Would it be correct to say sin is our greatest enemy rather than satan?
Obviously sin isn't a conscious being, but as a concept it seems to be the more long lasting evil.
Posted Oct 26, 2019, 6:16 AM UTC
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If by our greatest enemy you mean believers’ greatest enemy, I’d say you’re correct.
But if you mean humanity’s greatest enemy, then it’s God, unless we’re reconciled to Him. Thanks be to Christ :)
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If by our greatest enemy you mean believers’ greatest enemy, I’d say you’re correct.
Sin is the way of the devil. Because of that, sin is the devil. The devil and his way is ultimately to blame for all forms of corruption in the world. You don't have to believe or accept the Lord for the devil to be your greatest enemy because his corruption is still relevant and real to you and the rest of the world.
For example, we are all slaves to God whether we live to follow Him or not. Why? Because a slave is a slave to his slave master even if he chooses to neglect his slave master's commands. Sinners are slaves to their sins even if they don't acknowledge them as sins. And because our fate will be the same in the end, our worst enemy is the devil and his way regardless of what you claim to "believe" or "disbelieve".
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sin is the devil
The two are not synonymous. Not in scripture, not in Christian orthodoxy.
The devil and his way is ultimately to blame for all forms of corruption in the world.
Be careful with this, that you don't relinquish yourself of responsibility with some "the devil made me do it" sentiment. The devil may be a tempter, but we sin of our own volition.
all slaves to God whether we live to follow Him or not
Again, this is not biblical. Scripture makes it plain that we are either slaves to sin or slaves to God (Rom. 6:20-22).
our worst enemy is the devil
I don't really agree, but I could cede to this if you're talking about believers. But nonbelievers are at enmity with God himself, who is the greatest enemy one could ever have.
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The two are not synonymous. Not in scripture, not in Christian orthodoxy.
1 John 3:8 Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.
Be careful with this, that you don't relinquish yourself of responsibility with some "the devil made me do it" sentiment.
How did you get that from what I said? Literally all I said was the truth. Sin is the way of the devil as the Lord Himself stated, therefore the devil is the world's greatest enemy.
The devil may be a tempter, but we sin of our own volition.
Thus why the Lord didn't refrain punishing Adam and Eve for allowing the serpent to deceive them. God is above all and we are to follow and accept Him only. Nobody can blame the devil completely for their sins, but that doesn't take away the fact that sinning is the way of satan.
Again, this is not biblical. Scripture makes it plain that we are either slaves to sin or slaves to God (Rom. 6:20-22).
You're a slave to sin when you allow yourself to be under your sin's control. Why? Because sinning is ultimately an addiction. However, we're all slaves to God regardless if we follow Him or not. Why? Because you have no choice but to face Him sooner or later and are forced into the reality He owns. If you follow Christ, you're a slave to the Lord because you're practicing what He has commanded. If you don't follow Christ, you're still a slave to the Lord because your life is still His.
Take this as an example... A company hires two new employees. One employee does the work that's expected from him each day. The other employee neglects his duties each day until he eventually gets fired... Even though both employees are different, they're both still employees to the same company. What you're saying here is the equivalent of saying "The employee that neglects his duties isn't an employee to the company.". That's simply false the perspective of this subject regarding reality. Because we all have to face the Lord on Judgment Day, we are all His slaves. That's the reality of our fate. When a heathen stands before the Lord to receive His judgment, guess what the heathen realizes at that moment? The heathen realizes even after neglecting God their whole life, they never truly escaped the Lord's ownership.
Psalm 24:1 The earth is the LORD'S, and all it contains, The world, and those who dwell in it.
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1 John 3:8 Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.
Not only does this passage fail to support your claim that [sin = the devil], it clearly shows that sin and the devil are two distinct things. Sin is impersonal, the devil is personal.
How did you get that from what I said?
The logical conclusion of the sentiment that “the devil is ultimately responsible for all corruption” is that we can pass the buck. As it is, we don’t need the devil to be sinful; we’re pretty good at that on our own, and fully culpable.
Sin is the way of the devil as the Lord Himself stated
Correct.
therefore the devil is the world's greatest enemy.
This doesn’t logically follow, nor is it biblical. The devil is not at enmity with the world; rather, he is allied with the world against God. God is the world’s greatest enemy, by virtue of his exceeding power, unless one is reconciled to him through Jesus.
Thus why the Lord didn't refrain punishing Adam and Eve for allowing the serpent to deceive them. God is above all and we are to follow and accept Him only. Nobody can blame the devil completely for their sins, but that doesn't take away the fact that sinning is the way of satan.
I agree :)
we're all slaves to God regardless if we follow Him or not. Why? Because you have no choice but to face Him sooner or later and are forced into the reality He owns. If you follow Christ, you're a slave to the Lord because you're practicing what He has commanded. If you don't follow Christ, you're still a slave to the Lord because your life is still His.
Can you support this biblically? Everything I know of scripture shows that you are either a slave to sin or a slave to God. It’s not possible to be a slave to both, unless you’re using the term differently than the scriptures do.
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Pride is our worst enemy
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This example doesn't work as well anymore, but I used to talk about it like Osama bin Laden. Like, yes, he might hate you and want you to die, but there are much more proximate threats to your life and health and happiness.
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Yes, I believe so.
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I would say we are our own worst enemies.
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Yes, Satan’s goal is to get us to sin because it separates us from God.
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Satan is what he is, and is not going to change. The critical element in the equation, the one that determines success or failure, is self. We are the ones who either cooperate or resist the Holy Spirit and His workings. We are the ones who either devote attention to the Word or decide to listen to the world. Satan is ultimately behind all sin in the world, including the sin of Adam. But it is our choices that determine whether we give him power over us or whether we will surrender to the lordship of Christ and live in intimate union with Him.
So I would say the critical enemy is not satan, but the sin nature within us that we struggle with. Paul delineates this very dramatically in Romans 7, where he says it is not even himself that does evil, it is the sin nature that lies within him. So he identifies himself with God, but his inability to follow God perfectly with the lower nature. This understanding, if indeed it is true and one has a heart for God, is critical to a mature understanding of salvation and sanctification.
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Really sin is our only enemy, and all of our other enemies are just an extension of that fact. Satan lives in sin and advocates for it, the same with the world. And our flesh is only able to sin: its sinful by nature.
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Sin and Satan are both our enemies. I would not downplay Satan in that equation. Sin is our weakness in the flesh. Satan is an active, conscious being that attempts to use our sin against us.
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Even if it was. Jesus defeated it on the cross 2000 years ago. So it’s also defeated. We live a life of victory. We were slaves to sin now we are slaves to righteousness. You don’t have a sin issue but a righteousness issue( which isnt actually an issue)
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yes, as james writes each man is tempted by his own evil desires.
Boy if that isn’t true.