Thinking on Scripture with Dr. Steven R. Cook

     Christians are instructed, “do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness” (Rom 6:12-13a), “flee sexual immorality” (1 Cor 6:18), “he who steals must steal no longer” (Eph 4:28), “let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth” (Eph 4:29), “do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God” (Eph 4:30), “Do not quench the Sp...

     The Corinthian Christians were undeniably saved, as Paul calls them saints (1 Cor 1:2) and brethren (1 Cor 3:1). Yet, they exhibited a persistent pattern of carnality, evidenced by their divisive behavior, internal conflicts, and failure to mature spiritually. Paul rebuked them for their immaturity and misguided allegiance to human leaders, which had fractured the church into competing factions (1 Cor 1:10-13). He then directl...

     As a Christian, it is possible to have correct thinking (orthodoxy) and not live by it. James wrote, “To one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin” (Jam 4:17). There are times when believers know God’s Word, but because of negative volition, do not apply it. Biblically speaking, it is possible for believers to commit any sin an unbeliever can commit. For example, Aaron led the Israelites to worsh...

Eternal life is the free, irrevocable gift of God granted to anyone who believes in Jesus Christ as Savior (John 3:16; Rom 6:23; Eph 2:8-9). It is not earned, maintained, or forfeited by works or behavior—it rests solely on Christ’s finished work and is received by faith alone (Rom 4:5; John 5:24). Discipleship, on the other hand, is the lifelong call to follow Christ through obedience, service, sacrifice, and spiritual growth (Luk...

     By promoting the gospel and biblical teaching, the church disrupts Satan’s domain of darkness by calling out of it a people for God. By learning God’s Word, Christians can identify worldly conversations and activities and either avoid them or seek to redirect them by interjecting biblical truth, which should never be done in hostility. When sharing God’s Word with others it’s proper to know that not everyone wants to hear God’...

     The Bible recognizes Satan’s world-system and warns us not to love it. John writes and tells the Christian, “Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world” (1 John 2:15-16). We live in a fallen world, and ...

     Satan promotes uncontrolled anger. Paul wrote, “Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity” (Eph 4:26-27). By itself, anger is not sinful. Even God gets angry (Num 25:4; Deut 9:8, 20; Jer 4:8). Human anger is a natural response to an injustice, real or imagined. We get angry because we feel someone has wronged us, and the personal scales of justice need to b...

Below are some of Satan’s strategies that will disrupt the Christian’s spiritual walk with the Lord.

1. Satan promotes sinful pride. Sinful pride tempts us to think we don’t need God, believing we can operate independently of the Lord, not obeying His Word or seeking Him in prayer. God hates pride. Pride was the sin that brought Lucifer down, as we are told of him, “Your heart was proud because of your beauty; and you corrupted y...

     Fallen angels are involved in the affairs of mankind. The person who operates by negative volition aligns himself with Satan and his forces. Negative volition leads to idolatry, and idolatry leads to immorality (Rom 1:18-32), both individually and nationally. The worship of idols is the worship of demons (Lev 17:7; Deut 32:17; 1 Cor 10:19-21). Demons generally led the pagan nations into idolatry, which God’s people were not to...

     Fallen angels are involved in the affairs of mankind. The person who operates by negative volition aligns himself with Satan and his forces. Negative volition leads to idolatry, and idolatry leads to immorality (Rom 1:18-32), both individually and nationally. The worship of idols is the worship of demons (Lev 17:7; Deut 32:17; 1 Cor 10:19-21). Demons generally led the pagan nations into idolatry, which God’s people were not to...

Satan’s Demonic Forces

     In addition to all that Satan is doing, he has at his disposal an army of fallen angels to help him execute his plans in the world. Of course, these fallen angels are restrained by God in what they can accomplish. Still, like people, they are given a modicum of freedom to act and to influence the affairs of this world.

     Angels are basically classified as either righteous or evil. The former retain th...

     The Bible reveals that Satan is the enemy of God and he attacks His people. Peter warns us, “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Pet 5:8). In his efforts, Satan has strategies he sets forth to accomplish his purposes. A strategy is a plan of action one creates and employs in order to achieve an objective. Satan’s major objective is to ...

     Satan is permitted, for a time, to rule over the majority in this world. When Jesus began His public ministry, He faced a series of tests from Satan, one of which was an offer to receive the kingdoms of the world without going to the cross. Satan told Jesus, “I will give You all this domain and its glory; for it has been handed over to me, and I give it to whomever I wish” (Luke 4:6). Satan took possession of “this domain and ...

     As Christians, the Bible reveals we live in a fallen world and face attacks on three fronts. These include Satan, the world, and the flesh. First, Satan is a fallen angel who rules and leads other fallen angels to rebel against God. Fallen angels are also referred to as evil spirits, unclean spirits, and demons. Second, Satan and his demonic forces have created a world-system that is wholly opposed to God and His will. Satan’s...

Faith to Act

     Once saved, Christians are commanded to love others (John 13:34; Gal 5:13; 1 Th 4:9). This love is to be actionable and tangible. John wrote, “whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth” (1 John 3:17-18). James wrote, “If a brother or sister is w...

     Believers are called to engage in various mental activities that align our thoughts with God’s will and deepen our spiritual lives. These activities are essential for spiritual growth, discernment, and maintaining a Christ-centered mindset. One key mental activity is the renewing of the mind, where we are instructed to “be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Rom 12:2). This involves rejecting worldly patterns of thought...

Faith that Sanctifies

     After being justified by faith, we are instructed to walk by faith. Paul wrote, “we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Cor 5:7). God declared, “My righteous one shall live by faith” (Heb 10:38a). Living by faith is foundational to the spiritual life, as it shapes how believers relate to God, navigate life’s challenges, and grow to spiritual maturity. Every believer has a measure of faith, and this is distinc...

     In the Christian life, faith can be seen in two ways. First, there is the single act of faith in Jesus that results in our salvation (John 3:16; 6:40; 20:31; Acts 4:12; 16:31; Eph 2:8-9). This refers to our justification before God and is a one-time event that is never repeated. Justification is declared because God has imputed His righteousness to us at the moment we trusted in Jesus as our Savior (Rom 5:17; 2 Cor 5:21; Phil ...

     As humans, it’s natural to look at our circumstances and pay close attention to our experiences and feelings from moment to moment. We’re happy when our circumstances are to our liking, as our experiences and feelings enjoy this. However, because we live in a fallen world with fallen people (including ourselves), circumstances inevitably produce unhappy experiences and feelings. If we don’t have something greater than our expe...