Free from Old Nick – The Law of Liberty (4)

Free from Old Nick

The Law of Liberty (4)

This is part 4 of a 49-part series of In the Gates on The Law of Liberty. Readers will gain a better perspective on the main teaching of this series by reading The Ground for Christian Ethics, by T. M. Go to www.MyParuchia.com, click Publications, then click Waxed Tablet, and scroll down until you see this little volume.

“Get behind me, Satan!” Matthew 16:23

And here’s yet another thing that I don’t understand about contemporary Christians: Why are they so fascinated with the devil? I recall strolling through a Christian book store once and being arrested by the large number of books about the devil and demons offered there. In fact, there were so many that I went to the shelves containing books about Jesus and counted them. There were more than twice as many books about the devil and demons as there were about the Lord of glory.

Further, whenever I mention, while I’m teaching, that Jesus has bound Satan (the ongoing saga of which we are reporting each week in the column, Every Thought Captive), Christians protest: “What are you talking about? Bound? Why he’s angrier and more dangerous than ever!”

OK. Except, that’s not what Jesus taught. Jesus claimed to have bound Satan, and from that moment, as He fulfilled all the righteous requirements of God’s Law, He went about plundering the devil’s holdings and reconciling all things back to God (Matt. 12:22-29; 2 Cor. 5:17-20). According to Jesus, Satan is bound and on a chain, and he can only reach those and do them harm who stray within the length of that chain.

But how long is that chain? How can we know how far we may go before he grabs us with some grimy paw of lust or deceit or other transgression?

Measure out the length of the Law of God as it plays out in your life. Satan’s chain begins to reach you precisely where the liberty of that Law is ignored or transgressed. Walk according to the Truth of God’s Law, and you will be free of the reach of the devil, as Jesus demonstrated by holding up the shield of the Law against Satan’s every temptation in Matthew 4:1-11. Old Nick can’t hurt you as long as you stay on the path of righteousness (John 8:32).

Daily meditation in the Law of God helps us along the path of holiness, righteousness, and goodness (Rom. 7:12). Order your copy of The Law of God, a compilation of the Mosaic Law for contemporary believers, by going to www.MyParuchia.com, point your browser to “Publications,” then click on the drop-down option, “Waxed Tablet Publications.”

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In the Gates is a devotional series on the Law of God by Rev. T.M. Moore.

T.M. Moore is editor of the Worldview Church. He serves as dean of the Centurions Program of the Wilberforce Forum and principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He is the author or editor of twenty books, and has contributed chapters to four others. His essays, reviews, articles, papers, and poetry have appeared in dozens of national and international journals, and on a wide range of websites. His most recent books are The Ailbe Psalter and The Ground for Christian Ethics (Waxed Tablet).

Scripture quotations in this article are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, (c) copyright 2001, 2007 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Editor’s note: The use of a translation other than the Authorised Version in an article does not constitute an endorsement in whole or in part by The Christian Observer.