From that time forth began Jesus to show unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day. Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee. But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offense unto me: for you desire not the things that be of God, but those that be of men. Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. (Matt. 16:21-25)
What is the gospel of Satan? The answer is found in this passage. It is the message of the true gospel minus the Cross. Nothing could be MORE false. In other words, the gospel of Satan is that which offers us everything that God does offer us in Christ — except on the basis of, and through the vehicle of the OLD man — rather than upon the Person of Jesus Christ. The disciples wanted the kingdom of God. That desire was a good thing — God Himself intended to bring His kingdom. But they knew only of a natural kingdom — they were ignorant of the need for a new creation. When Jesus began to speak to them of the necessity of the Cross they had no frame of reference — they knew ONLY of the kingdom based on natural man, with a natural realm. So Peter said, “Far be it from You, Lord, that You would be crucified!” Jesus said that Peter was being used of Satan — yes, in his ignorance — but Satan jumped right upon Peter’s desire to have his kind of kingdom. Satan will always gain access to us on the basis of our desire to save our lives — i.e., possess our lives — for ourselves. Self-ownership and the interests of natural man are THE territory of Satan. But if you read these words of Jesus you will see the Truth — that God has completely set aside the old man in Adam through the Cross. God is not going to fix our natural man, or turn it into a Christian. Rather, God has given us His Son to dwell in us, and it is upon Christ in us that God works — indeed, it is IN CHRIST that God has given us all things. Do we want life, Truth, sanctification, etc. God will not give us these as THINGS — He does not hand them to natural man. No. God has given us Christ IN WHOM are all things. Jesus is MADE TO BE unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. (I Cor. 1:30) ALL the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are HID in Him. (Col 2:3) It is only as we come into an inward realization of Jesus Christ that we can experience what God has given us IN HIM. But according to Jesus, we must LOSE ourselves to Him completely by faith — tell God to do whatever it takes to bring us into the fullness of Christ. We must “bear about in our body the dying of the Lord Jesus so that the life also of the Lord Jesus might be made manifest….” (II Cor. 4) Satan, through Peter, was demanding that the old nature need not die under the work of the Cross — he was demanding that we can have all that God desires WITHIN THE OLD creation. This is the gospel of Satan — Christianity without the Cross. Today millions are deceived under this false gospel. Most rightly and gladly speak of the death of Jesus on His Cross. But it is at this point that Satan brings in his lies — and offers believers a Christianity without the necessity of the personal Cross. Read the words of Jesus in Matthew 16 — “Whoever wants to follow Me must pick up their cross……if you seek to save your life (by neglecting, side-stepping, or refusing the Cross), you will lose it.” Of course — because in that case your life is based on the old creation. “But whoever loses his life (under the work of the personal Cross) will find it,” i.e., we will find and experience Christ as our life. This passage is fundamental to Christianity. It brings us to the fork in the road — one fork is the gospel of Satan. The other is the gospel of Jesus Christ. That which determines the path is the Cross — it is from that point that resurrection in Christ, and all else begins in our experience.
David DePra