Chapter 6 What Are Angels, Satan, and Demons?
In this chapter, Grudem outlines another realm of God’s Creation: the spirit realm. There are two categories of spirit-beings: Unfallen Angels and Fallen Angels (Demons). And of particular interest is one particular Fallen Angel, who is the leader: Satan.
Attached below is a pdf of my outline and discussion piece of this Grudem chapter:
christian-beliefs-grudem-ch-1-6-god
Note there is a subtle wording error in the above Outline pdf. Each of the seven participles connect to an implied plural “you,” namely the Roman church to whom the Epistle is addressed, and of course to us as well.
As stated in the Outline, participles play an important action role in any passage. What is remarkable about Romans 12 is that there are 31 participles in vs. 1-20. These verbals, in addition to the numerous traditional verbs conveys an intense activity in contrast to all the primary doctrine in Romans chapters 1-11. Our Christian walk is to be a highly active life, in both interior and exterior aspects.
One of the enduring questions, and contentions, centers around The Fall recorded in Gen. 3. Of course, some defy God and Scripture and view the entire story as even worse than fiction because it portrays mankind, and especially women, as flawed before a holy, righteous, judgmental, ‘god.’
Others deny God and Scripture by treating the story as a pure illusion conveying perhaps some teaching value, as a parable might, but does not reflect a “fallen” condition for man before God, or if “fallen” only faintly so. This perspective then either negates any need for restoration (because it is only an allegory) or it lays out for mankind a moral imperative to straighten up, self-improve, and by works of faith and charity and perhaps a long list of other accomplishments earn reentry to the “garden’ of paradise upon death.
The humbly accept standing requires the conclusion that Adam and Eve, and all of their offspring, including you and me, and our offspring, have been expelled from the Garden to endure difficulty and sorrow in this present life and to die. Here we are left with the necessary realization that no one, not one, has lived their life such that they were able to undo the curse of death. No one makes it back to the Garden either here or in the life to come by self-effort. The Old and New Testament Gospel given the heart of that journey back, the atonement, propitiation, and redemption of God’s Elect by the finished work of Jesus Christ, the unique God-Man Lamb of God. (This great subject is not our focus here). Let us consider what the Fall caused, and redemption requires, in terms of fundamental worldview.
In the above outline notes, I introduced a central question codified by the late Abraham Kuyper, a noted theologian, minister of the Gospel, writer, and even government leader (of the Netherlands): “is this world normal?” A secularist who necessarily explains all of life as the result of natural processes such as “evolution” has to say (basically) yes. (They may quickly add that “we can do better” (a common political campaign phrase) and should).
Kuyper said emphatically no! Kuyper was right. Dr. Robert Godfrey spoke on Kuyper at a 2016 Ligonier Conference explaining why Kuyper is right and most of our world, including apparently almost everyone in political office, are wrong. (It appears to be impossible in this day to win any election by saying: “we live in a fallen world for which no government leader or program is going to make any difference; if you vote for me I’ll seek to administer justice and any available ‘band aids’ while you each seek true healing and restoration by the God of the Bible in the assembly of the gifts and callings that has God has made available though His church.”)
In the outline notes we then consider an unusual structure of seven phrases comprised of dative nouns linked to participles in Romans 12:11-13. These phrases as in many other passages of the Bible make evident that we live here in adverse circumstances, essentially in enemy territory, where in such ‘territory’ is not land or office, but a fallen worldview. This is made clear in the two imperative verbs (Romans 12:1-2) that are linked to these particular participles: do not be conformed to this present world but be transformed.
To understand what “conformed” and “transformed” mean, one need go further back in Romans to Chapter 8, in particular vs. 5-7, and read the fundamental distinction between living according to the flesh versus living according to the Spirit.
Here’s how I connect ‘these dots:’ Gen. 3, Rom 12:11-13, Rom 12:1-2, and Rom 8:5-7. The knowledge forbidden in that tree in the middle of the Garden was the world view of Satan and his demon followers. Ingesting that knowledge of evil disguised as “good” caused a humanly irreversible destruction made evident in separation from God (by expulsion) into a life of suffering (thorns, sweat of the brow, pain in childbirth), ending by death itself. But there then occurred another kind of ‘death’ less evident: the death of knowing God, including the death of realizing that in oneself one has died with respect to death of knowing, so that we do not realize (within ourselves) that we do not know. Knowing of one’s ignorance opens a ray of hope because there’s a grasp of something “wrong.” But not knowing, or even more forcefully, being convinced that one knows and can know further all there is that is needed to be known about the foundation of life is a doomed state.
What the Serpent (Satan) accomplished in the seduction in the Garden is to permanently damage (poisoned) a God worldview. Only the pure Grace of God can change that condition and He does so by Election to create a new nature within while the old nature (the flesh) continues with us in utter interior conflict until death and the final restoration of our new nature (the Spirit) with God.
Referenced in my above outline are two additional documents relating to Abraham Kuyper:
1 M Kaemingk on Abraham Kuyper:
m-kaemingk-on-kuyper
2 CF LeBerge summarizing Dr. Robert Godfrey’s Ligonier Conference remarks on Kuyper:
cf-leberge-on-godfrey-on-kuyper