The Devil Hates the Word of God
The ones on the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts so that they may not believe and be saved. Luke 8:12
“This is the true black – or rather the white – appearance of the devil. For he is a bright and brilliant devil, who does not tempt us with gross sins but with unbelief. For when he has our faith he has won. We must have God’s Word and cling to it by faith. As soon as we allow ourselves to be separated from the Word, we are lost and there is no help for us.
Therefore mark how the devil works, for he attacks nothing but faith. Pagans, the unbelieving, the non-Christians he does not tempt. They cling to him like scales to a fish. But when he sees those who have the Word of God, faith, and the Holy Spirit, he cannot get at them. He well knows that he can never win the victory over them, though they may stumble.
He well perceives that even if one falls into gross sin, that person is not lost thereby but can always rise again. Therefore he realizes that he must try a different method and take away their greatest good. If he can the game is won.
For God can work all things for good, however often we may stumble, only if we abide by the pure, true Word of God, which says: This is right and this is wrong. The devil knows this; therefore he first sneaks in a this point. Once faith is torn away, no one can of oneself resist the devil. He or she inevitably falls into all kinds of vice.” Martin Luther Sermon on Genesis 3
Thank you aubri. Interesting stuff. Luther seems to have a lot of insight on the devil and his ways.
Yes Rebekah, I think Luther knew the devil very very well. I imagine he (the devil) was probably an enemy of his in a way none of us might not ever know!