Call Us: 423 661-4734 | Email: requests@comeandreason.com      
How Satan Attacks the Character of God

How Satan Attacks the Character of God

For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:3–5 NIV84).

Satan is the father of lies (John 8:44), and his primary lies are about God. Satan understands that when people know the truth about God, his power over them is broken and trust in God is restored. Thus, Satan works very hard to introduce lies about God into our minds, beliefs, worldview, doctrines, educational systems, and churches.

The more lies about God we believe, the more difficult it is to know and trust Him. God is the Creator of all reality. His character is love, and His methods are truth, love, and freedom. In Jesus, the fullness of God dwelt in human form (Colossians 2:9). We can know the truth about God’s character because it was revealed in the life of Jesus. If we have seen Jesus, then we have seen the Father.

But even the disciples didn’t fully understand this:

Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.”

Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves” (John 14:8–11 NIV84).

One of Jesus’ purposes in coming was to reveal the Father to us. In His prayer right before His crucifixion, Jesus said:

“I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. … I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world” (John 17:4, 6 NIV84, emphasis mine).

Satan hates the truth about God, and he hates it when the truth about God is revealed. Thus, he works to obscure the truth about God, to infect it with lies, to pervert it with distortions, to corrupt it with aspects of his own character so that people eventually replace the truth about God with a counterfeit in the image of Satan.

There are many ways Satan attacks the character of God; here are a few:

  • By replacing the truth that God’s laws are design protocols upon which the Creator built reality to operate with the lie that God’s laws function no differently than the rules sinful humans make up. Once believed, this lie causes God to be viewed as:
    • The source of pain, suffering, and death as punishment for sin
      • This lie manifests when people cry out, “What sin did I commit that God gave my child cancer?” Or, “What sin did I commit that my husband cheated on me?” Or, Job’s friends arguing that the calamity that befell Job was because God was punishing him for some sin.
    • The one from whom we need protection
      • This lie manifests in teachings that say payments need to be made to a punishing god, to do something to that god so that god will not hurt us.
    • Different in character than that of Jesus—that Jesus is merciful and loving while the Father is severe and punishing
  • By undermining the divinity of Christ:
    • If Jesus isn’t fully God, then His death reveals that God is willing to sacrifice others to protect Himself, which makes God to be selfish rather that love.
    • If Jesus isn’t fully God, then God is something other than love because love does not exist or function in a singularity; functional, active love requires an other. If there were a time when Jesus did not exist, then God was something other than love at that time.
  • By undermining the divinity of the Holy Spirit:
    • If the Holy Spirit is not fully divine with His own identity and individuality, then God is something other than love, as love fully operates only with an other and with a minimum of three.
      • Two individuals can exist in a dyad of narcissistic reinforcement in which they both adore and worship each other, being gratified and sustained by the attention. But when a third enters and takes the attention of one, anger and hostility emerge. Only when genuine self-sacrifice for the beneficence of the other is manifest does agape love exist.
    • Denying the existence of the Holy Spirit undermines the character of God and reinforces the notion of a self-centered god with a hierarchy style of government.
  • By suggesting God operates upon authoritarian hierarchy—with one being ruling over another:
    • This is Satan’s method and government (Isaiah 14). But because Jesus is fully God, we see, as described in Philippians chapter two, that He did not think equality with God as something to be grasped but humbled Himself for the uplifting of others. There is no hierarchy among the Godhead; they are all eternal and equal in power and authority.
  • By teaching that there is no God and that humans evolved randomly on our own:
    • This undermines not only God but also the nature and purpose of humanity.
    • It undercuts our individuality and the sanctity of life.
  • By teaching that God uses evolution to create:
    • Evolution teaches that organisms adapt and advance through eliminating weaker competition for resources. Thus, this lie teaches that God uses pain, suffering, and death to create.
    • God is the source of life, spoken into existence by His Word; according to the Bible, Satan and sin are the actual sources and causes of death.

We are in a war for our hearts and minds, and the central issue in the war is the knowledge of God. Don’t listen to the lies. Focus on Jesus, the Word, the Truth of God lived out for us to see, and be won back to love and trust in our incredible Creator, whose laws are the protocols of love built right into reality. Life, health, and happiness are only possible by living in harmony with God and His designs for life—so don’t believe the lies; embrace and live out the truth!

 

 

Email me the blog whenever a new one is published.

Donate online, securely via PayPal using your credit or debit card (no PayPal account needed, unless you want to set up a monthly, recurring payment).


cancel recurring payment

 

Want to use zelle instead?
See how on our
Support and Donations page.

Upcoming Events

calendar

Testimonial Post Slider

Testimony 60

Just watched watched lesson 10 in the 1st quarter 2021 bible study classs on Isaiah. I want to thank you for your intellectual spirituality; it’s not an oxymoron! From the point of view of a teacher I also enjoy seeing how much personal pleasure you clearly take in not just tasting, but feasting on God’s word – it reminds me of Jeremiah not being able to hold it in! It makes me smile that your cup is so full and overflowing that you make it to Tuesday’s lesson (on a good day). It just goes to show the richness of God’s Word.

God bless the Come and Reason Team from our church here in Great Britain.

Andrew H., Great Britain

 

Testimony 56

I cannot thank you enough for opening my understanding to the beautiful truth of God’s Law of Love and how it applies to everything. I have been a Christian for over forty years, but I feel like I am only now seeing with my eyes open. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!

Tammy Cinzio, Australia

 

Testimony 25

I just want to say thank you so much for your conversations via YouTube. I regularly tune in to your lectures, “Let’s Talk” sessions, and many others. Through these I’ve found greater depth and meaning to God’s word. Thanks for all that you do and please continue. I’m currently working in the middle of Silicon Valley at Stanford University. I feel like God really has me in the right place right now and I’m sensing that your teachings might be part of it.

B. F., Silicon Valley, CA, USA

 

Testimony 57

You have helped make sense of thirty two years of confusion. The material you freely provide reorganized so much of my life into such a beautiful pattern that has always been hinted at from within, but misguided with my training and what I was experiencing externally. My filipno parents, who were converted from Catholicism to SDA, were sincere and did their best to raise me the right way and I have deep respect for them. However, being immigrants and not understanding the language made for a difficult transition as I was growing up, which also applied to my spiritual growth as I learned the patterns of religion. I have been listening to as many bible study classes and reading blog posts as my time in a work truck will allow, searching for the practical applications of where spirituality and reality meet, and I thank you for helping me find that. You have helped me reach a point in which I can truly say that I love God, that I believe He loves me, and, like David, I delight in His law. God bless.

Emmanuel V., Calgary, AB Canada

Testimony 44

We were given a gift of the DVD set, “God and Your Brain,” and we just finished watching it. The truths in this are so powerful and truly an answer to a prayer. We’re seeing hope where once we thought God wasn’t answering our prayers to be free of certain mindsets. He answered with these DVDs and we are hungry for more. Thank you!

Daniel T., Easley, SC, USA

 

Testimony 12

I have been really blessed reading your response to the various questions on your site.

K.C., OH, USA

 

Testimony 54

I had a lot of pressure, as a pastor’s kid, to conform and be “good.” I was good at being “good.” I thought my life was going along well until it all started falling apart and I could not figure out why! In my search for “why is this happening to me, God?” I came across your book, “Could it be this Simple,” and God started revealing to me the many distortions I held about His character, His principles, and how He has designed His universe to operate. I remember thinking, “Wow, I have had this all backwards.” I was happy and angry all at the same time. Happy to have the light of truth break through the darkness, revealing a wonderful, beautiful way of understanding God and His plan for His children, and angry, because I felt deceived and cheated by the church, my family, and myself!

My heart thrills when I listen to your bible study lessons. Literally I have gone from death to life. It is a journey I look forward to every day, as God reveals areas this distortion affects. Praise GOD! I will ever be grateful to God for this ministry and your cooperation with the Spirit!

Karen S., Portal, AZ, USA

 

Testimony 64

I’ve been reading the bible and walking with Jesus since I was around 16. I’m 42 now. I’ve mostly been alone in my walk although I went to several churches in different denominations. For the past 3 years God has been showing me His character of agape. It’s been a blessing and changed how I view God and my walk with Jesus. About a year ago I came across the power of love and the principles of design law. These teachings changed how I read scripture and have been such a beautiful blessing. I’m very excited and grateful for these truths. We share these truths of agape, design law and the reality of the principles of the two trees in the garden of Eden with people on Facebook and YouTube. People all over are learning to trust God and His agape design law which makes life possible. Thank you for everything you shared with me. May God continue to bless your ministry and lives.

Bradley M., Hinsdale, NY, USA

 

Testimony 69

After reading your book, ‘Could It Be This Simple,’ someone was explaining Christianity in a way that made sense to me for the first time in my life. One morning, I simply prayed “I’m sorry and I love you.” As soon as I silently said that, I could literally feel God’s presence and light flood down on me from above and fill me up with love and joy. I sat there crying my eyes out, because I was so overpowered with this feeling of love and joy. It was just so incredible. I hope that more people can read this book and get a blessing from it. It’s really amazing.

Rachael H.

Testimony 34

I was introduced to Come and Reason Ministries by accident, via a passing comment made in a bible study class we were visiting. I checked this website out and my life was changed. The understanding of the truth of God’s character, and how we apply it, is so right. The tricky part is consistently applying which “lens” to look through. As I began to understand, I started sharing the basics of this understanding with a discussion group I was leading and, suddenly, a lot of things started to make sense that never used to. At the same time, I enjoyed an amazing opportunity. I was able to conduct a full bible study at WORK! What an amazing experience! It is such a joy to share the truth about God and to share how it all fits in the war between God and Satan. So many people benefit when we have a correct understanding about how God works and who He really is! Thank you for this transformational understanding. Keep up the good work! God Bless you!

Tony P., CA, USA

 

Testimony 68

Your message of design law vs imperial law is so uplifting and makes so much sense- it is a game changer for me. The fact that Jesus’s death is not a big payment by an angry God is , quite frankly, a relief.

Laura G., London, Ontario, Canada

 

Testimony 36

Thank you and may God continue to bless you as you share with others the intricacies of how we are all “fearfully and wonderfully made”. I must share that you have opened a whole new world to me, and I have found tremendous healing through what you have shared in two of your books, “Could It Be This Simple?” and “The God Shaped Brain.” I praise God for what you shared, what I have learned, and how I have grown and healed! My prayer is that My Precious Jesus will be seen by others in the way I live, act, talk, etc. and they may be encouraged to know He is truly a GREAT God of LOVE, desiring that no one should perish! God Bless you in your continued endeavors to present Him as He really is!

Joleen H. GA, USA

 

Testimony 31

It was very touching to hear the testimony of your class share how viewing God’s true character has changed their lives. My feelings are the same – there is so much freedom in knowing that God LOVES me – regardless of my… just, REGARDLESS! I’m still blown away by the true gospel, the fact that God is not ready to strike us when we fail. He is not arbitrary. He simply loves us and warns of the natural consequences because He can’t stand to see us suffer. I AM IN LOVE WITH THIS GOD!!!

Ceil V.,  UT, USA

 

Testimony 32

The message [of Come And Reason Ministries is] for all Christians (and those who may become Christians) and not just Adventists or any other group. It is difficult to imagine why any [anyone] with intellectual and spiritual honesty could find fault with the way you explained the healing substitution concepts and the truth about God’s character, though I know some will reject and criticize. On behalf of those in our group near Tacoma, WA, thank you and your staff for all of the hard work and for sharing the Gospel in this manner. God’s message of healing love will be carried to the whole world and then Jesus will come – He promised it.

Terry U., Tacoma, WA, USA

 

Testimony 58

I have been watching your videos in The Power of Love seminar and I must say these have liberated me and have improved my relationship with the Lord. I am no longer terrified of him as I was before following your teachings.

Thando N., South Africa