Passed from Death to Life (Part 2)
The devil in the details
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Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.
John 5: 24 (ESV)
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So here’s something to think about:
If you’ve been reading my emails, you’ll have occasionally seen me refer to the devil or Satan as “the Enemy.”
Why?
It’s partly because I’m a big Lord of the Rings fan and since the heroes of that story sometimes refer to the dark lord of the world as “the Enemy,” it helps me keep temptation and sin as dark & sinister instead of enticing.
But, also … because I don’t like to use these titles of the Enemy that have become substitutes for names.
For example, satan is a word that means “accuser” or “adversary.” And it carries with it the idea of a courtroom prosecutor whose job is to accuse & prove the defendant guilty of crimes.
We see that happen in the book of Job, where “the accuser” slanders Job, and tries to test God by troubling Job.
Anyway.
I say all of that because this verse has a judgment and verdict component to it.
And the good news of the Gospel is that satan, the accuser — the Enemy — can no longer prove his case against us because the full punishment for our sin is covered by Christ (if we place our faith in Him).
Thus, we do not come into judgment and the punishment of death transforms into a reward of eternal life.
The Judge (God) has reached a verdict and found us Not Guilty because of Christ.
Hallelujah!
— Ricky Ketchum
P.S. A bonus thought:
One of my spiritual heroes — Mike Story — prefers to call the Enemy “ol’ Creepy.” There’s a psychological advantage to doing this because mockery of an enemy takes away their perceived power.
It’s important to be careful when doing this because mocking an enemy too much can lead to complacency. Meaning I no longer feel threatened by what they can do, which is dangerous.
Especially dangerous when dealing with a many thousand-years old enemy who hates God & His children with a flaming passion.
I choose to say “Enemy” so that I always know exactly what side I’m on, what side he is on, and respect the danger he represents.
Mockery has its place though.
YMMV (Your mileage may vary).
Copyright © 2025 by Ricky Ketchum. All rights reserved. Unauthorized duplication prohibited.
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