One of the mysteries of life for believers is God’s use of Satan’s activities to accomplish His will. Often we are tempted to become discouraged when it appears that Satan has triumphed. But in reality, God’s will is never thwarted by any evil activity. He is sovereign over every situation and circumstance. He knows every event before it ever occurs. And He often allows and permits evil, but He always uses it for “good to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28).
It is essential that believers understand this doctrine. Without it, we may believe that Satan is winning the day. Without it, the death of martyrs appears to confirm the victory of evil over good. But with it, we recognize what Joseph proclaimed, “You meant it for evil, but God meant it for good.” While we will not always see the reason, we can be confident that our Sovereign Lord allows nothing in our lives except what is for His ultimate glory and our ultimate good.
Such an understanding is essential if we are to be victorious in spiritual warfare. Much of spiritual warfare is a battle for our minds. This is why Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 10:3-6 that we do not war with carnal weapons, but that our weapons are for “casting down arguments” and “bringing every thought captive to Christ.” Our ability to “stand firm” (Ephesians 6) is, in large measure dependent on our standing firm in the faith no matter what seems to be happening around us, know that God is indeed working all things together for good.
Before we examine this teaching in the Scriptures, it may be helpful to review four general principles:
First, God controls all things for His own glory. Not just the good, but also the evil. Like Job, nothing Satan does can touch us without God’s permission.
Second, God never does evil nor can He ever be blamed for it. James 1:13 reminds us of this truth. In all evil acts, God is never the immediate cause. He never has to force anyone to sin. In fact, His restraining grace prevents all of us from doing all the evil we think about doing. When God removes His restraint on Satan or on sinful men, then, and only then, does evil occur. God never does evil, nor does He need to force anyone to do it.
Third, God judges all evil. Some might object that, if God allows evil, then the person committing it cannot be held responsible for it. Consider Luke 22:20: “The Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom He has been betrayed.” In another passage, we find that Satan “entered into” Judas to continue to move him along toward that betrayal. Yet Judas is held accountable for his sin. While it was determined beforehand, God does not need to force Judas to sin; He allows him to exercise his unrestrained will.
Finally, we cannot use God’s sovereignty as an excuse for evil in our own lives. In Romans 3:5-8 and Romans 6:1-2, Paul anticipates such an argument and strongly answers, “God forbid! How shall we who have died to sin live any longer in it?” We may sin and God will use it for good, but we will experience His hand of discipline in our lives.
But how does God use Satan (and evil) in His sovereign plan?
First, He uses Satan and evil to accomplish His purposes. The example of Joseph in Genesis 50:20 demonstrates this. The evil act of Joseph’s brothers resulted in God using Joseph to preserve Israel during a famine. They clearly meant it for evil; but God meant it for good—to accomplish His purpose and plan for Israel. How many times might God be using the evil motives and actions of others to put us in a place when we can be used as instruments for accomplishing His purposes?
Second, God uses Satan and evil to demonstrate His glory. In Romans 9:17, this is why God raised up Pharaoh—that His glory might be known (also see Exodus 14:2-4, 15-18). In John 11, Jesus allows Lazarus to die so that his disciples might see “the glory of God” (vs. 4). God often allows the apparent triumph of evil that His glory might be displayed.
Third, God also uses Satan to strengthen our faith. In Luke 22, Jesus tells Peter, “I have prayed for you that your faith fail not.” In 1 Peter 1:6-9, Peter reminds suffering believers that the “trial” of their faith will result in it being made more precious than gold refined in the fire. In 2 Corinthians 12, Paul speaks about God sending “a messenger from Satan” to buffet him. But he does not see this as a defeat, but rather one way that God will keep him humble and remind him that God’s grace was sufficient for all things. In 2 Corinthians 1:8-10, Paul notes that he had the sentence of death on him that he should not trust in himself “but in God who raises the dead.” In all these situations, God allows Satan to afflict His own that their faith in Him might be strengthened.
Fourth, God uses Satan to discipline believers. 1 Corinthians 5:1-5 is a good example of this. Here Paul tells the church he has “handed this one over to Satan” in the act of church discipline. We see a similar situation in 1 Timothy 1:19-20. Paul “delivered [them] unto Satan that they might learn not to blaspheme.” One part of God’s discipline on believers is to remove His hand of protection and allow Satan to have his way with them. This is also frequently seen in the OT when God hands Israel over to pagan nations as an act of His discipline.
Fifth, God uses Satan and evil that the gospel might be spread. In Acts 8, we learn that the persecution of the church “forced” the believers to flee Jerusalem. And the disciples went everywhere spreading the gospel. God allowed Satan to even put believers to death, but the result was the spread of the gospel. In Philippians 1:12, the apostle Paul reminds believers that even his being in prison has resulted in the further spread of the gospel. Such has been the case throughout the history of the church—the blood of the martyrs has been the “seedbed” of the church. What may appear as a victory for Satan in the execution of a dynamic Christian missionary is really God working all things together for good.
This teaching is essential. We must understand the power of our evil foe. But we must never forget that he cannot harm us or upset any plan without the permission of a sovereign God who uses all things, even Satan and evil, for His own purposes and for His own glory.
Copyright Jim Ehrhard, 1999. You are permitted to reproduce and distribute this material in any format provided that: (1) you credit the author; (2) any modifications are clearly marked; (3) you do not charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction; and (4) you do not make more than 100 copies without permission. If you would like to post this material to your web site or make any use other than as defined above, please contact Teaching Resources International
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