds and fish will be afraid of you,” God told him; “for I have placed them in your power, and they are yours to use for food, in addition to grain and vegetables. But never eat animals unless their lifeblood has been drained off. And murder is forbidden. Man-killing animals must die, and any man who murders shall be killed; for to kill a man is to kill one made like God. Yes, have many children and repopulate the earth and subdue it.”
Then God told Noah and his sons, “I solemnly promise you and your children and the animals you brought with you—all these birds and cattle and wild animals—that I will never again send another flood to destroy the earth. And I seal this promise with this sign: I have placed my rainbow in the clouds as a sign of my promise until the end of time, to you and to all the earth. When I send clouds over the earth, the rainbow will be seen in the clouds, and I will remember my promise to you and to every being, that never again will the floods come and destroy all life. For I will see the rainbow in the cloud and remember my eternal promise to every living being on the earth.” Genesis 8:20-9:17 (TLB)
This Covenant or promise God made with Noah and his family is often referred to as the Common Grace of God. What are the benefits of the Common Grace of God to mankind?
Common Grace;
- Common Grace refers to the Grace of God that is common to all humankind.
- It is “common” because its benefits are experienced by the whole human race without distinction between one person and another, believers or unbelievers.
- It is “grace” because it is undeserved and sovereignly bestowed by God.
- Common Grace has nothing to do with salvation.
Common Grace
- Curbs the destructive power of sin,
- Maintains the moral order of the universe, thus making an orderly life possible, and
- Distributes in varying degrees’ gifts and talents among men, and promotes the development of science and art.
“He is kind to those who are not thankful and to those who are full of sin. Luke 6:35
“Long ago He allowed all people to live the way they wanted to. Even then God did not leave you without something to see of Him. He did good. He gave you rain from heaven and much food. He made you happy.” Acts 14:16-17
The various aspects of God\’s common grace to all mankind can be generally gathered under these headings:
1. The Physical Realm:
Every breath that a believer and an unbeliever take is an example of the common grace of God.
The Lord is good to everyone. He showers compassion on all his creation. Psalm 145:9
Both believer and unbeliever enjoy the beauty of nature such as the Grand Canyon, the colorful fall leaves, multicolored flowers, grass, woodlands, rivers, lakes, mountains and ocean shores.
“He makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” Matt. 5: 44 – 45.
2. The Intellectual Realm:
Jesus in his role as creator and sustainer of the universe allows enlightenment and understanding to come to all people in the world.
9 This true Light, coming into the world, gives light to every man. John 1:9
- The common grace of God in the intellectual realm also results in an ability to grasp truth and distinguish it from error, and to experience growth in knowledge that can be used in the investigation of the universe and in the task of subduing the earth.
- All science and technology carried out by believers and unbelievers is a result of common grace.
3. The Moral Realm:
- Common grace is the restraint of sin in the life of the individual and in society.
- If God did not restrain the evil that resides in the hearts of all men, which are “deceitful and desperately wicked,” humanity would have destroyed itself centuries ago
“The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is? Jeremiah 17:9
- God gave each of us a “moral compass” when He created us. Which means that you already have knowledge of what is right or wrong from God’s perspective. Have you ever felt that small voice deep down inside of you that makes you feel guilty when you go against your “moral compass”?
They show that in their hearts they know what is right and wrong, the same as the law commands, and their consciences agree. Sometimes their thoughts tell them that they have done wrong, and this makes them guilty. And sometimes their thoughts tell them that they have done right, and this makes them not guilty.” Romans 2:15 (ERV)
This inward sense of right and wrong that God gives to all people means that they will frequently approve of moral standards that reflect many of the moral standards in Scripture.
- Unbelievers do “do good.” Jesus implies this when he says,
“If you do good to those who do good to you, what pay can you expect from that? Sinners also do good to those who do good to them.” Luke 6:33
4. The Creative Realm;
- God has allowed significant measures of skill in artistic and musical areas, as well as in other spheres in which creativity and skill can be expressed, such as athletics, cooking, writing, and so forth.
- Moreover, God gives to us an ability to appreciate beauty in many areas of life — in this area as well as in the physical and intellectual realms.
- The blessings of common grace are sometimes poured out on unbelievers even more abundantly than on believers.
5. The Societal Realm;
- The human family persists today, not simply as an institution for believers, but for all people.
- Human government also is a result of common grace. It was instituted in principle by God after the flood (Gen. 9: 6) and is clearly stated to be given by God.
Every person must obey the leaders of the land. There is no power given but from God, and all leaders are allowed by God. Romans 13:1
- One of the primary means God uses to restrain evil in the world is human government.
- Human laws, police forces and judicial systems provide a powerful deterrent to evil actions, and these are necessary, for there is much evil in the world that is irrational and that can only be restrained by force, because it will not be deterred by reason or education.
- Other organizations in human society include educational institutions, businesses and corporations, voluntary associations (such as many charitable and public service groups), and countless examples of ordinary human friendship.
6. The Church Realm.
- The Special Grace of God, which is different from the Common Grace of God is given only to those who are saved. This enhances the blessings of common grace to unbelievers living in the realm of the church’s influence.
- Unbelievers benefit from the example of believers lives that they see in society, from the prayers and the acts of mercy that believers do for the community.
- The knowledge of the teachings of Scripture and its wisdom in which they find some intellectual and moral benefit.
- The influence on laws, customs, and beliefs of a society that comes through the social and political activities of believers.
Common Grace is seen in God’s continuing care for his creation.
- Common Grace is God restraining human society from becoming altogether intolerable and ungovernable,
- Common Grace is God making it possible for mankind to live together in a generally orderly and cooperative manner,
- Common Grace is God maintaining man\’s conscious sense of basic right and wrong behavior.
Common Grace Does Not Save People.
- Common grace is different from saving grace.
- Common grace does not change the human heart or bring people to genuine repentance and faith — it cannot and does not save people
- Common grace restrains sin but does not change anyone’s foundational disposition to sin, nor does it in any significant measure purify fallen human nature.
- We also must recognize that the actions of unbelievers performed by virtue of common grace do not in themselves merit God’s approval or favor.
All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away. Isaiah 64:6
- So, you see that even though we are all sinners in the eyes of God and separated from Him because of Adam and Eve’s sin, we still have the capacity to be kind and good because of our moral compass.
- We are basically being nice sinners occasionally, some more than most. However, this does not redeem us in the sight of God.
- Remember, as humans we can only judge each other by what we see on the outside. God judges by what is on the inside.
There is no such thing as “LUCK” or “CHANCE”!
Some may say that they are the luckiest person on earth or that every chance they’ve ever taken in life has always panned out for them. Unfortunately, my friend the universe is not governed by impersonal chance or luck, but, by a personal God. Nothing “just happens.”
We may throw the dice, but the Lord determines how they fall. Proverbs 16:33 (NLT)
We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps. Proverbs 16:9 (NLT)
The Lord directs our steps, so why try to understand everything along the way? Proverbs 20:24 (NLT)
So now you have an understanding of Part 2 of what Satan needs to accomplish his “You” factor. We’ve taken a long journey my friend to get to the main topic of this series.
However, I’ve decided since I’ve spent so much of your time getting to this point, that I will move my explanation of the “You” factor to next month. I want to close with a special invitation to those of you who are reading this.
A Very Special Invitation
My friends’, you need to understand that after the third Chapter of Genesis the 7th verse our relationship with God ended. The entire Bible from that point on is focus on only one thing — God’s heartfelt desire to redeem us from our sin and reunite us with Him.
- First let me remind you of what sin has done with your relationship with God.
- Because of sin you are totally and eternally separated from God.
- There is nothing you can do to change or repair that separation yourself.
- You are destined to spend eternity with Satan and his minions in hell. This is why Satan works 24/7 to keep you on the wide path, for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction (Hell).
It’s as simple as that my friends. If you have any further question concerning 1 thru 3, simply read them until it sinks in.
Remember, as you read this invitation, you have the free will to decide to accept it or reject it. It is a decision that every one of us must make at some point in our life.
Right now, as you are reading this, I can assure you that Satan and his demonic minions are at work beside and in you trying to keep you from reading further. The phone will start ringing, someone will call out to you, the baby just woke up, the dog is barking at something outside, or you just remembered that television show you’ve been waiting all week to watch is about to come on.
Wayne Grudem describe this invitation as the effective calling. “The effective calling is an act of God the Father, speaking through the human proclamation of the gospel, in which he summons people to himself in such a way that they respond in saving faith.”
The word gospel means “good news,” so the gospel of Christ is the good news of His coming to provide forgiveness of sins for all who will believe. The bad news that we are all guilty of sin and condemned by God is countered by the gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ. God, because of His love for the world, has made a way for man to be forgiven of their sins.
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 (NIV)
He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to take the sins of mankind on Himself through death on a cross. In placing our sin on Christ, God ensured that all who will believe in the name of Jesus will be forgiven. Jesus’ resurrection guarantees the justification (salvation) of all who believe, and an eternity spent with our Lord God of the Universe.
What are we to do with this Gospel message?
and that this message of salvation should be taken from Jerusalem to all the nations: There is forgiveness of sins for all who turn to me. Luke 24:47 (TLB)
On the day of Pentecost, the Apostle Peter told the crowd;
These words of Peter’s moved them deeply, and they said to him and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?” And Peter replied, “Each one of you must turn from sin, return to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; then you also shall receive this gift, the Holy Spirit. For Christ promised him to each one of you who has been called by the Lord our God, and to your children and even to those in distant lands! Acts 2:37-39 (TLB)
The Apostle Paul told the Romans;
“Well,” you may be saying, “what terrible people you have been talking about!” But wait a minute! You are just as bad. When you say they are wicked and should be punished, you are talking about yourselves, for you do these very same things. And we know that God, in justice, will punish anyone who does such things as these. Do you think that God will judge and condemn others for doing them and overlook you when you do them, too? Don’t you realize how patient he is being with you? Or don’t you care? Can’t you see that he has been waiting all this time without punishing you, to give you time to turn from your sin? His kindness is meant to lead you to repentance. Romans 2:1-4 (TLB)
He went on to tell the Corinthians’;
Now let me remind you, brothers, of what the Gospel really is, for it has not changed—it is the same Good News I preached to you before. You welcomed it then and still do now, for your faith is squarely built upon this wonderful message; and it is this Good News that saves you if you still firmly believe it, unless of course you never really believed it in the first place. I passed on to you right from the first what had been told to me, that Christ died for our sins just as the Scriptures said he would, and that he was buried, and that three days afterwards he arose from the grave just as the prophets foretold. 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 (TLB)
- My friend, I ask you to read on and to focus on you and God, blocking out everything else.
- God created you and filled you with wonderful things and abilities; He deeply loves you and wants to be with you.
- Satan stepped in and placed a wall of separation (sin) between you and God, and now you are physically, spiritually and eternally separated from Him.
- Jesus Christ came to earth to destroy once and for all that wall of separation, and to restore your broken relationship with God. He died for you and your sinful nature so that you could be redeemed with your Heavenly Father who is waiting for you.
- The Holy Spirit of God is waiting to come and live inside of you. He will unlock God’s Word to you, and He will help you build your new life and see all the wonderful things God has hidden inside of you — things you can’t see because of your sinful nature.
- Friend, this is your moment. Don’t let Satan interfere because he doesn’t care at all about you, and neither does this world we live in. His only goal is to destroy everything God wants for you and to keep you in Hell along with all the others that walked away at this moment.
Prepare your heart by reading what God has written in Romans 10:9-13 and Ephesians 2:8-9
If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved. As the Scriptures tell us, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.” Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect. They have the same Lord, who gives generously to all who call on him. For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Romans 10:9-13 (NLT)
“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.” Ephesians 2:8-9 (NKJV)
This is the first step of faith the Bible talks about — God’s gift to you, no strings attached. You can take it, accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, by just reading this simple prayer out loud from your heart, not your mind:
Dear Lord God, I realize I am a sinner in need of salvation. I know that all my own good works and religious rituals can never save me. Only Jesus can save me. I confess with my mouth and believe with my heart that Jesus is your Son. I believe that Jesus, my Savior, came to earth for me and that He died on the Cross of Calvary that I might be forgiven. I believe that He was buried and on the third day rose and now sits at Your right hand as my advocate. I am asking you Lord Jesus to come into my life and be my personal Lord and Savior. I repent of my sins and ask you now to take charge of my life now and forever more. I confess with my mouth that I am Born Again and Cleansed by the Blood of Jesus! In Jesus name. Amen.
If you prayed this prayer with your heart and believe that Jesus Christ is now your Lord and Savior except for your birth, this is the most exciting day of your life. You are now redeemed with God, your Father. You have now secured your place in eternity with Him. The Bible tells us that right now everyone in Heaven is rejoicing with you. Can you hear them?
Until next month, my friends, may His mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you.
The Anatomy of Sin
