A Matter Of Faith 

I recently asked my Facebook friends “Is the devil real – yes or no?”. 

Overwhelmingly their response was yes.

Okay. Does that mean the devil IS real?

No. Public opinion doesn’t make a thing true or false. 

If YOU asked YOUR Facebook friends the same question, yours might respond in a different way.

Back to my question: “Is the devil real?” What are the possible answers?

1. Yes

2. No

3. Maybe yes, maybe no

What if I asked, “Is God real?”
Same choices.

Truth is truth, regardless of whether you, I, or anyone else believes it.

And truth is truth whether or not you or I know how to prove it.

So, is the devil real?

Let’s go through our choices. Starting with, “Yes, he’s real”, how might that truth affect us? Will it change the way we act? Should it?

“No, he’s not…” I mean, really. If we were to find out the devil isn’t real would that change our worldview?

Maybe you are of the opinion that no one can know until their life is over. But if you wait until that happens, what then?

There are people who claim to have seen the devil. Others claim to have seen God, Jesus, angels, demons, and Elvis Presley (while visiting Branson, Missouri).

I’m not going to make a big deal about what someone claims to have seen. Why? Because none of it matters, where faith is concerned. 

“…for we walk by faith, not by sight.” (2 Corinthians 5:7 ESV)

I believe the devil is real. I also believe he’s a liar, a killer, a thief, and grade A jerk. Why do I believe that?

Because, and only because, I believe the Bible. 

 

It’s simply a matter of faith.

 

I believe the Bible is the Word of God. It is His revelation to mankind regarding His holiness and our sinfulness. It reveals His character and our lack thereof. It also reveals the way His undying love reached out for you and I, through the cross of Christ, and our woeful attempts to reach Him by being good enough.

I believe in God and I believe in the devil. Better still, I believe God and what God said about the devil.

Someday each one of us will find out, in no uncertain terms, exactly what is true or false. But until then, we must choose what we’re going to believe.

That could make all the difference in the world and the hereafter. Because, like I said…

…it’s a matter of faith.

“…if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.” (Romans 10:9-10 ESV)