MANKIND PERVERTED AS CHILDREN OF SATAN (DEVIL) – HOW?

The consequences of this rebellion against God affected not only Adam and Eve, but also all their descendents. Adam “begot a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth” (Gen 5.3). Now God’s image in man was perverted, and that perverted image was multiplied through procreation. We all became “children of wrath” (Eph 2:3), “sons of disobedience” in whom satan, now “the prince of the power of the air”, worked (Eph 2:2)

Even religious people are not exempt from this. Jesus said to the religious Jews of His day: “You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do.” (John 8:44).

John said: “In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practise righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother.” (1 Jn 3:10)

So not all men are children of God as some would say. We have to be adopted into God’s family as sons. (Gal 4:5). This happens through repentance and faith in God. We are sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. (Gal 3:26). Those without faith in Christ Jesus therefore are not sons of God.

Fallen mankind are under the curse. (Ex 20:5; Deut. 28:15ff). The wrath (anger) of God abides on them. (Jn 3:36; Rom. 1:18). They are on their way to hell (Ps. 9:17; 2 Thes. 1:8,9). They are slaves of sin (Rom. 6:20), children of wrath (Eph 2:3), strangers from the covenant of promise, having no hope and without God in the world (Eph 2:12). Who then can be saved? With man it is impossible, but with God, all things are possible (Matthew 19:25-26).

It took Jesus Christ Himself to save man out of this mess. Adam had received dominion from God in the garden but when he obeyed satan he gave this authority to rule over the affairs of earth in large measure to satan. Satan became his god. (2 Cor. 4:4). This is why the world is in such a mess today – because people are still believing the devil’s lies instead of God’s word. Instead of receiving the promised enlightenment, Adam and Eve became spiritually blind and cut off from God. Sin separates from God, the wages of sin is death. (Is. 59:1,2; Rom 3:23) Sin is not just an act. It is an attitude of the heart – the attitude of rebellion.