Binding Satan
Devotions for Growing Christians
Binding Satan
Ephesians 6:10-18 - Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm, then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith. Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions.
James 4:7 - Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
1 Peter 5:8 - Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.
John 4:4 - You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.
Revelation 20:1-2 - I saw an angel coming down out of heaven...he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years.
There's an increasing emphasis in our secular culture on the "spirit world." Movies, books and TV programs feature angels and demons and "spirit beings." If there’s anything good thing in all of this, it’s that our culture has moved from pure secular humanism, where nothing beyond the natural world is acknowledged or allowed, to a position where the supernatural world is at least acknowledged.
The bad news, of course, is that most of the "spiritual" information fed to our impressionable culture through movies, TV, self-help books or "musical" groups is either distorted or completely false. As a result, most people in our post-Christian society are either misled or desensitized to the truth.
Christ, Christianity, Satan, angels and demons are all misrepresented. The Lord Jesus Christ and Christians are demeaned, distorted and put down. The mission and character of the holy angels are trivialized. The dangerous deceptions and destructive intent of Satan and demons are either turned into cartoons and comedy routines, or actually promoted by musicians or in horror movies. Occultism, the "worship" of spirit beings - even open Satanism - are tolerated and accepted as a part of our culture.
The "Good" News
As always happens with any of our secular culture's phenomena, some of the fall-out has seeped into the Christian community. The result is an unbalanced, unbiblical, and unhealthy emphasis on the activity of angels and demons, and on supernatural experiences and "happenings." This emphasis is not entirely bad, because for too long the anti-supernatural bias of liberal theology effectually put the church to sleep on the subject of angels, demons and other spiritual realities.
Now, at least, the Christian community is more willing to admit what Scripture has always said: there is a real live Satan and there really are angels - both good and bad. Most Christians now readily acknowledge that demons may cause physical and spiritual problems, and that Christians may be called upon to deliver a person from demonic influence or possession by the power of God, as in New Testament days. A proper understanding of the reality and importance of the supernatural, and of warfare in the spiritual realm, is critical for the believer.
The Bad News
However, in some churches and Christian groups the pendulum has swung too far. The supernatural activity of angels (both holy and evil) receives a degree of attention that’s way out of proportion to its place in God's Word. Emphasis on the saving work of Jesus Christ and the preaching of the gospel is diminished. Expository teaching of the Bible is abandoned in favor of topical sermons on angels, demons, and miraculous happenings. The recounting of subjective present-day "experiences" is preferred to strengthening doctrinal instruction from God's Word.
A lack of sound teaching can result in serious doctrinal distortions. For example, books and songs about "the battle between Satan and Jesus" may have the unintentional result of subtly "equalizing" Satan and Jesus in the minds of believers. In effect, Jesus is lowered to the level of a created being, while Satan is elevated to the level of the Son of God!
A few years ago this subtle distortion was illustrated by a “Christian” T-shirt, on which Jesus and Satan were depicted in side-by-side, in equal-sized pictures. The caption "He loves me" was under Jesus, and the caption "He loves me not" was under Satan. God incarnate is lowered; Satan is elevated! Another shocking example was a formerly popular children's song: "Here I have a little red box with Satan in, and I pick him up and smash his face and put him back again. Here I have a little white box with Jesus in, and I pick it up and kiss him and pass it to my friends."
An unhealthy emphasis on demons and angels spills over into teachings for Christian living. The idea, for example, that normal everyday Christian conduct involves identifying and exorcising "territorial spirits" or "binding Satan" on a regular basis is not found in Scripture. While it is true that many activities of churches today are not found in the Scripture, we must be careful where we apply that argument. Activities such as Sunday Schools and VBS or Christian camps, orphanages and hospitals are not found in Scripture, but there is ample teaching in God's Word to justify the existence of these arms of the church. When a specific institution or activity of the church or Christians is not commanded or inferred in God's Word, however, we must be cautious about engaging in it.
We always find ourselves on safe ground when we emulate the life of our Lord Jesus and follow the stated teachings of God's Word.
The Timetable for Binding
As an example of the proper way that Scripture should inform our activity and our doctrine, let's use the teaching of "binding Satan" as a norm for Christian living. In Revelation 20:1-10 we read that Satan will be bound for 1000 years, later released for a short time, and finally thrown into the lake of fire (hell) for eternal punishment. In other words, it seems quite clear that until Satan is bound for the thousand years, he is not bound. And he will not be bound until Scripture says he will be bound. The 1000 years of Revelation 20, when the Lord returns to earth to set up His millennial kingdom, is a future event.
Even though the intent may be for the glory of God, "binding Satan" today is really unscriptural terminology and practice. Certainly, however, Christians can ask God to restrain the activity of Satan today.
The Norm for Today
What does the New Testament indicate about normal Christian attitude in reference to Satan? James 4:7 says that we are to "resist the devil and he will flee" from us. How do we resist the devil? The classic passage in the New Testament for resisting the devil is Ephesians 6:10-18. This is the Christian "Standard Operating Procedure" for spiritual warfare today. We are told to resist Satan. We are to oppose and combat his efforts and schemes. We are to put on the full armor of God so that we can stand firm and extinguish Satan's flaming missiles.
There is nothing in either James 4 or Ephesians 6 about binding Satan. In fact, if it were possible for us to "bind" Satan today, we would not need instruction about the various pieces of the armor of God. If Satan could be bound, he would not be capable of attacking us and throwing flaming missiles.
The concept of binding Satan can actually be quite a dangerous belief. If we believe that we can bind Satan, we will (wrongly) think that he has been incapacitated, and we will be completely unprepared for the enemy's attacks. If we believe that our prayers can bind Satan, we will be far less diligent about "putting on God's armor," and will be defenseless and vulnerable. Satan is not bound at the present time.
Our strategy, then, is to be fully armed to repel his attacks. Putting on the armor of God and fighting is the kind of resistance that thwarts the enemy's scheming tactics, and forces Satan to flee.
The Armor of God
Specifically, notice the emphasis in Ephesians 6:16 on the use the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. God’s Word is the only weapon mentioned, and the emphasis is on knowing and using the appropriate Scriptures when we’re under attack.
Consider how our Lord Himself resisted Satan when He was tempted in the wilderness. (See Matthew 4 and Luke 4.) Jesus did not bind Satan. In all three instances of Satan's temptations, our Lord quoted Scripture, and the devil was repelled ("he left Him for a season.") We should follow our Lord's example when we are attacked or tempted.
But remember - if we are going to quote Scripture, we must know Scripture! Our Lord quoted three times from the book of Deuteronomy. How many of us can quote three verses from the book of Deuteronomy? Knowledge of the Word of God is important for repelling Satan, and is crucial for Christian growth and living as well. As He was growing up, the Lord Jesus must have spent a lot of time memorizing the Word of God (see Luke 2:52). What an example for us to follow!
Furthermore, notice that prayer (v18) is emphasized as part of the full armor of God. We should ask the Lord to hinder the work and overturn the efforts of the enemy, or to ask the Lord to put a "hedge of protection" (Job 1:10) around a missionary or an evangelist - or any Christian who is on the front lines in spiritual warfare. It seems that prayer is not focused on binding Satan, but on requesting strength for resisting the devil and growing in faith. "The devil trembles when he sees the weakest Christian on his knees" is not a Scripture verse, but it does contain a Scriptural principle.
So the biblical key to victory in spiritual warfare is not found in binding Satan but rather on putting on "the full armor of God." We are to be alert (v18) to the enemy's schemes, we are to be fully armed, we are to know how to wield the sword of the Spirit, and we are to pray! Our confidence should be on the Word of God and the power of God within us to overcome his tactics. (See verses 10 and 15, as well as 1 John 4:4).
Our focus should be on truth and righteousness (v14). Our time should be spent in the Word and in prayer (v18). Our service should be characterized by sharing the Gospel and building up believers (v15). This is how we put on the full armor of God. This will enable us to stand firm and resist Satan in spiritual warfare. As we "put on the full armor of God" his attacks will be ineffective, and he will flee from us.
- Dave Reid