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Zechariah 3:1–5
“Then He answered and spoke to those who stood before Him, saying, ‘Take away the filthy garments from him.’ And to him He said, ‘See, I have removed your iniquity from you, and I will clothe you with rich robes’” (Zech. 3:4).
Martin Luther did not include Satan in his list of the three obstacles to Christian growth—the world, the flesh, and the devil—simply as a theological abstraction. He had a profound awareness of the reality of Satan, as did many in his time and in earlier eras of Christian history. Today, however, most people, and even many in the church, deny that the devil exists. This is a terrible mistake, for Scripture teaches his reality, and the teachings of Jesus Himself leave no doubt that He believed the devil was real. One example is the Lord’s Prayer, the sample prayer Jesus gave His disciples; He told them to ask God to deliver them from “evil,” but He used a form of the word that makes it a reference to a person. Thus, the petition is best translated “Deliver us from the evil one” (Matt. 6:13; Luke 11:4). And we need God’s help against Satan, for he is cunning (Gen. 3:1), deceptive (2 Cor. 11:14), and formidable (1 Peter 5:8). We must believe in him and take him seriously, for he is indeed an obstacle to our growth in righteousness. Indeed, he is committed to thwarting our growth.
Satan engages in two main activities in the lives of Christians. First, he tempts, striving to make Christians give in to the sinful desires that we examined in yesterday’s study. Second, he accuses. He seeks to torment the consciences of Christians, overwhelm them with guilt, and cause them to question their relationship with God in Christ.
How do we fight him? Zechariah 3 gives us an important clue. When Satan accuses the High Priest Joshua, arguing that his dirty garments render him unfit to minister before God’s presence, God commands him to be silent. Joshua, He says, is “ ‘a brand plucked from the fire.’ ” Yes, he is dirty, but God takes care of that, stripping Joshua’s soiled garments and clothing him with rich robes. Joshua is a picture of all of God’s redeemed, who were indeed guilty before Him, but who are now forgiven by Him. God has clothed His people with the perfect righteousness of Christ and is now creating actual righteousness in them. Therefore, when Satan tempts us, we must remember that Christ has overcome him and given us the ability to obey. And when he accuses us, we must remember that God has forgiven us. We must make our calling and election sure (2 Peter 1:10), that we will be able to see Satan’s accusations as the slanders and lies they are.
Coram Deo Living before the face of God
If we have been forgiven, our guilt has been taken away. But Satan tries to keep us feeling guilty about forgiven sins. Do you struggle with guilt feelings? If you have confessed your sins to God and trusted Christ for salvation, you are forgiven. Ask God that no lingering feelings of guilt would impede your growth in righteousness.
for further study
- Ephesians 4:27
- Ephesians 6:11
- James 4:7
- Revelation 2:10
- Revelation 12:9