I hope you studied those three verses in Romans 8:26,27,34. So lets begin with verse 34. It states no one can condemn us because Christ died FOR US, was raised back to life FOR US, and is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand pleading FOR US. Hebrews 7:25 reads that He is able, once and forever, to save those who come to Him, and He lives forevermore to intercede with God on our behalf. Does that sound like someone who is giving Satan the right to put us in bondage?
Going back to Peter. I don’t see where it says God gave Satan permission, only that God knew Peter would deny Him. So, it wasn’t allowing anything to happen, other than Peter’s choice which God already knew that Peter would make.
Another feature of pride is trusting in your own righteousness. So here we go with the usual religious fall back of using Job as an illustration of God allowing Satan to put us into bondage.
Job 32:1-3. Job considered himself righteous because of what he did. That’s pride. Look at Job 33:8,9. In order for verse 9 to be true, Job would have had to have been Jesus. God shows up and sets Job straight. Job 38:1,2,3,4,5,6,12,22,24,34,35. God says, when you compare yourself to me, you’re not righteous.
Job 1:6–12. I don’t see the devil asking God for permission to attack Job. I don’t see God allowing the devil to put Job in bondage. As a matter of fact, I see quite the opposite. In verse 11, Satan says to God “Extend Your hand! Destroy all of these possessions of his, and he will certainly curse You, right to Your face”. God’s response is “I delegate this task to you. His possessions are now in your hand. One thing, though: you are not to lay a finger on the man himself. Job must not be touched”.
God is making it absolutely clear to Satan that he cannot touch Job, cannot bring him into bondage, cannot harm him. If the devil had to get permission from God to attack Job, or put sickness and disease on you and me, then it stands to reason God could easily say NO.
God asked Satan, “where did you come from?” God knew where he came from, because God put him on earth. Why did God put him on earth? Because He knew those who received the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness would utilize the power and authority they had to thump the enemy. He knew it would be a miserable place for Satan to be. Constantly defeated in anything he tried.
The devil is always looking for someone to devour. John 10:10. He doesn’t need permission from God. He gets permission from us when we don’t know who we are in Christ. We come into agreement with false teaching, deception, and lies. All part of the devil’s tactics. I see God allowing a testing of Job’s faith the same way Peter was tested. The common denominator was pride as we’ve shown. Everybody always says “Ya but what about Job”? I say what about Jesus? Job did not die for my sin. Job was the first Old Testament book. Job was not even Old Covenant, because there was no law.
Matthew 11:11 says “I tell you the truth, of all who have ever lived, none is greater than John the Baptist. Yet even the least person in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than he is”! That means anyone living on this side of the cross is greater than who Jesus said John was. Greater than Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Paul, and even Job. We miss the importance of the Job thing. That being God’s restorative power. The rest does not matter anymore. It’s God’s great grace and free gift of righteousness that we ought to be receiving, not some old story of woe and defeat based on pride.
The time of Job was before heaven had even been purified by the blood of Jesus. So Satan had access to accuse man unto God, but not anymore. When he tries to accuse us, we have an advocate. The man Christ Jesus 1 Tim 2:5,6; 1 John 2:1. Also, 1 John 3:8.
Was tempting Job a work of the devil? The answer is yes. So, if Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil, why would God go against His Son and allow Satan to put us in bondage? Col 2:14,15.
Job was not saved and did not have Grace indwelling him. It says he made daily sacrifices in fear to avoid something bad from happening. Job said, the very thing I feared has come upon me. What you focus on is what will be produced in your life. It’s like a camera. If you focus it on the floor and snap the picture, what you’ll get is a picture of the floor. Come on.
Finally, pride is trusting in your own Wisdom. Thinking you can figure it out. James 3:14-18 describes the wisdom of the world verses the wisdom of heaven or that comes from God. Just study that and see the destruction of the one verses the righteousness and peace that comes with the other.
So, when you have pride you open a door for the enemy to step in. It doesn’t cause God to send the enemy. God is not using a louisville slugger, or a chisel, or a contrite machine to keep us in line. He doesn’t have mafia angels called Guido or Joe the Don Marcusio just waiting to take you out when you screw up.
He uses love, always love to direct and guide us. Romans 2:4 in the NLT – “Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin”? Does this sound like a God of vengeance who is just waiting to let Satan put you in bondage?
So, does God ever grant Satan permission to take us into bondage? The answer is an emphatic NO!!! Just the opposite is true. He is expecting, looking, and longing to be gracious to you; and therefore He lifts Himself up, that He may have mercy on you and show loving-kindness to you. Grace and Peace.
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