God's Triumphant Plan
The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.
1 John 3:8
God’s story for us, as revealed in the pages of the Bible, is that Christ died for our sins and gave us eternal life. This is certainly good news, but the story would not be complete if Jesus had not also defeated the devil at the cross. “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work (1 John 2:8).”
John calls Satan the “evil one” (1 John 3:12) and credits him with being the instigator of human sin and depravity. He had been sinning “from the beginning” (verse 8), even before the fall of Adam and Eve, for he had rebelled against God. In the Garden of Eden, he tried to thwart God’s plans by tempting Adam and Eve to sin. His plan was successful, but even in his triumph God promised that the Messiah would come through the seed of the woman to crush his head (see Genesis 3:14-15).
Satan worked to further disrupt God’s plan by destroying the bloodline from which the Messiah would come. He influenced Cain, “who belonged to the evil one” (1 John 3:12), to kill Abel, but God gave Eve another child (see Genesis 4:25). His name was Seth, which means “restitution,” and the Messiah descended from his line. Satan later tried to eliminate Moses and Jesus by having all the young boys in their vicinity killed (see Exodus 1:22; Matthew 2:16), but God provided a way for them to be spared.
Jesus triumphed over Satan and defeated him, but Peter warns us, “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). He is like a deadly bee, but those of us who belong to Christ know his stinger has been removed. We are children of God and cannot be touched by the evil one (see 1 John 4:1-4; 5:18-19). For our protection, John admonishes us to walk in the light (see 1 John 1:7), confess our sins (see 1 John 1:9), obey God’s Word (see 1 John 2:5), and love one another (see 1 John 4:7).
John also warns us not to love the world or anything in it (see 1 John 2:15). The channels of temptation that Satan used to deceive Eve and cause Adam to sin are the same ones he used to tempt Jesus—and they are the same ones he is now using against all the children of God (see verse 16). We must be aware that there are many “antichrists” in the world today who belong to the evil one and strive to thwart God’s plan and the work of Christ. For this reason, John tells us to “not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God” (1 John 4:1).
The battle for the souls of humans will continue until the Lord returns, but we have the assurance of eternal life (see 5:13) and answered prayer (see verse 15). Furthermore, as John concludes, “We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true by being his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life” (verse 20).
Consider these questions to continue growing deeper in your relationship with the Lord:
What attempts did Satan make—and is still making—to thwart God’s plan?
What are the three channels that Satan used to tempt Eve, Jesus and God’s children?
What assurance does God give us that we can triumph over the devil’s schemes?
Given that Satan has been disarmed, in what ways are we still vulnerable?
As a believer, how important is it that you know that the “bee” has no stinger?
Neil T. Anderson is the founder of Freedom in Christ Ministries. He began the ministry in 1989 and continues to spread the message of freedom to this day.