I sometimes fear that the church carries a willful naïveté when it comes to the presence and work of Satan. One doesn’t have to look far into the Gospels, the Acts of the Apostles, or the New Testament Epistles to see the reality of spiritual warfare and to develop a theology of the enemy’s assault tactics. However, it may surprise some to learn just how subtle these tactics can be.
There is one fact, in particular, that we must be convinced of: the Gospel is always the central object of Satanic assault. Stopping the advance of the Gospel is the singular goal of Satan and his demons.
This attack does not primarily manifest through demonic possession—though that was a major counterfeiting tactic during Christ’s earthly ministry. Instead, Satan’s strategies are more insidious and pervasive:
- False religions
- Political opposition and persecution aimed at the church
- False doctrine
- Hypocrisy within the church
- An unwillingness to receive repentant sinners
The first two—false religions and external political opposition—are attacks from without. The last three—false doctrine, hypocrisy, and rejection of repentant sinners—are attacks from within.
Sadly, in our time, the church tends to focus almost exclusively on the external threats while failing to recognize the dangers lurking inside its own walls. And in many ways, the internal threats are even more dangerous.
