Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
— Romans 8:33-35
Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.
— 1 Peter 3:16
Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.
— Jude 1:9
And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation?
— Luke 23:39-40
And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.
— Matthew 4:9-11
A Dialogue between Satan and a Christian, by William Perkins.
Satan. You say that you have true faith, but I shall sift you and disprove you.
Christian. The gates of hell shall never prevail against my faith, do what you can.
Satan. Tell me then, do you think that all the world shall be saved?
Christian. No.
Satan. What, shall some be saved and some condemned?
Christian. So says the Word of God.
Satan. You then are persuaded that God is true, even in His merciful promises, and that He will save some men, as Peter, Paul, and David, etc., and this is the only belief by which you will be saved.
Christian. Nay, this I believe, and more too, that I particularly am in the number of those men who shall be saved by the merit of Christ’s death and passion, and this is the belief that saves me.
Satan. It may be that you are persuaded that God is able to save you, but that God will save you—that is, that He has determined to advance your body and soul into His kingdom, and that He is most willing to perform it in His good time—herein you waver and doubt.
Christian. Nay, Satan. I, in my own heart, am fully persuaded that I shall be saved, and that Christ is especially my Redeemer (Joh 1:12-13; 6:35, 54). And (O Lord) for Christ’s sake, help my doubting and unbelief (Mar 9:24)!
Satan. Your full persuasion is only a fantasy and a strong imagination of your own head. It goes not with you as you think.
Christian. It is no imagination, but (the) truth that I speak. For I think I am as certain of my salvation as though my name were registered in the Scriptures (as David’s and Paul’s) to be an elect vessel of God. And this is the testimony of the Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ, assuring me inwardly of my adoption and making me with boldness and confidence in Christ to pray unto God the Father (2Co 1:22; Eph 1:14; Rom 8:18).
Satan. Still, you dream and imagine. You love and like yourself, and therefore you think the best of yourself.
Christian. Yea, but God of His goodness has brought forth such tokens of faith in me that I cannot be deceived (Act 13:9; 1Th 1:3):
1. I am displeased with myself for my manifold sins, in which sometimes I have delighted and bathed myself (Rom 7:15, 24).
2. I purpose never to commit them again, if God gives me strength, as I trust He will.
3. I have a very great desire to be doing those things that God commands.
4. Those who are the children of God, if I do but hear of them, I love them with my heart and wish unto them as to myself (1Jo 3:14).
5. My heart leaps for gladness when I hear of the preaching of the Word.
6. I long to see the coming of Christ Jesus, that an end may be made of sinning and of displeasing God (Rev 22:20).
7. I feel in my heart the fruits of the Spirit: joy, love, peace, gentleness, meekness, patience, (and) temperance. I abhor the works of the flesh: fornication, adultery, uncleanness, wantonness, idolatry, strife, envy, anger, drunkenness, bibbing and quaffing,332 and all such like (Gal 5:19-22).
All these cannot proceed from you, Satan, or from my flesh, but only from faith, which is wrought in me by God’s Holy Spirit.
Satan. If this were so, God would never suffer you to sin as you do.
Christian. I shall sin as long as I live in this world (Rom 7:15; Mat 26:69-75). I am sure of it because I am taught to ask (for the) remission of my sins continually. But the manner of my sinning now is otherwise than it has been in times past. I have sinned heretofore with full purpose and consent of will, but now doubtless I do not. Before I commit any sin, I do not go to the practicing of it with deliberation, as the carnal man does, who takes care to fulfill the lusts of the flesh (Rom 13:14). But if I do it, it is flatly beside my mind and purpose. In the doing of any sin, I would not do it. My heart is against it, and I hate it; and yet by the tyranny of my flesh being overcome, I do it. Afterwards, when it is committed, I am grieved and displeased at myself, and do earnestly, with tears, ask at God’s hands forgiveness of the same sin.
Satan. Indeed, this is very true in the children of God, but you are sold under sin, and with great pleasure do commit sin, and love it with your whole heart. Otherwise, you would not fall to sin again after repentance, and commit even one and the same sin so often as you do. You hypocrite, your behavior turns all the favor of God from you.
Christian. Indeed, it is dangerous to fall again into the same sin after repentance. Yet it is the order of the prophets to call men to repentance, which have fallen from the fear of God and from the repentance that they professed (Isa 1:18; Jer 2:1). And God, in thus calling them, puts them in hope of obtaining mercy. And the law had sacrifices offered every day for the sins of all the people, and for particular men, both for their ignorance and their voluntary sins, which signifies that God is ready to forgive the sins of His children, though they sin often…God’s will is that men forgive until seventy-seven times, and therefore He will show much more mercy. And for my part, so often as I shall fall into the same sin, so often I shall have Christ my Advocate and Intercessor to the Father for me, Who will not damn me for the infirmity that He finds in me (1Jo 2:1). I will abstain from external iniquity, and I will not make my members servants unto sin. And so long I trust my imperfections shall have no power to damn me, for Christ’s perfection is reputed to be mine by faith, which I have in His blood…Nay (which is a strange thing), I know it by experience that God has turned my filthy sins to my great profit and to the amendment of my life, like as the good physician is able to make a sovereign medicine (from rank poison) to preserve life (Rom 8:28).
Satan. Well, be it that now you are in the state of grace, yet you shall not continue so. You shall, before death, depart from Christ.
Christian. I know I am a member of Christ’s mystical body. I feel in myself the heavenly power and virtue of my Head, Christ Jesus. And for this cause, I cannot perish but shall continue forever and reign in heaven after this life with Him.
The devil is the wicked man’s god by voluntary submission: “His servants ye are, to whom you obey” (Rom 6:16). Wicked men are Satan’s volunteers.—Benjamin Keach
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