Defenders 3: Doctrine of Creation (Part 24): The Work of Demons

Summary

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Defenders Podcast – Doctrine of Creation (Part 24): The Work of Demons

Host: Dr. William Lane Craig
Date: December 5, 2018

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Episode Overview

In this episode, Dr. William Lane Craig completes his exploration of angels and demons by focusing on "the work of demons." The class systematically examines the biblical teaching regarding the present activity of demons in the world, how they impact believers and unbelievers, the difference between demonic oppression and possession, as well as practical advice for Christians on spiritual warfare. The episode is structured as a teaching session with interactive questions from class members.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Role and Activities of Demons

a) Blinding Unbelievers to the Gospel

• Demons are active in blinding the minds of unbelievers so they cannot see or respond to the truth of the gospel.
  • 2 Corinthians 4:3–4
  • 2 Timothy 2:24–26
• Dr. Craig:

  “Satan is responsible for keeping people in unbelief and making them resistant to the message of the gospel.” (00:54)

b) Nullifying the Preaching of the Kingdom

• Satan and demons attempt to prevent the Word from taking root in people’s hearts.
  • Mark 4:15

  “Satan immediately comes and takes away the word which is sown in them … Satan seeks to counteract the preaching of the kingdom of God.” (02:11)

c) Destroying the Servants of God

• Beyond influencing unbelievers, demonic forces actively seek to undermine and destroy Christians.
  • 1 Thessalonians 3:5
  • 2 Corinthians 2:11
  • 1 Timothy 3:6–7
• Craig emphasizes Satan’s efforts to cause apostasy and inflict harm, both spiritually and physically.

  “These creatures … are out to destroy you. They hate you intensely.” (03:22)

d) Demonic Possession

• Demons can possess people, distinct from mere influence or temptation. Notable examples:
  • The Gadarene demoniac (Mark 5)
  • Judas Iscariot (John 13:27)
  • Multiple exorcisms performed by Jesus (Mark 1:32; Luke 9:42)
• Craig distinguishes demon possession as a genuine indwelling by another spiritual being.

e) Harassment of Believers

• Demons may not always possess, but they will harass believers and throw obstacles in their path.
  • 1 Thessalonians 2:18
  • 2 Corinthians 12:7 (“a messenger of Satan to harass me”)
  • 1 Peter 5:8

  “If they can’t destroy you … they will at least harass you.” (08:24)

f) Accusing Believers Before God

• Satan acts as "the accuser," continuously bringing accusations against believers before God.
  • Revelation 12:10

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2. Q&A Highlights and Theological Clarifications

How Does Satan Tempt People?

• Craig (14:08): Satan works through the "flesh"—our fallen nature—rather than directly implanting thoughts.

  “Satan can work through our flesh. When we indulge in the sins of the flesh, we open ourselves to Satan’s kingdom and influence …” (14:08)

Distinction between Demon Possession and Sinning

• Craig underlines the difficulty in empirical discernment but clarifies:

  “Demonic possession involves an indwelling spiritual being … vastly different from mere sinning or yielding to the desires of the flesh.” (15:35)

  • Occult practices are especially dangerous and to be avoided.

Can Christians Be Possessed by Demons?

• Theologically doubtful that the Holy Spirit and a demon could indwell a person simultaneously, but experiences from occult ministries suggest cases of deep oppression or “bondage.”
  • Craig suggests a difference between oppression (external attack/influence) and possession (internal indwelling), but admits the New Testament is not definitive.

  “I think it’s possible to make a distinction between being possessed by a demon and being oppressed by a demon.” (21:22) "We do know that it is possible for Christians to be very oppressed and bound up in these kinds of demonic occult activities." (23:00)

Can Angels Possess People?

• Biblically, no evidence that angels possess people; such an act would render moral agency and virtue incoherent.

  “It would be pointless for an angel to indwell a person so as to do good deeds …” (24:08)

Authority in Exorcism: Naming Demons

• Discussion of Mark 5 and the naming of demons; Craig notes that knowing/using the demon’s name was a method of asserting authority in ancient culture, but exorcism is not a mechanical process.

  “One mustn’t think of these things as sort of mechanical recipes to follow.” (26:34)

Oppression vs. Possession

• The distinction is primarily theological and practical, helping deal with the question of overlapping presence with the Holy Spirit.

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3. Practical Response: Christian Response to Demons

Three Scriptural Admonitions:

1. Submit to God and Resist the Devil

   • James 4:7 — Resist only by relying on God, not in one's own strength.

   “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” (28:30)

2. Watch and Pray

   • Matthew 26:41 — Stay alert and pray to avoid temptation.

   “Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (29:00)

3. Put on the Full Armor of God

   • Ephesians 6:11–18 — Spiritual preparedness through prayer, Scripture, and personal holiness.

   “You need to be prepared for spiritual warfare by being involved in spiritual disciplines like prayer, studying the Word of God, developing righteous virtues in your life, and so on and so forth.” (30:45)

   • Citing Dallas Willard: “It’s not enough simply to ask yourself in some situation what would Jesus do? Because unless we have already developed the character of Jesus, we won’t be able to do what Jesus would do in that situation.” (31:55)

• Key Takeaway: Constant spiritual discipline and avoidance of occult practices are essential to resist demonic influence and to grow in resilience.

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Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• On Satan’s Purpose:

  “He prevents them from believing the gospel and from knowing the truth. Moreover, their wills are captive to him to carry out his will.” – Craig (01:33)

• On Destruction of Christians:

  “These creatures not only keep unbelievers in their snare, but they are out to destroy you. They hate you intensely. They will do anything that they can within their power to destroy you.” – Craig (03:22)

• On Occult Practices:

  “We as Christians need to avoid, like the plague, any kind of occult activity … These occult practices open us to this demonic spiritual realm, and those who get ensnared in it can be very, very seriously damaged.” – Craig (16:40)

• On the ‘Already/Not Yet’ of Christ’s Dominion:

  “There is a kind of already but not yet tension in the New Testament which says that the decisive acts have been done … but these will only be fully realized with the second coming of Christ.” – Craig (19:22)

• On Spiritual Preparation:

  “The battle with Satan thus begins long before an encounter actually takes place. It begins with daily walking in the power of the Holy Spirit …” – Craig (32:35)

• Comic Relief:

  “Deviled eggs are fine. I love deviled eggs. And we’ll give an angelic blessing on them or something.” – Craig, in response to a quip about "deviled eggs" at the Christmas luncheon (17:35)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:15 — Introduction: The work of demons overview
• 00:54–04:30 — Biblical text evidence of demonic activity: blinding, nullifying, destruction
• 06:55–09:03 — Demonic possession and scriptural examples
• 13:41–14:08 — How does Satan tempt people?
• 15:25–16:40 — Differentiating possession from sin and occult warnings
• 17:20–18:41 — Comic interlude on “deviled eggs” and New Testament dominion
• 19:22–24:08 — Already/Not Yet: Christ’s defeat of Satan
• 20:40–24:08 — Can Christians be demon possessed? Oppression explained
• 24:08–27:32 — Can angels possess? Authority in exorcism
• 28:00–32:35 — Practical response: Submit to God, watch/pray, armor of God, spiritual formation

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Conclusion

Dr. Craig brings clarity to often-asked questions on demonology, emphasizing biblical discernment, spiritual discipline, and avoidance of the occult. He encourages believers to remain vigilant, resist evil, and pursue growth through the Holy Spirit, Bible study, and prayer, reminding his listeners of the long-term character formation essential for victory in spiritual warfare.

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Transcript

[A]

Welcome to Defenders, the teaching class of Dr. William Lane Craig today the Doctrine of Creation, Part 24. For more information and resources from Dr. Craig, go to reasonablefaith.org today we want

[B]

to wrap up our discussion of angels and demons by looking at the work of demons. So let's say a word about the present activity or work of demons in the world. First of all, these demonic creatures blind unbelievers to the truth of the Gospel. They blind unbelievers to the truth of the Gospel. In second Corinthians, chapter four, verses three and four, Paul writes, even if our Gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing. In their case, the God of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers to keep them from seeing the light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the likeness of God. That's 2 Corinthians 4:3,4. Now that's a sobering thought, isn't it? When you encounter an unbeliever who who resists the Gospel and is not willing to place his faith in Christ, Paul says that Satan has blinded his mind to keep him from seeing the truth of Christ's Gospel. So Satan is responsible for keeping people in unbelief and making them resistant to the message of the gospel. In 2nd Timothy 2, verses 24 and 262 Timothy 2, 24, 26 Speaking of the character which we are to develop as servants of Christ, Paul says, the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome, but kindly to everyone an apt teacher forbearing, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant that they will repent and come to know the truth and they may escape from the snare of the devil after being captured by him to do his will. Notice that according to this verse, unbelievers are already in the snare of Satan. They have already been captured by him to do his will. He prevents them from believing the gospel and from knowing the truth. Moreover, their wills are captive to him to carry out his will. So unbelievers are both intellectually and volitionally impaired. The prayer is, that as we shall show forth a gracious character, which is the fruit of the Holy Spirit in evangelizing unbelievers, God may grant them repentance so that they can escape Satan's snare and come to believe the gospel, and so find eternal life. Second, Satan and these demonic beings seek to nullify the preaching of the kingdom. They seek to nullify the preaching of the kingdom. In Mark, chapter four, we have the Familiar parable of the sower. And notice what Jesus says in verse 15 in interpreting this parable. He says, these are the ones along the path where the word is sown. When they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word which. Which is sown in them. Mark 4:15. So those who are along the path where the seed is sown represent unbelievers who hear the word of the kingdom. That's what this parable is about. It's a parable of the kingdom. But Satan comes and snatches away that word so that they cannot respond to it. Thus Satan seeks to counteract the preaching of the kingdom of God. Third, Satan and the demons seek to destroy the servants of God. That is to say, these creatures not only keep unbelievers in their snare, but they are out to destroy you. They hate you intensely. They will do anything that they can within their power to destroy you. Paul had founded a church in Thessalonica and then went on to other cities on his Mediterranean missionary tour. In time, he became worried about the fate of those believers that he had left behind at this infant church in Thessalonica. And he wrote 1st Thessalonians to them. In 1st Thessalonians, chapter 3 and verse 5, 1st Thessalonians 3:5, Paul writes to his Christian converts, for this reason, when I could bear it no longer, I sent that I might know your faith for fear that somehow the tempter had tempted you and that our labor would be in vain. Here Paul's fear was that Satan the tempter would have tempted the young Thessalonian Christians so that they would have apostatized and all of the apostles labor would have gone down the drain and been for nothing because they had lapsed in their faith and so had been destroyed by Satan. Also 2nd Corinthians, chapter 2 and verse 11, 2 Corinthians 2:11. Paul says that his forgiving the people in Corinth for their terrible sin was, and I quote, to keep Satan from gaining the advantage over us, for we are not ignorant of his designs. Satan's design was to destroy these Corinthian Christians to gain the advantage over them, as Paul puts it. But Paul says he is not ignorant of that, and so he is careful to exercise the grace of Christian forgiveness in order to keep them in the faith. Finally, 1st Timothy 3, 6, 7 Timothy 36 7. Speaking here of the qualifications for being a bishop in the church, Paul says he must not be a recent convert, or he may be puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders or he may fall into reproach and the snare of the devil. Now this is yet one more example of Satan seeking to undo Christians. He's trying to ensnare them, to capture them, and so to bring them into condemnation. In 2 Corinthians 11:28, Paul speaks of the suffering that he endured as an apostle of Christ. And it's interesting that in addition to all of the physical suffering he endured, he also says, besides this, there is my anxiety for all the churches. Why was Paul so anxious for the churches that he had founded? Well, simply because one of the activities of Satan and these demonic beings is to destroy God's servants and and to render them as ineffective as they possibly can. Fourth, these demons can possess people. Remember the story we read of the Gadarene demoniac who was indwelt by a legion of these demonic creatures in Mark chapter five. And what was significant about that exorcism is that it said that the demons came out of the man. They came out of the man and they entered into the swine that were feeding in the area. This is an example of demonic possession where the demons actually indwell a person. Also look at the example of Judas Iscariot in John chapter 13 and verse 27, John 13:27. We don't often think of Judas and as being demon possessed. But when you read John 13:27, that seems to be what it indicates. During the Last supper we read, then after the morsel, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, what you are going to do, do quickly. And Judas went out to betray Christ. So he was apparently demon possessed at that point. He had given himself over to Satan and Satan had entered into him. Other exorcisms performed by Jesus in the Gospel should be seen, I think, in this light. For example, In Mark chapter one and verse 32 we read, it says, pardon me. We read that evening at sundown they brought to him all who were sick or possessed with demons. Mark 1:32. So this would be an example of Jesus ministry as an exorcist in casting out demons. Luke chapter 9 and verse 42 gives another example. This is the story of the epileptic boy that was healed by Jesus. Luke 9:42 says, while he was coming, the demon tore him and convulsed him. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit and healed the boy and gave him back to his Father. This would be another example of Jesus ability to exorcise these demons from people who were demon possessed and thereby to show the inbreaking of God's kingdom in his ministry. Fifth, Satan and his demons harassment God's servants. They harass God's servants. If they can't destroy you, if they can't possess you, then they will at least harass you. 1 Thessalonians 2:18 Paul says to the Thessalonians, we wanted to come to you I Paul, again and again, but Satan hindered us. Paul wanted to come and visit the Thessalonians once again to see if they were holding to the faith. But Satan was throwing obstacles in Paul's path, preventing him from carrying out the mission that he desired to do. Also, this kind of harassment can take the form of physical suffering or illness. In 2nd Corinthians 12:17, 2nd Corinthians 12:17, Paul speaks of a bodily infirmity from which he suffered, and he calls it a messenger of Satan sent to harass me. So specifically here a bodily infirmity was seen as being a way in which Satan was harassing the apostle Paul. First Peter, chapter 5 and verse 8 advises, Be sober, be watchful. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour. First Peter 5:8. And so given this, we should expect difficulties, suffering adversities, and so forth in this earthly life. Finally, Satan accuses unbelievers. Revelation chapter 12 and verse 10 says, and I heard a loud voice in heaven saying, now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down. Who accuses them day and night before Our God? Revelation 12:10. Here the reference is to Satan as the accuser of believers before God until Satan is finally and decisively vanquished. Any discussion then of the work of demons in the world?

[C]

I'm curious what you think about exactly

[B]

how does Satan tempt people?

[C]

I think people have this idea that, well, he can whisper things in my mind or cause me to think thoughts

[B]

that come from without and not from within myself?

[C]

Or does he alternatively put me in situations and arrange me to be in situations where he knows that I will be tempted, or both of the above? I just don't have a good grasp on that.

[B]

As I read the New Testament, I think that we as human beings have a fallen human nature that is deeply sinful and corrupted. And this is typically called the flesh in the New Testament. That's the word that Paul uses now that shouldn't be thought of as just our fleshly bodies. Paul is not saying that our material body is evil, but the flesh designates that aspect of human nature that is opposed to God as sinful. It's corrupt, it's twisted, it's bent in on itself rather than aligned toward God. And I think that Satan uses the flesh. And so that's why, typically, the great enemies of Christians are thought to be the world, the flesh and the devil. And those appear, for example, in that engraving by Albrecht Dura where he has the. The devil along with the knight. So I would say that Satan can work through our flesh. When we indulge in the sins of the flesh, we open ourselves to Satan's kingdom and influence and are defeated by him.

[D]

Wanted to ask, how do you delineate between demon possession and a person's just

[B]

sitting and a person's what?

[D]

Sinning.

[B]

Sinning, right.

[D]

So we talked about Judas.

[B]

I do think that it can be very difficult empirically to know when a person is actually demon possessed or is mentally ill. Schizophrenic, say something of that sort. But it does seem very clear that, biblically speaking, demonic possession involves an indwelling spiritual being in your body and therefore is vastly different from mere sinning, yielding to the desires of the flesh or the temptations of the world. And that was why I emphasized that when Jesus exorcised these beings, it says they came out of the person. And then in the Gadarene demoniac case, they went into the swine and they perished. They were all killed. So it seems to me that this sort of demonic possession is much, much more serious and involves this kind of indwelling of another spiritual being in your body. And if I might say, I think this is why we as Christians need to avoid, like the plague, any kind of occult activity. We should not indulge, however innocent it may seem, in things like Ouija boards and tarot cards and seances, attempts to have divination or contact the dead. These occult practices open us to this demonic spiritual realm, and those who get ensnared in it can be very, very seriously damaged. Yes, George?

[A]

Bill, two questions. Number one with the Defenders Christmas luncheon coming up. Because of your topic, are you discouraging people from bringing deviled eggs?

[B]

Deviled eggs are fine. I love deviled eggs. And we'll give an angelic blessing on them or something. Nate.

[A]

But here's a serious question. In the New Testament, a frequent theme is that all powers.

[B]

Hey, George, I just thought, too, if Leanne wants to bring a devil's food cake, she could do that too. Okay, go Ahead.

[A]

And there could be angel food cake to counter balance. But serious question. A frequent theme in the New Testament is that everything, all powers, dominions, names, principalities, and so forth, will be subjected to Christ or put under his feet.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

And there are two verses, Ephesians 1 and 1 Peter 3, where it says that's already happened. But then there are other passages like 1 Corinthians 15, it seems to me Philippians 3:21 and then Hebrews 2:8, which say that this is to be Future on Hebrews 2:8, it says, we do not yet see all things subjected to Christ.

[B]

And.

[A]

And if you look at that passage, on the surface, it sounds like it's talking about man. We do not yet see all things subjected to man. But I heard a lecture by Leon Morris, the New Testament scholar, and he said that that refers to Christ. And he elaborated and said the reason why we have intractable problems in terms of poverty and hunger and disease and warfare and so forth is because we do not yet see all things subjected to Christ. So my question is, how do you reconcile these two different sets of passages? Has it happened or will it happen?

[B]

I think that there is a very common in the New Testament, a sort of already but not yet tension. This appears over and over again. The kingdom of God has already come in Jesus and in his preaching and ministry. And at the cross there is a decisive triumph over Satan. But the kingdom of God has not fully come in all of its victory when the final subjugation of Satan and these demonic beings will take place and they will be cast into eternal hell that clearly hasn't taken place yet. So there is a kind of already but not yet tension in the New Testament which says that the decisive acts have been done to achieve the victory, namely the cross and the resurrection of Christ at which Satan was defeated and our pardon and salvation was achieved, but that these will only be fully realized with the second coming of Christ and his fully establishing his reign and then giving it over to the Father, as it says in First Corinthians 15. Yes, Amy, or did we have someone. Okay, Cash. Yes.

[D]

Sorry. So what I'm. I'm just kind of looking for your take on this because I've been asked this question a few times and have answered it this way. But so what I've been asked is, is it possible for a truly regenerate believer to be indwelled by a demon, to be possessed by a demon? And the way I've answered that is that it appears to me obvious that if a believer has received the Holy Spirit into them, that a demon should not be able to overcome the Holy Spirit within you, that obviously, you know, God is stronger than a demon. So how could a demon possess a regenerate believer? But I'm just wondering what you think about that.

[B]

It is a very difficult question which the New Testament doesn't directly address. On the one hand, theologically, there is the point that you make someone who is indwelt with the Holy Spirit and is regenerate, it would seem impossible for that person to also be indwelt and possessed by a demon. And yet, empirically speaking, those who were involved in occult ministries trying to free people from the bondage to the occult will tell you over and over again they know of cases wherein Christians have been possessed by demons and have been exorcised and then finally freed from this influence. So how do you put that together? I think it's possible to make a distinction between being possessed by a demon and being oppressed by a demon. And it could be that these Christians, though not possessed by a demon because of their dabbling in occult practices or sin, are nevertheless under heavy demonic oppression and so need to be freed from that. The other possible answer could be that even though a Christian can be indwelt by the Holy Spirit, he may not be filled with the Holy Spirit. On the contrary, he may be living under the power of the flesh, as the Christians in Corinth were. And perhaps for a Christian who is living under the power and the influence of the flesh, the indwelling Holy Spirit doesn't have as much influence. Maybe a person like that could also be indwelt by a demonic being who operates in that person through the flesh and which needs to be exorcised. So either one of those is a possibility. I think we don't really know the answer to the question, but empirically at least, we do know that it is possible for Christians to be very oppressed and bound up in these kinds of demonic occult activities. And therefore, as I say, we ourselves, who are not, need to avoid these kinds of activities. Amy, so we've said before that the only difference between angels and demons is the moral alignment. So my question, which is a little bit tangential, if you want me to hold it till later, that's fine. My question is, can angels and do angels possess people? I've never thought of that question, Amy, but it would seem to follow from what I've said that an angelic spirit could possess someone. Maybe that's not the sort of thing that angels do. I mean, I don't think we have any example of it in the Bible. And the purpose of these demons indwelling people is to take them over and to do them harm, to undo them. And that's not something that an angel would do even to bring about good. I mean, it would be pointless for an angel to indwell a person so as to do good deeds and will good things, because that's the very opposite of moral virtue and moral agency. Do you see what I mean? It's turning him into a puppet where now his moral choices become meaningless and insignificant. So while it might be possible, perhaps it's just pointless. Interesting question. Okay, yes, James, I just wanted to

[C]

just say something real quick about what Cassian said, though, that. But I think, though, that it is possible for a believer to be possessed. Because if you look, if you go back and look at the demoniac in Mark 5, though he says, though he says, what business do we have with each other? Jesus, son of the most High God. Now, would a demon praise Jesus Christ is the most high Son of God? I don't think so.

[B]

He wouldn't praise him, James. But I did address that question in my lesson. What I said is that this is an example of in the ancient world, exercising authority over the other person by knowing his name. And by naming him, the person who can name the other one is in a kind of superior position. And so that's why Jesus then turns the table and says to the demoniac, what is your name? And I think that's what the demon is doing here.

[C]

Well, it's kind of a. Well, and I wanted to follow up on that also, because you see people like that, that one, like Bob Larson, stuff like that, and they'll pretend like, you know, oh, I have authority over this demon and tell me your name, and that kind of garbage. I don't know that that's really, truly effective, though, that. That sounds almost more superstitious than. I don't see a lot of biblical authority for that. When you have the power to name something, you have authority in one sense. But I know your name. So if I say your name, that doesn't mean necessarily that I have authority over you. I mean, I don't.

[B]

Well, there's nothing like a modern in saying that. But I don't know how to respond to that because I have never been involved in an exorcism, personally. I've read accounts of them and I know there are techniques that are used and perhaps asking for the name is in some cases helpful or justified. It would be probably based on this Mark 5 passage. But when I think of, for example, Paul's exorcising the demon from that girl who was following them about saying, these are men of the most high God. He didn't ask her name. He just said, come out of her, you unclean spirit. And I don't know that we have in other cases this use of naming. So one mustn't think of these things as sort of mechanical recipes to follow. Was there a question down front here?

[C]

Okay, kind of follow up on your response to Cash, because I remember you mentioned this before is the, you know, the distinction between oppression and possession is kind of want to hear, hear those two and kind of what goes on behind them is really much of a difference between that, because it seems almost even with the oppression, like the same things are happening to someone that is also possessed.

[B]

Well, it just is an attempt to deal with the theological problem that Cash raised. How can a person indwelt by the Holy Spirit and regenerate be indwelt by a demonic spirit at the same time? And it would attempt to answer that theological question by saying this demonic presence is outside the person and is attacking him from the outside. It is not something that is indwelling him in the way that a demon possessed person is. Now let me wrap up by saying a few words about the Christian response to demons. How should we respond to the devil? Should we worry about him? Should we be afraid? What should we do? Well, three points briefly suggest themselves from Scripture. Number one. We should submit to God and. And resist the devil. Submit to God and resist the devil. James 4. 7 says, Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. James 4. 7. Notice you must first submit yourself to God. You cannot resist demons in your own strength. You need the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit. You need first to submit yourself to God and then be resistant. And the prime example of this, of course, would be Jesus himself in his temptations by Satan, where again and again he resisted Satan's temptation by bringing and opposing to it the truth of God's word in taking a stand on what God's word said and, and submitting to that. Number two, we should watch and pray. Watch and pray. Jesus says in Matthew 26:41, watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. Matthew 26:41, because our flesh is weak and because Satan can get at us through the flesh, which as I say, means that fallen principle within the human nature that is sinful, corrupt, and perverted. We need to be on high alert and constantly praying as we go through the day so that we don't succumb to our weaknesses and fall. Finally, number three, we need to clothe ourselves with the full armor of God. We should clothe ourselves with the full armor of God. In Ephesians 6, 11, 18, Paul writes, Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we are not contending against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil day. And having done all to stand, stand. Therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, having shod your feet with with the equipment of the gospel of peace. Besides all these, taking the shield of faith with which you can quench all the flaming darts of the evil one, and take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, pray at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints. I think that the overriding point that Paul is making here is that you need to be prepared for spiritual warfare by being involved in spiritual disciplines like prayer, studying the Word of God, developing righteous virtues in your life, and so on and so forth. Dallas Willard has rightly remarked that it's not enough simply to ask yourself in some situation what would Jesus do? Because unless we have already developed the character of Jesus, we won't be able to do what Jesus would do in that situation. The battle with Satan thus begins long before an encounter actually takes place. It begins with daily walking in the power of the Holy Spirit, praying, reading the Bible, engaging in meaningful worship, sharing the gospel, and exercising our spiritual gift in the context of a local community of fellow believers. We need to prepare for battle, to be clothed with the armor of God, so that when we are in a situation of testing, we have the ability to do what Jesus would do. Apart from these preparations, we will be weak and easily vanquished. So those are some of the scriptural admonition about how we can be prepared for spiritual warfare. With that, we come to the end of our discussion of the theological locus of the doctrine of creation on which we've been embarked for the last many months. And next time we'll be Moving on to a new theme and topic, let's close with a Word of prayer. Our Father, as we go now into the workaday world, we pray that you would help us to be on high alert, not only to Satanic influences, but even more so, Lord, to the weaknesses and the desires of our own flesh, which would pull us down and make us vulnerable to Satan's temptations and attacks. Strengthen us, we pray. Help us to walk in the Spirit and to so be involved in prayer and Bible reading and worship and sharing our faith that we will be strengthened for the spiritual battle that will come our way. Thank you for your indwelling presence and empowerment through Christ our Lord. Amen.

[A]

The copyright for the preceding material is held by Dr. William Lane Craig. For more go to reasonablefaith.org.