Is Satan Lawless or a Legalist?

[d taylor]

Satan will setup and establish his own government, which of course goes against Gods law/rule

 

[Sketcher]

One tends to remember the 'one liners' of one's mentors.

One of mine said that Satan was an "arch-legalist".

Yet he will be represented on earth as the "man of lawlessness".

Can he be both?

Thoughts please.

He wears whichever hat that suits his immediate ploy. He's the father of lies, after all.

 

[Aussie Pete]

One tends to remember the 'one liners' of one's mentors.

One of mine said that Satan was an "arch-legalist".

Yet he will be represented on earth as the "man of lawlessness".

Can he be both?

Thoughts please.

Indeed he can be both. He is the Accuser of the brethren, bringing God's attention to the failings of God's people. He is also the one who tempts and incites people to sin. Satan has no scruples at all.

 

[martymonster]

He's neither. He's the tempter and the accuser of the brethren. He is a tool and can only do what he is instructed to do. His job is to sift the wheat from the chaff.

 

[timothyu]

Satan will setup and establish his own government, which of course goes against Gods law/rule

You mean like most have until now

 

[LovebirdsFlying]

Lawless or a legalist?

I'm thinking, whichever suits his purposes more in the moment. Whatever he can use against us. Because his whole goal is to steal, kill, and destroy, and he'll do anything it takes to accomplish that.

 

[Carl Emerson]

His job is to sift the wheat from the chaff.

Can you give some scriptural support to that claim that Satan does this please.

 

[martymonster]

Can you give some scriptural support to that claim that Satan does this please.

Isa 54:16 Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy.

1Ti 1:19 Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck:
1Ti 1:20 Of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander; whom I have delivered unto Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme.

Mat 4:1 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.
Mat 4:2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.
Mat 4:3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.

1Sa 16:14 But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD troubled him.
1Sa 16:15 And Saul's servants said unto him, Behold now, an evil spirit from God troubleth thee.

 

[DennisTate]

One tends to remember the 'one liners' of one's mentors.

One of mine said that Satan was an "arch-legalist".

Yet he will be represented on earth as the "man of lawlessness".

Can he be both?

Thoughts please.

I think that you nailed it .... .Satan is BOTH an "arch- legalist" to anybody who he thinks will fall most easily into legalism and perfectionism.........

Ecc 7:16 "Be not righteous overmuch, and do not make yourself overwise; why should you destroy yourself?"

and... he is the "man of lawlessness" to those who he discerns will most easily fall into lawlessness!

There are generally two methods of destroying Christians..... deceive us into becoming angry, self-righteous, proud and arrogant Christian Pharisees...... or.......
convince us of some variation of hyper-grace that makes whatever we want to do to be ethical somehow..... and OK with Jesus?????!

 

[Pavel Mosko]

Can he be both?

He's both. He is legal in using the letter of the law to his advantage, but will encourage people to not listen to their conscience, or not consider the spirit of the law when that is effective.

 

[Alain Valdivia]

Both. Satan tempts the believer or non-believer into one or the other. Despair (legalism) and presumption (lawlessness) are the two sins against the theological virtue of hope. Those who despair of mercy are sinning against hope because it denies the love and grace of God. Those who presume on mercy are sinning against hope because presumption makes a mockery of God’s grace and it despises the blood of His Son. Satan or our own sinful nature can tempt us to one or the other. Legalism, usually tends to lead to despair. Lawlessness, tends to lead to presumption. Both are bad and deadly to the soul. Many have perished because of their presumption, while few, like Judas, perished because of despair. Yet both can be damnable to the soul. A quote from St. Augustine about the two thieves on the cross can be helpful in this: "Do not despair; one of the thieves was saved. Do not presume; one of the thieves was damned."

 

[DamianWarS]

One tends to remember the 'one liners' of one's mentors.

One of mine said that Satan was an "arch-legalist".

Yet he will be represented on earth as the "man of lawlessness".

Can he be both?

Thoughts please.

the law is arbitrary for Satan unless it can be used against God and this is the role of legalism that he employs. There is the law, then there is that which the law points to which is greater than the law. If we follow the former but reject the latter we are legalists because the law turns into our god and we are lawless because the law is a false god.

 

[Josheb]

One tends to remember the 'one liners' of one's mentors. One of mine said that Satan was an "arch-legalist". Yet he will be represented on earth as the "man of lawlessness". Can he be both?

Thoughts please.

False dichotomy. Legalism is lawlessness. It simply appears under the guise of hyper-allegiance to the law when in satan's case it's really just death. Sin enslaves. Sin brings death. Lucifer sinned. He's dead and enslaved. That sinfully dead and enslaved creature has no opportunity for salvation.

 

[dqhall]

False dichotomy. Legalism is lawlessness. It simply appears under the guise of hyper-allegiance to the law when in satan's case it's really just death. Sin enslaves. Sin brings death. Lucifer sinned. He's dead and enslaved. That sinfully dead and enslaved creature has no opportunity for salvation.

Lawlessness is not the same as observing righteous laws. People using imperfect legal codes were not likely to arrive at perfection. For years slavery was legal. That did not make it right. Satan is allegory for one who is evil, or one who is doing evil. Once Jesus called Peter Satan (Matthew 16). Peter had made an inaccurate prediction.

 

[timothyu]

Once Jesus called Peter Satan (Matthew 16). Peter had made an inaccurate prediction.

The definition of a satan is an adversary. We are all adversarial by nature to the will of God. People like to focus on a specific 'Satan' to take the spotlight and responsibility off of ourselves.

Of course the Hebrew people had the Tempter whose job was to test our loyalty to God. But that is another story and often overlooked in Christianity because a lot of teachers don't mention we are adversarial by nature but are capable of change.

 

[Josheb]

Lawlessness is not the same as observing righteous laws. People using imperfect legal codes were not likely to arrive at perfection. For years slavery was legal. That did not make it right. Satan is allegory for one who is evil, or one who is doing evil. Once Jesus called Peter Satan (Matthew 16). Peter had made an inaccurate prediction.

Re-read you post. Think about what you posted.


Tell me why you think it has any bearing on what I posted.

 

[Euodius]

One tends to remember the 'one liners' of one's mentors.

One of mine said that Satan was an "arch-legalist".

Yet he will be represented on earth as the "man of lawlessness".

Can he be both?

Thoughts please.

Both. He's a hypocrite. He knows the law and condemns all by the law, raising accusations against us up to the Lord and tempting us into trying to provoke the Lord against us - trying to provoke the Lord to destroy His own image that he gave to us. And in this, he is the lawless one for he knows the law absolutely and is set against the law entirely - the law is not with him at all. And, indeed, in his great pride he'd set his own law over God's.

Contrast this with God who also knows the law absolutely, but is great in His mercy and shows that the law does not exist to condemn man (though he may be condemned and is usually condemnable), but for the healing, the protection, and the deification (defined here as 'becoming Christlike') of man.

 

[Dkh587]

Satan leads people to disobey God’s law

Satan does not lead people to obey God’s law

Obeying God’s law leads to life

Disobeying God’s law leads to death.

satan comes to kill, steal and destroy.

It’s absurd to think that the devil wants people to obey God’s law.

 

[Redwingfan9]

One tends to remember the 'one liners' of one's mentors.

One of mine said that Satan was an "arch-legalist".

Yet he will be represented on earth as the "man of lawlessness".

Can he be both?

Thoughts please.

By definition everything not commanded by God is lawless. Satan can work from both ends of this. He can say that God's law is irrelevant and therefore push folks to abandon it in an antinomian fashion. On the other hand he can say God's law isn't enough and we must add to it. The pharisees and modern Jews are adept at this, as are progressive Christians, particularly southern baptists. It isn't just law though, it's everything associated with the church. We see it in worship with many protestant churches claiming we can do as we please in worship (rock bands, skits, personal performances, entertainments etc.) and not consult God's word while catholics and orthodox add to worship in the form of holy days and other ritiuals nowhere found in scripture.

 

[dqhall]

Re-read you post. Think about what you posted.


Tell me why you thin it has any bearing on what I posted.

Why do you think your post makes any sense? Legalism is not lawlessness. If I am doing what is legal, I obey laws. If I am lawless, I do not obey laws.