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Ambassador Baptist Church
1926 Babcock Blvd
Pittsburgh, PA 15209
(412)477-3210
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   You Are Here: Bridge / Galley / Pastor's Pen / Pathways Through Paul
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Pathways Through Paul Daily Devotional
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Pathways Through Paul
Daily Devotional

October 17
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Today's Pathway:


 II Corinthians 2:11
  1. Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.

His Majesty's Service

 Yesterday in verse 10 we saw Paul saying that he had forgiven the man who had repented of the terrible sins he had committed in Corinth. He also said that part of the reason that he had done this was for the benefit of the church. In verse 11 he writes that forgiveness was necessary so that Satan would not get an advantage over them. This expression means to take advantage of people in the sense of defrauding them of something which belongs to them. There are a couple different ways that this could be applied. It could mean that if they did not forgive the man that they could ultimately be robbed of his presence, because he would leave the unforgiving church. Colin Kruse wrote,

"It seems that what Paul has in mind in this verse is the possibility that Satan might take advantage of the situation and defraud the congregation of one of its members permanently. So Paul urges the Corinthians to reaffirm their love for the offender to forestall such a possibility."
The second way that the church could be defrauded would be in simply losing the unity that they were supposed to have. Murray Harris commented,
"This was to avoid being outwitted by the master strategist, Satan, who was bent on creating discord within the church at Corinth, either between the church at large and a dissident minority or between the repentant wrongdoer and his fellow Christians. To withhold forgiveness when the man was repentant was to play into the hands of Satan, who already had gained one advantage when the man sinned. Christian discipline certainly includes punishment administered in love, but it is not simply retributive or punitive; it is also remedial or reformatory. It aims at reinstatement after repentance, through forgiveness and reconciliation".
Whichever idea Paul had in mind, the principle remains the same: to fail to forgive a repentant brother is to give Satan the opportunity to rob us of the blessings that God wants us to have.

 Paul states at the end of verse 11 that the church should not be ignorant about Satan's tactics to destroy the work of God. Unfortunately, it seems that there are many Christians who are indeed ignorant of this. Satan's goal has always been to dethrone Jehovah and set himself up as the "god" of the universe. This began at his rebellion when he stated,

"I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High" (Isaiah 14:13-14),
and has never changed. His methodology comes down to two main points: he wants to keep unbelievers from being saved, and he wants to keep believers from being productive servants of the Lord. In II Corinthians 4:3-4 Paul wrote concerning the unsaved,
"But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not".
Peter wrote to believers, warning them,
"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour" (I Peter 5:8).
Satan wants to devour believers, but this does not necessarily mean that he wants to kill them. It may simply mean that he wants to destroy their testimony, reduce their faithfulness and service, and stifle their spiritual productivity. Any time we let these things happen we are unwittingly aiding the devil in his quest to overthrow God. We know from the Scriptures that God will not be defeated and Satan is doomed to the Lake of Fire, but we certainly don't want to be assisting Satan in his rebellion while we await Jehovah's ultimate victory.

 Is Satan getting an advantage over you today? Don't be ignorant of his tactics; examine your life and see whether you are really furthering the cause of Christ, or instead are allowing the Devil to win victories in your life, and subsequently win them in the lives of others.

Pastor Mark J Montgomery

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1926 Babcock Blvd
Pittsburgh, PA 15209
(412)477-3210
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