Jesus Revealed in Doctrine DOES GOD LOVE THE DEVIL?
How are thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! Isa. 14:12.
Do you think Jesus loves the devil? Think of what the devil has done to Him. Think of the eternity of peace that he destroyed. Think of the pain and sorrow and death for thousands of years. Think of how much the devil hates Jesus. Do you think Jesus loves the devil?
We have taken the position that crisis does not change character, that it merely reveals it. The entrance of sin into the universe, and the length to which God had to go to provide a way of escape, is the greatest crisis that Heaven has ever faced. And this crisis reveals His character of love as nothing else ever has or ever will. There is a very real sense in which the devil reveals Jesus. In the story of Satan the real hero is Jesus, and Jesus is therefore revealed in a way that is perhaps never revealed otherwise.
Second Corinthians 13:8 tells us that we can do nothing against the truth--only for it. And the one who has done the most in the entire universe against the truth ends up revealing truth in a way never otherwise revealed.
The first war came in heaven. This war did not catch God by surprise. But in spite of the fact that He knew in advance how Lucifer (who became Satan, or the devil) would respond, He created him, gave him positions of honor, and treated him with utmost fairness and love. He never discriminated against Lucifer. In fact, He is still treating Satan with fairness. We human beings cannot handle the foreknowledge that God has. If we knew in advance that someone was going to end up being our enemy, we'd start treating him like an enemy right now. But not God. He gave Lucifer every advantage.
We see this revealed again in the life of Jesus. Jesus knew in the beginning that Judas would betray Him. But Jesus treated him with love and respect, giving him no excuse for his treachery. Jesus did everything in His power to reach Judas.
God wanted only a service of love, made by a free choice. So God did not destroy Satan, but gave him opportunity to prove his point. By paying the terrible price of the cross, God was able to provide a universe ultimately free from sin forever, and still preserve the free choice of His created beings. What a motivation to us to choose Him and respond to His great love.
How are thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! Isa. 14:12.
Do you think Jesus loves the devil? Think of what the devil has done to Him. Think of the eternity of peace that he destroyed. Think of the pain and sorrow and death for thousands of years. Think of how much the devil hates Jesus. Do you think Jesus loves the devil?
We have taken the position that crisis does not change character, that it merely reveals it. The entrance of sin into the universe, and the length to which God had to go to provide a way of escape, is the greatest crisis that Heaven has ever faced. And this crisis reveals His character of love as nothing else ever has or ever will. There is a very real sense in which the devil reveals Jesus. In the story of Satan the real hero is Jesus, and Jesus is therefore revealed in a way that is perhaps never revealed otherwise.
Second Corinthians 13:8 tells us that we can do nothing against the truth--only for it. And the one who has done the most in the entire universe against the truth ends up revealing truth in a way never otherwise revealed.
The first war came in heaven. This war did not catch God by surprise. But in spite of the fact that He knew in advance how Lucifer (who became Satan, or the devil) would respond, He created him, gave him positions of honor, and treated him with utmost fairness and love. He never discriminated against Lucifer. In fact, He is still treating Satan with fairness. We human beings cannot handle the foreknowledge that God has. If we knew in advance that someone was going to end up being our enemy, we'd start treating him like an enemy right now. But not God. He gave Lucifer every advantage.
We see this revealed again in the life of Jesus. Jesus knew in the beginning that Judas would betray Him. But Jesus treated him with love and respect, giving him no excuse for his treachery. Jesus did everything in His power to reach Judas.
God wanted only a service of love, made by a free choice. So God did not destroy Satan, but gave him opportunity to prove his point. By paying the terrible price of the cross, God was able to provide a universe ultimately free from sin forever, and still preserve the free choice of His created beings. What a motivation to us to choose Him and respond to His great love.
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