Subject: Does Satan Exist Part III |
Bible Note: Mark, I agree with you on the issue of insanity. Here’s another angle. Bear in mind that some of this is just theory. Lucifer’s downfall was based on PRIDE. And what other sin could cause a holy angel to fall? Pride is unlike all other sins. First, pride is a “hidden” sin, in that it is likely the hardest to detect by the person suffering from it. It may also be difficult for others to detect. Not that I’m saying God can’t detect it. But then, pride’s nature demands that when confronted about its very existence, pride would be offended. And if a rebuke was not taken with humility, pride would only tend to grow, not diminish. Pride is the most sinister of sins. Though not as “destructive” as some other sins, it is by the hardest sin to overcome. It declares, “I am in the right!”, “I am being mistreated!”. As for God’s Sovereignty and Omnipotence, God values freedom of choice. Hence the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Before the fall, there was only one spot on Earth where Adam and Eve were susceptible to sin. Only one spot on the entire planet where Satan had access to the first couple. And what’s more, God warned Adam and Eve about it. Yet He would not take from them their freedom of choice. I believe that the freedom of choice was given to the angels in heaven. Yet their perfection and closeness to God all but guaranteed that sin would never rear its ugly head. This is just my opinion, but I believe that the only chance sin had to enter heaven, was through pride. One would assume that the closer one was to God, the less likely to fall. The closer to perfection, the more “sin-proof” one was. But pride bypasses that. In fact, pride can use perfection to spawn itself, in that if someone takes their focus off God and looks at their own perfection, they suddenly say, “Hey, look at me. I’m perfect.” Ezek 28:17 "Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; You corrupted your wisdom by reason of your splendor. Ocelot P.S. The devil doesn’t care which ditch you fall into. If you worship him he likes that. If you disbelieve in him, he likes that just as well. |