Fending Off Satan's Attacks

Last Sunday we “watched” Jesus demonstrate how to wield the sword of the Spirit (i.e., the Word of God, Ephesians 3:17) against the Tempter, the Devil.  Repeatedly Jesus responded to the Enemy’s enticements by saying, “It is written” (Matthew 4:1-11):  God has spoken, and his Word is perfect, authoritative, and final.  “Satan, be gone!”

In 1652, Pastor Thomas Brooks wrote a book to encourage believers to stand firm against the Devil’s schemes:  Precious Remedies against Satan’s Devices. In it he lists dozens of ploys the Tempter uses to try and draw us away from the Lord and into sin.

One “device” (i.e., deceptive scheme) is “suggesting to sinners their unworthiness” (p. 222).  “Ah! saith Satan, as thou art worthy of the greatest misery, so thou art unworthy of the least crumb of mercy.”  Will Christ ever receive such an unworthy wretch as you?  The Enemy’s device here, then, is to drag believers down into a pit of despair due to awareness of our own vile sins.

In response to such accusations, Brooks offers four “remedies.”  Consider:

1) “That God hath nowhere in the Scripture required any worthiness in the creature before believing in Christ.”

2) “That none ever received Christ, embraced Christ, and obtained mercy and pardon from Christ, but unworthy souls.”

3) “That if the soul will keep off from Christ till it be worthy, it will never close with Christ.”

4) “That if you make a diligent search into your own hearts, you shall find that it is the pride and folly of your own hearts that puts you upon bringing of a worthiness to Christ.”

You see, “God hath laid up all worthiness in Christ, that the creature may know where to find it…  There is no way on earth to make unworthy souls worthy, but by believing in Christ (James 2.23)…  God will count none worthy, nor call none worthy… but believers, who are made worthy by the worthiness of Christ’s person, righteousness, satisfaction, and intercession (Rev. 3.4)” (pp. 223-24).