We sometimes speak of Satan as one who is alive and active. He is never idle. He is always working, one way or another, trying to destroy the souls of men. Peter said that he is “…walking about, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8).
There is something else we should not forget—God is active as well. We do not serve a dead God. Our God is very much alive. Paul said that the Thessalonians had turned from idols to serve “the true and living God” (1 Thessalonians 1:9). Furthermore, our God is always working. Jesus once told the Jews, “My Father is working until now, and I am working” (John 5:17). Just how does God work today? Let us look at a few ways.
God Works For Us
This has been so from the beginning. In Genesis 3 we find that sin was introduced into the world by Adam and Eve. God knew of the power of sin and how it would have its way with all who came after Adam and Eve. So, He set in motion a plan of redemption that was in His mind even before the creation of the world (Titus 1:2). In the chapter in which we read about the introduction of sin into the world, we also read of God’s plan to reconcile man. God said the following to the serpent (Satan) who had tempted and deceived Eve in the garden of Eden: “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel” (Genesis 3:15).
The seed of woman was Christ. Figuratively speaking, His heel was bruised on Calvary’s cross. However, what the devil thought was a victory turned out to be his biggest defeat. By the power of God, Jesus was raised for our justification (Romans 4:21), and Satan was crushed. Genesis 3:15 is the first messianic prophecy, foretelling how God would work for us in redeeming us from our iniquities. From the time of that prophecy, until Calvary, God worked at redeeming mankind. The Old Testament story is a story of God preparing a people for salvation by convicting them of sin by the Law and leading them to Christ (Galatians 3:19-24; 4:3-5).
We should always be mindful that God is still working for us. The Holy Spirit works through the Word in guiding and directing us in the ways of righteousness and proper living. The Bible, which is the product of the Holy Spirit, teaches us how to live (Titus 2:11, 12). When we fall short of our duties before God and transgress His law (sin), Jesus Christ, our High Priest, works for us in His role as an advocate (Hebrews 7:22-25; 1 John 1:7; 2:1, 2).
God Works With Us
I am sure glad that God did not just leave us in this battle against Satan by ourselves. The Hebrews writer assured us of this when he wrote, “…and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” (Hebrews 13:5). No matter how bad things get, we can have confidence that God is with us. It does not matter if man persecutes us. Man can bring great harm upon our physical bodies, but he cannot harm our souls (Matthew 10:28). We should take great comfort in the fact that when we engage ourselves in the work of the Lord, we are actually joining in fellowship with God in that work. We are workers together with God (2 Corinthians 6:1). In a sense then, our work is really God’s work. In fact, the only work we should do religiously is God’s work. Jesus said, “I must work the works of Him that sent me, while it is day…” (John 9:4). His works were the works of His Father, and such should be so with us too.
God Works In Us
Not only does God work for us and with us, He also works in us. He, through His Word, changes us from the inside out. In Christ we become new creatures (2 Corinthians 5:17). We do not become new from a physical standpoint. After we obey the gospel, we still are the same physically (two hands, two feet, etc.). However, we become new spiritually. Our sins are washed away, and we enter into a new realm, i.e., into a new relationship with Christ (Galatians 3:27). This has an impact on our thinking (Colossians 3:1, 2), our aims in life (Philippians 3:14), and, of course, on how we live from day to day (Philippians 1:27). All of this happens because God works on our hearts through the gospel. In Ephesians 2:10 Paul calls us God’s “workmanship, created in Christ Jesus.” By working in us, God shapes and forms us anew, and the end product, i.e., the new man in Christ, is much better than the old man.
God Works Through Us
When Jesus was on earth, He healed the sick, fed the hungry and He preached God’s Word. Now God works through the disciples that Jesus made. Much of the work that God accomplishes in the world today is done by faithful Christians. It is our duty to help the less fortunate when we have the opportunity (Galatians 6:10; Matthew 25:31-46). But more than anything else, our job is to spread the gospel of Christ. Jesus is still in the soul-winning business. He saves souls by His Word (James 1:21). He has entrusted us with His Word, making us stewards of it (2 Corinthians 4:7; 1 Corinthians 4:1). The fact that God works through us in so many different ways accentuates the importance of living according to the gospel. Since God works through us, we represent God’s value system. By us, people can come to know the kind of God that we serve (1 Peter 2:12).
Yes, God is alive and well, and He continues to work in the world and in our lives.