Now when the devil saw that God built such a holy church, he was not
idle, and erected his chapel beside it, larger than God’s temple. This is how
he did it: he noticed that God utilized outward things, like baptism, word,
sacrament, keys, etc., whereby he sanctified his church. And since the devil is
always God’s ape, trying to imitate all God’s things and to improve on them, he
also tried his luck with external things purported to make man holy—just as he
tries with rain-makers, sorcerers, exorcists of devils, etc. He even has the
Lord’s Prayer recited and the gospel read over them to make it appear a great
holy possession. Thus he had popes and papists consecrate or sanctify water,
salt, candles, herbs, bells, images, Agnus
Dei, pallia, chasubles, tonsures, fingers, hands—who can tell it all?—finally the monks’
cowls to a degree that many people died and were buried in them, believing that
thereby they would be saved. Now it would have been fine indeed if God’s word
or a blessing or a prayer were spoken over these created things, as children do
over their food or over themselves when they go to bed and when they arise. St.
Paul says of this, “Everything created by God is good, and is consecrated by
the word of God and prayer” [1 Tim. 4:4–5]. The creature derives no new power
from such a practice, but is strengthened in its former power. (Martin
Luther, “On the Council of the Church (1539),” in LW 41:167-68)
Let me say something that might surprise you. As we come to the devil,
you need to understand one thing, Satan is God’s devil, he is God’s devil. He
operates only within the parameters that God gives him. God is sovereign over
Satan, absolutely sovereign over Satan. Look, Satan is who he is because he
tried to assault the sovereignty of God. Do you understand that? Do you
understand that if there’s any one thing you know to be true about Satan, it is
that he cannot overpower God? He cannot rebel against God. He cannot claim
equality with God or superiority to God. That’s what he tried to do in the
rebellion, along with a third of the angels, and he was thrown out of heaven
along with all of them and they are permanently demonized and God prepared a
lake of fire where they will burn forever and ever and ever, along with all
those who reject Christ. The devil tried to operate outside the framework of
divine sovereignty and all he got for it was eternal wretchedness and was
thrown out of heaven. The devil is God’s devil. He works only within the
parameters which a sovereign God determines. (John F. MacArthur Jr.,
“Sinister Players in the Sovereign Plan of Redemption,” January 13, 2008, in John
MacArthur Sermon Archive [Panorama City, Calif.: Grace to You, 2014], Logos
Bible Software edition)
Satan’s army of demons uses subtler strategies also—deception and
discouragement in many forms. To oppose these is the task of spiritual warfare
(Eph. 6:10–18). Though demons can cause trouble of different kinds for
regenerate persons in whom the Holy Spirit dwells, they cannot deter God’s
final purpose of saving His elect, any more than they can escape their own
eternal torment. As the devil is God’s devil (as Luther put it), so the demons
are God’s demons, defeated enemies (Col. 2:15) whose limited power is only
permitted for the advancement of God’s glory as His people contend with them.
(“Demons,” in The Reformation Study Bible: English Standard Version [Orlando:
Ligonier Ministries, 2005], 290)
