THESES FOR THE RE-FORMATION #9

Thesis#9 of 95. Children of the devil are distinguishable by their lack of conscience and their inability to empathise or show compassion to others. They also have a total disregard for the truth.

BIBLICAL REFERENCES

 “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his agents (Greek: ἀγγέλοις); for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’ “Then they also will answer Him saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’  Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’  And these will go away into age-enduring punishment, but the righteous into life eternal.” (Mt25:41-46)

 “You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.” (Jn8:44)

“By this the children of God and the children of the devil may be identified: anyone who does not live uprightly (ποιῶν δικαιοσύνην) is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother” (1Jn3:10)  

COMMENTS

My thesis #9 is really another way of expressing 1Jn3:10 in combination with the teaching of Jesus regarding lies and the truth. In the providential context, it is as much concerned with who the children of the devil are not as with who they are. Scripture is not referring to the unsaved or non-Christians. That is a notion derived from the Augustinian dualism on which Western theology has so long relied. In the definitive passage on final judgement (Mt25) quoted above, religion or religious practice is not the issue (it is not even mentioned). Rather, it is compassionate love or the lack of it that determines who are “sheep” or “goats” together with their respective post-mortem fate.

St John concurs – those who fail to love are “not of God”. What? – those who fail to love perfectly? No, we all fall into that category – Christian or otherwise. It is not a question of degrees: certain people cannot love at all in the agape sense. For “love is from God and everyone who loves is a child of God and knows God; whoever fails to love does not know God because God is love” (1Jn4:7-8). Likewise, such people never do what is right – they no longer possess any inclination , for the light of conscience has been extinguished. Of course, such may give a fortune to charity or the like, but it will never be out of compassion, duty or reparation. It will only be to impress others and enhance their own reputation so they might attain their heart’s desire.

Jesus pointed out that such people are also devoid of truth (Jn8:44). They are compulsive liars, being the sons and daughters of their spiritual father, the Father of Lies. So (as ever), there are three categories in this regard at the human level, and three-in-one at the divine.

1. children of the devil, who have no interest whatsoever in telling the truth – they will say whatever suits their narcissistic purposes
2. man by nature, who has an inclination to lie but will never feel entirely comfortable about it. That is in view of a functioning conscience (a faculty of the spirit – a prompting from “the inner man” – cf. Rom7:23)
3. the elect of God who avoid lying like the plague – even an exaggeration is abhorrent to them (for they are governed by the Spirit of Christ)
4. Father, Son and Holy Spirit – who are incapable of lying. That is the best news the universe has to offer, in view of the promises God has made to those who love Him.

More shall be said regarding the children of the devil in the next thesis, a misrepresentation of which has allowed the mystery of God’s munificent providence to be sustained to this day (Rev10:7).

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