As the story goes, Samuel Chadwick, a 19th century English pastor, was walking in his village one day, trying to find inspiration for a sermon illustration he needed the following Sunday. His aim was to help his congregation understand the nature and activity of the devil (hardly a simple task). As he was strolling about, he came across a yard where two men were working: one was a big brutish giant of a man, the other was a small, fastidious gentleman, finely dressed. He noticed that the first individual was energetically and repeatedly beating a piece of metal with his anvil with great force. This man was evidently a blacksmith. However, Chadwick was puzzled about the other man. Going up to him, he inquired what he was doing, standing beside this huge blacksmith. “Oh no, you don’t understand,” replied the gentleman. “I’m the blacksmith. This ignorant brute has no idea what he’s doing. He thinks he’s destroying the metal, banging away at it furiously. I simply point out to him where to strike and he goes at it.” With a smile, and hurrying home, Chadwick now had the illustration he needed.
As believers, we sometimes struggle to understand the role and function of the devil, particularly with the knowledge that our God is perfectly good and perfectly omnipotent. When we look at the staggering amount of suffering in this world, we may be tempted to think that God has somehow lost control over his creation. What is more, for those of us who are former Seventh-day Adventists, we may need to time to “deconstruct” some of the unhelpful––even dangerous––theology about the relationship between God and Satan that we have imbibed. (Many former Adventists, now born-again believers, find that this is a difficult process that may take many years and involves the undoing of an entire unbiblical worldview.)
Now that we are Christians, however, we need to remember that Satan, although real and powerful, is ultimately “God’s devil” (to borrow a line from Martin Luther). Whatever else we say about him and his activities in the world, we must guard against diminishing what the Bible states about our God: He is good and He is sovereign and in complete control of His creation, even the devil. What humans or Satan may mean for evil, God in his wise sovereignty always means for good (Gen 50:20). In the end, all of the devil’s machinations will prove to have only been the “anvil” that is part of God’s overall plan, fashioned for his own glory and the good of those who love him. As R. S. Sproul has put it, there is not a single “maverick molecule” in the universe beyond God’s superintending sovereignty––we can trust him!
Understanding the Adventist “Great Controversy” worldview
One of the central concepts of Seventh-day Adventist theology is the “Great Controversy” theme; in fact, it pervades much of the Adventist worldview. The Adventist understanding of theodicy (an account of God’s sovereignty in relation to Satan and evil) is no exception here. The eighth fundamental belief in the Adventist doctrinal statement reads as follows:
“All humanity is now involved in a great controversy between Christ and Satan regarding the character of God, His law, and His sovereignty over the universe. This conflict originated in heaven when a created being, endowed with freedom of choice, in self-exaltation became Satan, God’s adversary, and led into rebellion a portion of the angels. He introduced the spirit of rebellion into this world when he led Adam and Eve into sin. This human sin resulted in the distortion of the image of God in humanity, the disordering of the created world, and its eventual devastation at the time of the global flood, as presented in the historical account of Genesis 1–11. Observed by the whole creation, this world became the arena of the universal conflict, out of which the God of love will ultimately be vindicated. To assist His people in this controversy, Christ sends the Holy Spirit and the loyal angels to guide, protect, and sustain them in the way of salvation.”
It is true that Scripture indeed portrays the devil as having slandered both God and especially his people. The name haŚāṭān in Hebrew means “the adversary, accuser”, and Revelation 12:10 calls him the “accuser of our brethren.” He is also called the “father of lies” in John 8:44, and his lies about God to Eve in the garden are undeniable. Nevertheless, the Adventist portrayal of the relationship between Satan and God is deeply problematic on numerous levels.
Firstly, the very use of the term “controversy” is troubling, if for no other reason than the biblical fact that there is no actual controversy between Christ and Satan. So what if Satan makes accusations against God? To borrow a phrase from the apostle Paul, “Let God be true and every one [including Satan] a liar!” Although the whole world lies in the power of the evil one (1 John 5:19), that does not change truth itself. God is righteous, holy, and just––even if Satan and the whole world rail against him. There cannot be any controversy between light and darkness, either on earth or in the heavenly places. God is not in the business of vindicating his character (as if his character needed vindication!), he is in the business of using creation itself, yes––even fallen creatures and the devil himself––to glorify himself and rescue a people from the domain of darkness.
Secondly, the Adventist doctrinal statement uses the description “God’s adversary” when in fact Scripture primarily portrays him as being the adversary and accuser of humanity. Satan is an adversary of God like a gnat is an adversary to a lion! In point of fact, the context of this doctrinal statement, and indeed the historical teaching of the Seventh-day Adventist church, has tended to subtly undermine the sovereignty of God and unjustifiably exalt the position and status of Satan. It does this by pitting God’s sovereignty against his love, especially expressed in granting free will to his creatures, as if these were in conflict. With regard to Satan, Adventism tends to attribute power and activities to him, as if these could exist outside of God’s sovereignty. (Relatedly, the ultimate simultaneous exaltation of Satan and denigration of Christ’s person and majestic office is to be found in the heretical sanctuary doctrine, in which the devil, as scapegoat, is made out to be the true savior and solution to man’s sin!)
Thirdly, the mention of “law” among the allegations of Satan in the doctrinal statement stands behind a long tradition in Seventh-day Adventism of misrepresentation of the role of law, especially as it relates to the gospel. According to the Great Controversy worldview, God’s answer to Satan’s challenge regarding the law was the incarnation of Christ. Jesus proved, once and for all, that the law could be kept (and that Satan’s charge God’s unfairness was therefore unfounded):
“By His life and His death, Christ proved that God’s justice did not destroy His mercy, but that sin could be forgiven, and that the law is righteous, and can be perfectly obeyed. Satan’s charges were refuted. God had given man unmistakable evidence of His love” (The Desire of Ages [762.4]).
The historic Adventist conception of law within the Great Controversy distorts a biblical view of the role of God’s law, his purpose and plan for humanity, and ultimately warps the gospel itself. God’s law does not function primarily as the fulcrum point in a “controversy” over the character of God; rather it exposes man’s sinfulness in order that God’s greatness as a gracious Savior might be magnified.
The rise of a “cosmic conflict” model in evangelicalism
Returning to the topic of God’s theodicy and the role of Satan in the world, one troubling recent trend among evangelicals is the rise in popularity of a theological framework that has been termed the “cosmic conflict” model (the work of one scholar in this area, Alvin Plantinga, may be mentioned). Theodicy, again, is an account of God’s sovereignty in relation to evil. Upon examination, the cosmic conflict model offers a way of understanding God’s relationship to the evil in this world that looks strikingly similar in many respects to the Great Controversy worldview outlined above. In fact, it’s instructive to highlight the work of one scholar in this area, John C. Peckham, who has interacted significantly with other evangelicals who are sympathetic to this model. Peckham is a professor of theology at Andrews University and has written a number of books on the subject of the doctrine of God, one of which deals specifically with theodicy (Theodicy of Love: Cosmic Conflict and the Problem of Evil). Peckham’s work has received praise from numerous scholars representing evangelical institutions, such as Kevin Vanhoozer (of Trinity Evangelical Divinity School), Paul Copan (Palm Beach Atlantic University), Jerry Walls (Houston Baptist University), etc.
In the book, Peckham lays out a model for explaining evil and Satan’s activity in the world that incorporates many elements of the cosmic conflict model. In this view, the primary “force” that God is moved by is His love. This love places limits on what He can and cannot do. In the first place, it necessitates genuine creaturely free will, which was the basis for Satan’s fall. Furthermore, however, it governs his actions in a fallen world in very specific ways. God cannot simply impose His will on creatures in light of Satan’s accusations, since that would only affirm their truth (namely, that God was a vindictive judge). Since He has granted to Satan and fallen humanity a measure of sovereignty over this world, He must abide by certain “rules of engagement” (a concept that Peckham explores in his book) in order to maintain his righteousness and status as a God of love. Notice, for example, how the author’s language is strikingly similar to the Adventist doctrinal statement in describing the cosmic conflict model (Theodicy of Love, p. 88):
“What, then, is the nature of the conflict? Scripture depicts the conflict as a dispute over God’s moral character and government. Cosmic allegations have been raised before the heavenly council, claiming that God is not wholly good, loving, or just. This is, then, a largely epistemic conflict, which (insofar as God maintains his commitment to the epistemic freedom necessary for love) cannot be won by the mere exercise of power but is met by an extended demonstration of character in a cosmic courtroom drama.”
Peckham argues that several clues in Scripture reveal to us aspects of these rules of engagement. Jesus’ seeming inability to perform many miracles in Mark 6:5 is seen as an example of God being limited by the rules of engagement he has agreed to. However, prayer on the part of creatures may “activate” his sovereignty and allow him to act more directly in the world. Peckham writes: “[P]rayer may grant God jurisdiction to act in ways that otherwise would not be available within the rules of engagement” (p. 108). Ultimately, “God always does what is best, given the avenues available to him” (p. 109).
Regarding the problem of natural evil in the world, Peckham argues that the various calamities we witness daily may not in fact be within the scope of God’s sovereignty. He quotes the work of other scholars in this regard, for example Greg Boyd: “Nature exhibits diabolical features that are…the direct or indirect result of the influence of diabolical forces” (p. 116). While briefly mentioning the concept of a fall, Peckham seems to wish to shift “blame” away from the curse on creation initiated by God. But if God’s sovereignty is thereby diminished or curtailed by “rules of engagement,” it follows that such power must be attributed to Satan and his minions, who apparently operate independently of God’s ultimate sovereignty in the universe.
Pastoral conclusions
There are many issues with a cosmic conflict model, some of which overlap with the problems described above regarding the Great Controversy worldview. But even apart from this, the perceived pastoral benefits of this model are a phantom. By surrendering the sovereignty of a loving God, we throw ourselves into a chaos that is inescapable. Instead of trusting in the God of Scripture, who has wisdom far beyond our grasp and is governing the universe such that one day evil will be eradicated and punished, we attempt to “explain” God’s activities and propose models that do more theological harm than good.
The temptation to limit or explain God’s sovereignty in unhelpful ways is not limited to Seventh-day Adventism, as we have seen. Indeed, the natural fallen human inclination is to doubt or challenge God’s sovereignty, especially in light of the horrific suffering we see in the world. However, as born-again Christians, we need to trust Scripture and rely on the God that it describes––he is a God who can be trusted completely and is to be worshipped as God. Nothing that Satan does to believers could possibly be outside of the sovereignty of the One who redeemed them. When challenges come into our lives, we need to remember, and feel the weight of the argument that the apostle Paul gives in Romans 8:32: “He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” †
- Coming To Grips With the Deceptive Nature of Adventism - March 14, 2024
- Truth Led Him Out. Truth Led Him Home. - January 11, 2024
- Response to Adventism’s Non-Combatancy - November 2, 2023