In the fifth chapter of his first letter to the church at Corinth the Apostle Paul gives believers a look into the why’s and how’s of mankind’s many and various problems which have continuously afflicted him throughout history.  In this passage he is warning the Corinthian Church about a situation within that body that has been allowed to continue.  A parishioner was having an affair.  The church had not addressed the problem and Paul was telling them what he was going to do about it.  The people had not judged the man and therefore had not rendered the proper punishment–to get right or get out.  The affair had continued while the church had looked the other way.  It was time for a true man of God to do what God has placed His true ministers to do.

Notice what Paul writes to them.  In verses 1-4 the apostle tells them that he knows about the fornication going on in the church and that the congregation was deliberately ignoring it.  In verses two, six and seven he accuses them of being proud of their progressivism and open-mindedness (wokeness) which he calls “leaven.”  In verses three, four and five he says: “Know this for certain, though I am not there with you in body, my spirit is there with you and I (through his spirit) have done what you have failed to do.  I have already judged the fornicator as though I was present with you.  Using the name (power) of our Lord Jesus Christ, I have delivered him to SATAN for the destruction of his flesh (by attacking him physically through disease, etc.) in hopes that his spirit might be saved (through true repentance and reversal of life) ….”  Notice it: Paul had power to turn the church sinner–a “sinner saved by grace, no doubt–over to Satan so that he could destroy his flesh, and if necessary, kill him if he did not repent of his sins and return to God.  Could Paul actually do that?  Yes, indeed.  Recall that Paul once caused a man to be blind for three days (Acts 13:9-11).  Paul had the power to bring the wrath of God down on both of those men.  God is no respecter of persons.  What Paul did then a true saint can do now.  Read The Unknown Power of God’s Very Elect.  Key word–Unknown.

It is important that we understand how God’s men can exercise such control over the lives of sinning church people.  Such men operate under AUTHORITY to use God’s POWER.  Jesus said that He of Himself could do NOTHING, but that He had AUTHORITY to use the Father’s POWER to do what He did (Jn. 5:19,30).  In Mark 11:29,33 Jesus used the word AUTHORITY to explain how He, a man like all other men, did the miraculous things He did.  AUTHORITY is the right to operate under the POWER of someone else.  As sons of God, His appointed apostles have authority to use God’s power under the leadership of the Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:14).  Notice that Jesus did not heal all sick people He saw.  Recall that at the pool called Bethesda there was a multitude of sick people waiting for an angel to stir the water in the pool (Jn. 5:2-9).  Note that Jesus healed only one person out of a multitude.  He did so because He “saw” His Father heal him and no one else.  In John 5:17,19 Jesus states that His Father was working and therefore He (Jesus) was working.  He was doing the works He “saw” His Father do.  He said: “Verily, verily (truthfully), I say to you, The Son can do nothing by His own power, but (He does) what He (spiritually) “sees” the Father do.  He did what He did using the authority given Him by God.  For what soever things He (the Father) does, the Son also does.”  Jesus called Himself the LIGHT OF THE WORLD.  He also called the disciples the LIGHT OF THE WORLD.  Recall that He told the disciples to preach the Gospel, heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons and raise the dead.  The power they had access to was freely given to them.  They were to freely use it to help others (Mat. 10:8), under God’s direction as did He.  Now that we understand the authority-power-direction connection, let us see what causes God’s men to have to use their authority on behalf of mankind.

Devils (demons) are fallen angels that were cast out of heaven and down to earth following the war in heaven between Satan and his angels and God and His angels.  Satan and his angels (devils/demons) now inhabit the air directly above the earth from whence they tempt mankind to disobey God and obey Satan.  Satan wants people to do what people want to do (please themselves).  Jesus made this clear in Mark 8:33 where we find Him saying: “Get behind me, Satan, for you care about pleasing men and not about pleasing God.”  Satan has millions of fallen angels doing his temptation work in the hearts of unregenerate man.  Paul calls the leader of this vile angelic clan “THE PRINCE OF THE POWERS OF THE AIR” (Eph. 2:2).  Note that he called Satan’s fallen angels “POWERS.”  Demons are very powerful.  I have had them argue with me.  Of course, they lost and had to leave their host at my command.  But they resisted as long as possible.

When a man sins, Christ turns him over to these powers who then afflict the man, just as Paul did to the church fornicator.  Satan and his demons hate human beings and torment them whenever they allow them (demons) into their hearts from whence they direct their host’s thoughts, words and actions.   In Scripture it is written by the Lord that He sends disease, disaster, war, famine, drought, crime, mental affliction, etc. to sinning man in a general way.  Strictly speaking, He simply allows Satan to have his way with sinners because they have deliberately separated themselves from Him (God–Isa. 59:2).  This makes it easy for Satan’s  angels to enter and gain control of the individual.

Separation from God allows demons to enter and control the hapless and helpless sinner at will.  In Matthew 12:45 Jesus tells us that when a demon/evil spirit departs from a person he goes out and gets seven more demons more wicked than himself and returns to his host.  The sinner then becomes even more sinful than before.  We see this outwardly when people begin stealing small things then progress into stealing larger things as the demonic power in the thief increases.  Cocaine, meth, fentanyl, opium, etc. addicts almost always begin with marijuana, then work their way up to the “hard stuff.”  Inveterate liars begin with occasional “little lies” which grow larger and more prolific over time.  A first-time adulterer will, unless he repents and turns away from his sin, will commit the sin more often over time.

During the sin growth period God is continually allowing Satan to have his way with the sinners.  Because he hates man, Satan joyfully afflicts man with all manner of curses.  The curse is from God, who uses evil spirits, and even Satan himself, to administer them.  When man refuses to stop sinning, God allows Satan and company to afflict him over and over again.  This is why the world is constantly under some kind of attack such as wars, epidemics, pandemics, physical disease, mental diseases, accidents, floods, droughts, famine, freezes, extreme heat, invasion, etc.

No one, not even the Very Elect, are immune to demonic attack.  Until Christ returns no one is beyond the temptational reach of Satan and his helpers.  No matter how holy one walks, he is not beyond temptation.  NOT EVEN JESUS CHRIST WAS IMMUNE FROM SATAN’S SIREN CALL TO SIN.  Recall that when the time for His trial and crucifixion approached we find Him pleading with the Father for help.  Satan was sending wave after wave of dread into His heart.  Jesus knew that He was capable of failing.  IN THE FACE OF WHAT WAS COMING, HE COULD HAVE WEAKENED, GIVEN IN TO TEMPTATION, TURNED FROM HIS COMMISSION AND WALKED AWAY FROM GOD.  Man is no better than the Messiah.  He overcame Satan’s siren call to sin.  If He could not sin by giving in to Satan, why did He suffer so much stress, even to the point of bursting blood vessels in his face.  JESUS WAS A MAN LIKE ALL OTHER MEN.  If we, BEING MEN, are to spend eternity with Him, we must follow in His spiritual footsteps.  WE MUST RESIST AS HE DID (Rev. 3:21).

In the following posting we will look at specific examples in which Jesus and His ministers dealt with people who had been tempted by Satan and his demons, had given in to the temptation, had been cursed in various ways and had come to the Lord or His ministers for help. L.J.