As a 21st century Anglican American, I am not a fan of talking about or naming the devil. I believe that tradition has it that the devil used to be one of the angels, in the court of God. This particular angel decided that he was no longer interested in being in God’s court, following God’s will, so he was cast out or maybe he left on his own accord. In any case, he set up a competing court and deity. Where God values peace, justice and love, this cast-out angel values power and fear.
I’m not sure where I stand on the idea of a single horned guy being the source of all that is ugly. But I do believe that there are forces, either external or internal, that woo us with false promises of all that will result from us exerting our power and will rather than handing over our power and will to God. As opposed to calling it ‘that-force-either-external-or-internal-that-woos-us-away-from-God”, I’ll use the shorthand of ‘the devil’.
The one who has the power of death, that is the devil. The logical conclusion of the exertion of power and fear and self, is in fact, death. Wars. Corruption. Violence. When we are wooed from God, maybe we think we’ll be the victors, and that other guy, our enemy will be the one who’s powerless, fearful, or dies. But when we chose those rules of life, we cannot help but steep ourselves in thoughts of power or powerlessness, fear, death, violence. Even if we start down that road because of someone else – the person of vastly different political or economic beliefs – we are choosing to go down that path.
So Jesus was the ultimate anti-fear, anti-power guy. He let those who were walking the way of power, and corruption, and fear have their way, and they tortured and executed him. He could have avoided that whole messy scene. But instead, he let them carry out their way. And it appeared to everyone around that they won. The forces of fear, self, power and death. Jesus died and was buried.
But as we know, that’s not the end of the story. They did their best. He died, but returned. I don’t know what the resurrected Christ was like and am not sure what I believe about it, but I absolutely believe God has the power to win over a battle with sin, fear, and self, or to beat the devil.
We are held in slavery by the fear of that death, the fear that we will die. But why should we fear? Of course we’ll die. Everyone one we love will die. I do not want to live now ascribing to rules of the game of power, fear and self; I do not want to live in fear of death. Rather, I want to ascribe to the rules of this life that lovingkindness by God towards me, and my lovingkindness towards others will let me walk without fear and the accompanying sense of slavery.
Faith and action in the God's rules of love and the power of good over evil. That's what will free me during this, the only life I know.
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