In praying for the preservation of Peter’s faith, Jesus practiced what he preached (Luke 22:31–32). In either case, the awareness of evil is on view. 6:13): “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Jesus taught the awareness of evil in the Lord’s Prayer (Matt. Our espoused theology may say one thing but our operational theology (our godly practices or lack of them) may say another.

What we really believe shows in our prayer life. That is to say, the law of praying is the law of believing. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.” 5 The old adage is lex orandi lex credendi. Peter is a case in point (Luke 22:31–32): “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. Individuals also learn from Jesus that they are the objects of Satanic mischief. He compared the situation to that of a house that had been left empty only to be further occupied by worse inhabitants (Matt. But the departed spirit was replaced by seven others even more wicked than itself. He spoke of a man out of whom a spirit came. He warned that their fate could become far worse than at present. 3On one occasion Jesus described a group of the Pharisees and teachers of the law as “a wicked and adulterous generation” (Matt. Although Jesus refers to Beelzebul and his minions in Matthew 10:25, he also instructs his disciples in verse 26 not to fear them. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” 2 Wright, Jesus had Satan in mind when he warned the twelve in Matthew 10:28, “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But Jesus could teach more straightforwardly than by parable.

In the parable of the sheep and the goats we find that the eternal fire ( to pur to aiōnio) is for the devil and his angels (Matt. This book explores the doctrine of angels and demons, answering key questions about their nature and the implications for Christians’ beliefs and behavior. Again, in the parable of the weeds in Matthew 13:24–30, Jesus speaks of an enemy who sows weeds among the wheat, and in his explanation in verses 36–43 Jesus identifies the enemy as “the evil one,” “the devil” (especially Matt. For example, in the famous parable of the farmer and the seed, it is Satan who snatches away the kingdom seed before it can take root in a hearer’s life (Mark 4:15). In teaching about the kingdom he taught an awareness of evil. 1 Indeed he endorsed “teacher” as a self-designation in John 13:13 during the Upper Room discourse: “You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am.” From the outset of Jesus’s public ministry (Mark 1:14–15), the theme of his teaching was the kingdom of God. One of the most common ways that Jesus was addressed was “teacher,” and so he was. This article is part of the What Did Jesus Teach? series.

Book of demons and devils