Q15. Following Satan

[Jubilee]

Q2. (Ephesians 2:1-3) Few people would knowingly follow Satan. How can people unwittingly follow Satan? In what sense are we responsible for unwitting rebellion against God? How can God, in all fairness, blame us?

People unwittingly follow Satan because in our deadness and lack of discernment we end up following Satan.

We are responsible for unwitting rebellion against God because we continue to live in the "flesh" always following the "cravings of our sinful nature."

God in all fairness can not blame us for something we have no control over, however, we do have control over our actions or "free will" has no meaning.

[JenniferLynn]

People follow Satan unwittingly because they don't have a relationship with God. They need to have a daily relationship with their Father in heaven so that they can follow Him instead of the ways of the world.

We don't pay attention to the insidious ways that the world uses to causes us to ignore our relationship with God. We miss a day of bible study & then it turns into another & pretty soon its a week & we haven't talk to God & the relationship gets lost in the busyiness of the days.

He is always there when we turn back to Him. He is waiting for the relationship to continue but He is not going to push us. He is not the one who is breaking the connection it is us.

[Old Jerry]

People can unwittingly follow Satan when they don’t do the things that God has put on their hearts to do. We are on this earth and the Devil knows that this is his place and he can put things in our minds and our hearts to follow him. But with the help of God we can be wise to these things but still we sometime unwittingly follow the ways of Satan. But we are the ones that are making the decision because we have the free will and it is our fault. God could have made us robots and then He would control our very movements but he chose to give us a free will.

[gricha1]

People follow Satan unwittingly because in their spiritually dead condition, which is devoid of discernment provided by the Holy Spirit, they pursue like sheep after the value system of the world which is under the control of Satan.  As many people don't believe in the existence of Satan or demons, they don't believe at all that they are under the control of evil forces.God has given us a free will and also a conscience with the ability to discern between good and evil. He also gave us His commandments, which are His standards for righteousness. So, we really have no excuse when we sin.

[lighthouse2014]

Q2. (Ephesians 2:1-3) Few people would knowingly follow Satan. How can people unwittingly follow Satan? In what sense are we responsible for unwitting rebellion against God? How can God, in all fairness, blame us?

People unwittingly follow Satan because they are giving into the cravings of the flesh, living in a self-centered culture.

As believers we have been washed clean of our sins, born a new creature and loving according to the will of Christ. But this is impossible with out the help of the Holy Spirit, who convicts us of sin.

If we unwittingly sin (unaware of), we are forgiven, not under the wrath of God. The wrath being for those who reject Christ.

God will not blame us for unwitting sins, we are under His grace. His unmerited favor toward us.    

[JoanG]

People follow satan unwittingly every day. They give into all type of temptations. They give into materialism. They compromise their values to keep up with the family down the street. We are not grateful for what we have. We have become hoarders. We are unwilling to share what we have because we are afraid that we would not have enough for a rainy day. God needs to blame us and He needs to hold us accountable for those things that we do wrong. He needs to make us feel guilty for our wrong doings.

[Karen11]

On 7/23/2006 at 9:28 PM, Pastor Ralph said:

Q2. (Ephesians 2:1-3) Few people would knowingly follow Satan. How can people unwittingly follow Satan? In what sense are we responsible for unwitting rebellion against God? How can God, in all fairness, blame us?

When we put God last instead of first, when life becomes so busy that we try to get through without God.

When we know we are sinning against God, and still do what we know not to do.

Because we as children of God know better.

[haar]

Q15. (Ephesians 2:1-3) Few people would knowingly follow Satan. How can people unwittingly follow Satan?

By going ahead to do that which they know is wrong and sinful.

In what sense are we responsible for unwitting rebellion against God?

We are responsible for unwitting rebellion against God if and when we choose to obey Satan.

How can God, in all fairness, blame us?

He can blame and even punish us for deliberately choosing to disobey Him
 

[Gabs Suárez]

Few people would knowingly follow Satan. How can people unwittingly follow Satan? In what sense are we responsible for unwitting rebellion against God? How can God, in all fairness, blame us?

When someone lives without recognizing our maker they are then, spiritually blind. They deny God and Jesus’ sacrifice and get carried away with the worlds’ morality and ways that are influenced by Satan. It is black and white. 

I think all people at some point hear about God. The Bible says everyone we’ll get their chance. God would never force someone to follow Him, that’s what free will is about. 

And God is fair, He gives us all the same chance… a chance we don’t even deserve. 

He’s not blaming us, He gives us a chance and frees us. 

[hanks]

Q15. (Ephesians 2:1-3) Few people would knowingly follow Satan. How can people unwittingly follow Satan? In what sense are we responsible for unwitting rebellion against God? How can God, in all fairness, blame us? 
Satan, the ruler of the kingdom of darkness, holds unbelievers unwittingly captive to the world and to the flesh. The world by its prevailing secular culture that is so anti-Christian, that permeates, and dominates unbelievers, holding them captive to their false thinking. The flesh by their own fallen self-centred nature. By their twisted passions, twisted desires of the body and mind. Their sinful nature, selfishness, and pride made sure of that. Satan dominates by controlling and directing their existence in rebellion against God. So, it was with all of us before we became believers, when we were spiritually dead, we also unwittingly followed Satan. Each one of us is responsible for the sins we commit and God will hold us accountable, there is no excuse.  If we violate His moral law, either in act, thought or nature, we sin and are responsible. 
 

[Krissi]

This question is very difficult to answer because I’m hyperaware of the power of sin, not only in my life, but in the lives of the secular people I know and love, all of whom have rejected Christ. Sin seems like the body of an amoeba surrounding its nucleus. That amoeba changes shape as it moves, so that the little nuclear control centre has no knowledge of what its protoplasm is experiencing, (or whatever that surrounding stuff is called.) There is a real sense in which sin not only deadens but blinds. Obscures. Once surrounded by sin-protoplasm, you never completely extract yourself from it. It sorta sticks on you.

For this reason, I feel a huge pity or compassion toward people who are not Christian, even though they’ve chosen to reject Christ, in some sense.

--

I don’t understand the logic behind the binary idea that one can either follow Satan or Jesus because it doesn’t leave enough room for human agency or free will. The primary choice we make is to choose to follow Jesus. I suppose this, too, could be predetermined in a Calvinistic sense, and that our choosing is only an illusion, but it still “feels” like we’re making a real choice. So, if we’re responsible for making the basic choice to be saved, it seems that we’d also be responsible for making lesser immoral choices like cheating on one’s taxes or spouse, or the moral choices to do the opposite.

I guess I’m trying to say that no one completely “unwittingly” follows Satan OR Christ, that there’s always an element of choice involved, even in the most deadened soul. I agree that few people knowingly follow Satan, but find it interesting that those who follow Jesus are highly aware of that fact.

Furthermore, I can’t figure out the calculus between election and free-will, but know His answer must exist. Humanity seems placed on a grey-toned sliding scale between 1) being elected by God, that is, plucked out of the masses for salvation, and 2) being responsible for choosing Him, that is, exercising free-will to accept His grace and sacrifice. God knows how this calculus works. I don’t. I don’t think God “blames” us for our choice, but I don’t know how He thinks through this, either.

I just let this problem go. It’s too much for me.

[Bianca]

People have a sinful nature which goes back to the fall.  Alot  of human beings do not realize that there is a devil that seeks to destroy. Some people I have notice blames things on that "It's just the way I am or I was born this way or it's my life I can do whatever I want to do with it, besides I'm not killing and stealing so what's wrong with this?" They don't understand that what they are doing is still wrong. It's not just about not murdering or stealing. If a person choose to live in an ungodly way they are following satan whether they realize it or not. We all have rebel in some way or another in our life against God even if it's just considered to be a small thing it's still going against God's righteous laws. That's why we have a savior Jesus because we could not do it on our own.

[Janzie]

On 7/23/2006 at 9:28 PM, Pastor Ralph said:

Q15. (Ephesians 2:1-3) Few people would knowingly follow Satan. How can people unwittingly follow Satan? In what sense are we responsible for unwitting rebellion against God? How can God, in all fairness, blame us?

Through temptation from the devil:  But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own ****, and enticed. Then when **** hath conceived, it brings forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, brings forth death.  James 1:14-15

We are responsible.  We have no excuse, God can blame us because we have the Word of God.  We must then repent and ask the Holy Spirit to deliver us and obey the Word.

[Jonathan Edwards]

The Ephesians were brought up believing that the idol Diana was true.   A black rock in the Temple of Diana given worship.  The terrible years of idol worship in Ephesus; many people in that city and Corinth thought that temple prostitution was normal and right.  This temple was akin to a great Cathedral: it was visited by pilgrims from far away lands.  We have the same thing today:  there are Hindu temples here in USA in which sincere people daily worship idols of wood and stone.   Many nominal Christians unwittingly caught up in doctrines of devils and sidetracked by worldly concerns.

[Jonathan Edwards]

The Ephesians were brought up believing that the idol Diana was true.   A black rock in the Temple of Diana given worship.  The terrible years of idol worship in Ephesus; many people in that city and Corinth thought that temple prostitution was normal and right.  This temple was akin to a great Cathedral: it was visited by pilgrims from far away lands.  We have the same thing today:  there are Hindu temples here in USA in which sincere people daily worship idols of wood and stone.   Many nominal Christians unwittingly caught up in doctrines of devils and sidetracked by worldly concerns.

This evil spirit energizes the sons of disobedience.  They are born of disobedience, raised in an atmosphere of disobedience and have disobedience in their very nature.  There is this essential antagonism to God's will; the vast populace is devoted to this world. The devil inflames man's inherent rebellion to God's will.  Many people have no noble ideals; their lives are marked  by the absence of God's presence and direction in their lives.   There is random roaming of the mind.  They don't have the Holy Scriptures to be their compass on the high seas of life; they spend their lives in the lusts of the flesh.  Yes ! God does blame us; we have been deemed as the children of wrath, in our very constitution, we are rebels..,"dead through your trespasses and your sins".

[Daniel R]

1. Few people would knowingly follow Satan. How can people unwittingly follow Satan?

Obviously, many people would never diligently follow satan because that's like "stepping over the line" or "venturing into dangerous territory," but they fail to realize that through sin, they unknowingly follow satan. Satan's biggest tool to trip people up is sin and so far, he's been able to make every person fall for it minus Jesus Christ. So, without us knowing, satan has made us fall into his trap, meaning that we have fallen under his authority. Adding to that, satan is the prince of darkness and of sin, so every time we sin, we follow in his footsteps and his plan for us, therefore, accidentally falling into his trap and following him and his plan.

2. In what sense are we responsible for unwitting rebellion against God?

We are responsible for our rebellion and sin against God because God has given us free will, meaning that we are strong enough to resist temptation and sin with the Holy Spirit. Sadly, few of us try to fight those temptations hard enough and even if the Holy Spirit is fighting with us, we shrug Him off and just take the sin, or in other words, choose to sin, meaning that we are responsible against rebelling against God because we chose to sin against Him.

3. How can God, in all fairness, blame us?

God, in all His fairness has every right to blame us. We did do wrong and because of that we do deserve punishment, and because of God's fairness we have to be blamed and punished for that. Thankfully though, because God loved the world so much, He chose to send His Son onto this earth so that He could bear all our sins so that when we commit them either in the future or the past, our sins can already be paid for and we can be extended mercy, forgiveness, and grace, and cleansing of our sins through the holy blood of Jesus Christ.

 

 

ALL THE GLORY TO OUR LORD AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST AND THANK YOUR JESUS AND PLEASEEEEE HAVE MERCY AND GRACE ON ME!!!!!!!

[Old Jerry]

People can unwittingly follow Satan because he is the one that had the power to give Jesus the world. Jesus of course rejected Satan’s temptation but he still had that power. The sense that we unwittingly rebel against God is that we let the things of this world control us sometimes. We are still responsible for our actions.

[TeacherDarlene]

On 8/24/2006 at 9:47 PM, Pastor Ralph said:

Q1. (Ephesians 1:3) What does it mean to you to be "in Christ" -- incorporated into Christ? What are the implications of this for your life?

 

On 7/23/2006 at 9:28 PM, Pastor Ralph said:

Q15. (Ephesians 2:1-3) Few people would knowingly follow Satan. How can people unwittingly follow Satan? In what sense are we responsible for unwitting rebellion against God? How can God, in all fairness, blame us?

 

[TeacherDarlene]

The key here is unwittingly.  No one wakes up and plans to follow Satan.  However, what is the first thing I do when I wake up?  What is my first thought?  Just todayI was awake before the alarm went off at 5.  My husband and I spoke a few minutes about the plans of the day then I was up to .....plan dinner, start laundry, check e-mails and now an hour later I'm reading His word.  Although productive, was I unwittingly following Satan?  Then there are the projects others have asked me to do.  I have so many and I wonder is it because of my talent or because of my low prices?  Just thinking in this negative ,manner....am I unwittingly following Satan?  In a few hours I'm picking up a few preteens along with my granddaughter and heading to create cookie bags for the local homeless shelter.  Sounds noble right?  However, I'm leaving behind my quadriplegic daughter who basically lives her life in isolation....am I unwittingly following Satan?

Let's face it, Satan is slick.  

I pray my day unfolds to reveal the pleasures from God.

Darlene

[crissy464]

Satan knows our weak spots. He knows where we sin easily. He knows if we are tempted to pride; he knows if we are tempted to anger; he knows if we are tempted to be slothful—and he uses those weaknesses.

By not knowing God. By not submitting to the Holy Spirit as our teacher and guide.

The devil can convince you that religion in only important up to a point and that you don’t need to be zealous. You don’t need to put yourself out there for it