Whose side am I on?

When Adam choose to do what Satan said rather than obey God, Satan was given enough space to become “the ruler of this world.” Charnock suggests what greater atheism can there be than to participate with or cooperated with the devil in his lies and schemes?

My first response to that is denial. Of course I don’t want to do that. How awful. Yet I must stop and think about the way he works. Satan is a liar and a deceiver. He makes suggestions to our hearts, particularly during times of stress or trial. If, at these times, Satan suggests to me that God does not really love me, and I believe his suggestions and act accordingly, I have shifted sides. God says He loves me with an unfailing love. If my heart is taken up with whining that He does not, I am not only doubting Him, even slighting Him, but making His Word inferior to the enemy’s words. This is “practical atheism.”

Satan is also called the “accuser of the brethren.“ If I go along in the same spirit toward my Christian brothers and sisters, I have switched sides. God does not accuse but blesses His people. To do otherwise is to oppose God and cooperate with the evil one.

This is a serious thing. I can easily be negative and criticize others, but God does not do that. Anytime He, through the Word and the Holy Spirit, points out sin, it is directly to the person and has the purpose of restoring and building up their faith. Satan accuses to tear down and destroy our faith, and our relationship with God and one another. If I have no other motive for being critical but to point out errors, I am siding up with the accuser.

For sure, there is a need to be discerning, to recognize sin in others so I might pray for them. God might even ask me to confront them about it, as long as I have a humble desire to help them overcome their sin. But this is not the same as an arrogant, “you are wrong” attitude, a picky critical spirit. We know the difference between fault-repairing and fault-finding. The first is a God-thing. The second is switching sides and becoming an enemy of God.