Thread: Quotes about Satan being under God's sovereignty

I need your quotes! (citations included) about the devil only being able to do what God decreed. I think Calvin called the Devil, "God's devil, and I need some of these quotes.

How about Luther in "A Mighty Fortress"?

though this world with devils filled should threaten to undo us, we will not fear though God has willed, his truth to triumph through us; the prince of darkness grim we tremble not for him; His rage we can endure for lo! His doom is sure, one little word shall fell him

Calvin, Book I

17. With regard to the strife and war which Satan is said to wage with
God, it must be understood with this qualification, that Satan cannot
possibly do anything against the will and consent of God. For we read
in the history of Job, that Satan appears in the presence of God to
receive his commands, and dares not proceed to execute any enterprise
until he is authorised. In the same way, when Ahab was to be deceived,
he undertook to be a lying spirit in the mouth of all the prophets; and
on being commissioned by the Lord, proceeds to do so. For this reason,
also, the spirit which tormented Saul is said to be an evil spirit from
the Lord, because he was, as it were, the scourge by which the misdeeds
of the wicked king were punished. In another place it is said that the
plagues of Egypt were inflicted by God through the instrumentality of
wicked angels. In conformity with these particular examples, Paul
declares generally that unbelievers are blinded by God, though he had
previously described it as the doing of Satan. [116] It is evident,
therefore, that Satan is under the power of God, and is so ruled by his
authority, that he must yield obedience to it. Moreover, though we say
that Satan resists God, and does works at variance with His works, we
at the same time maintain that this contrariety and opposition depend
on the permission of God. I now speak not of Satan's will and
endeavour, but only of the result. For the disposition of the devil
being wicked, he has no inclination whatever to obey the divine will,
but, on the contrary, is wholly bent on contumacy and rebellion. This
much, therefore, he has of himself, and his own iniquity, that he
eagerly, and of set purpose, opposes God, aiming at those things which
he deems most contrary to the will of God. But as God holds him bound
and fettered by the curb of his power, he executes those things only
for which permission has been given him, and thus, however unwilling,
obeys his Creator, being forced, whenever he is required, to do Him
service.

18. God thus turning the unclean spirits hither and thither at his
pleasure, employs them in exercising believers by warring against them,
assailing them with wiles, urging them with solicitations, pressing
close upon them, disturbing, alarming, and occasionally wounding, but
never conquering or oppressing them; whereas they hold the wicked in
thraldom, exercise dominion over their minds and bodies, and employ
them as bond-slaves in all kinds of iniquity. Because believers are
disturbed by such enemies, they are addressed in such exhortations as
these: "Neither give place to the devil;" "Your adversary the devil, as
a roaring lion, walketh about seeking whom he may devour; whom resist
steadfast in the faith," (Eph. 4:27; 1 Pet. 5:8). Paul acknowledges
that he was not exempt from this species of contest when he says, that
for the purpose of subduing his pride, a messenger of Satan was sent to
buffet him (2 Cor. 12:7). This trial, therefore, is common to all the
children of God. But as the promise of bruising Satan's head (Gen.
3:15) applies alike to Christ and to all his members, I deny that
believers can ever be oppressed or vanquished by him. They are often,
indeed, thrown into alarm, but never so thoroughly as not to recover
themselves. They fall by the violence of the blows, but they get up
again; they are wounded, but not mortally. In fine, they labour on
through the whole course of their lives, so as ultimately to gain the
victory, though they meet with occasional defeats. We know how David,
through the just anger of God, was left for a time to Satan, and by his
instigation numbered the people (2 Sam. 24:1); nor without cause does
Paul hold out a hope of pardon in case any should have become ensnared
by the wiles of the devil (2 Tim. 2:26). Accordingly, he elsewhere
shows that the promise above quoted commences in this life where the
struggle is carried on, and that it is completed after the struggle is
ended. His words are, "The God of peace shall bruise Satan under your
feet shortly," (Rom. 16:20). In our Head, indeed, this victory was
always perfect, because the prince of the world "had nothing" in him
(John 14:30); but in us, who are his members, it is now partially
obtained, and will be perfected when we shall have put off our mortal
flesh, through which we are liable to infirmity, and shall have been
filled with the energy of the Holy Spirit. In this way, when the
kingdom of Christ is raised up and established, that of Satan falls, as
our Lord himself expresses it, "I beheld Satan as lightning fall from
heaven," (Luke 10:18). By these words, he confirmed the report which
the apostles gave of the efficacy of their preaching. In like manner he
says, "When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in
peace. But when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome
him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and divideth
his spoils," (Luke 11:21, 22). And to this end, Christ, by dying,
overcame Satan, who had the power of death (Heb. 2:14), and triumphed
over all his hosts that they might not injure the Church, which
otherwise would suffer from them every moment. For (such being our
weakness, and such his raging fury), how could we withstand his
manifold and unintermitted assaults for any period, however short, if
we did not trust to the victory of our leader? God, therefore, does not
allow Satan to have dominion over the souls of believers, but only
gives over to his sway the impious and unbelieving, whom he deigns not
to number among his flock. For the devil is said to have undisputed
possession of this world until he is dispossessed by Christ. In like
manner, he is said to blind all who do not believe the Gospel, and to
do his own work in the children of disobedience. And justly; for all
the wicked are vessels of wrath, and, accordingly, to whom should they
be subjected but to the minister of the divine vengeance? In fine, they
are said to be of their father the devil. [117] For as believers are
recognised to be the sons of God by bearing his image, so the wicked
are properly regarded as the children of Satan, from having degenerated
into his image.

Calvin:

"Satan...can do nothing without God's will and consent." Institutes I:xiv.17

"Satan is the minister of the wrath of God, and His 'executioner', he is armed against us not merely in appearance, but by the orders of the Judge." Rom. 35.

Okay, so Rich beat me to the punch!

The only passage I can think of off the top of my head is from Turretin, 14.X.XI, although it is quite indirect...

Atque hinc patet, Cuinam satisfactio ista persolvi debuerit, An Diablo detinenti, ut cavillatur Socinus, An vero Deo supremo Judici? Cum enim Diabolus hic sit tantum Minister Dei, et praefectus Carceris, qui nullam nisi ex Dei justo judicio potestatem habet in peccatores, satisfactio ipsi praestari non debuit, sed Deo Judici, qui primario et principaliter nos detinebat.

(Bold part of above post): For as the devil is no more than the servant of God, the keeper of the prison, who has no power over sinners unless by the just judgment of God...

The story of Job explains this perfectly. Satan has to ask permission from God.

Job 1:9-12 -- "Does Job fear God for nothing?" Satan replied. "Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. But stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face."

The LORD said to Satan, "Very well, then, everything he has is in your hands, but on the man himself do not lay a finger." Then Satan went out from the presence of the LORD.

Job 2:4-6 -- "Skin for skin!" Satan replied. "A man will give all he has for his own life. But stretch out your hand and strike his flesh and bones, and he will surely curse you to your face."

The LORD said to Satan, "Very well, then, he is in your hands; but you must spare his life."

This may not seem that significant because there are no explicit passages about Satan being used by God for God's purposes, but it is extremely significant nonetheless. The fact that Satan must ask God to wreak havoc demonstrates that Satan can do only what God allows him to do, and since God is all-good, God would never allow Satan to do anything that God did not want him to do, as that would be completely illogical. Thus, an instance of Satan asking God to do anything and God giving him permission sufficiently demonstrates that Satan is ultimately God's slave in all matters of his existence.

Also, I am reading through Book V of the Psalms, and I noticed this verse.

Psalm 109:6 -- Appoint an evil man to oppose him; let an accuser stand at his right hand.

And what's even more interesting is that "an evil man" according to a footnote can refer to "the Evil One" and "let an accuser" to "let Satan." Either way, we here have evidence of God purposely appointing evil men to bring about His holy purposes, demonstrating His absolute sovereignty over evil. Even if not directly referring to Satan, this verse refers to the same concept and therefore would also refer to God's control of Satan.

Perg - If you're able to get a copy of it, you might find Frederick Leahy's "Satan Cast Out", published by Banner of Truth, helpful. I think it's quite well done, and, while brief, covers much of the territory you're interested in. Here's a review from the back cover:

"Professor Frederick Leahy presents a lucid, biblical review of Christian teaching on such issues as the existence of angels - good and evil; the present position and strategy of Satan; the witness of Old and New Testaments to demonic activity; the demonic in church history; and the challenge of the demons to the church of Christ, especially on the mission field. While taking our 'adversary the devil' seriously, Leahy constantly emphasizes the victory of Christ over him, and the fact that, in the words of John Calvin, 'The whole of Satan's kingdom is subject to the authority of Christ.'"

Originally Posted by toddpedlar

Perg - If you're able to get a copy of it, you might find Frederick Leahy's "Satan Cast Out", published by Banner of Truth, helpful. I think it's quite well done, and, while brief, covers much of the territory you're interested in.

Originally Posted by toddpedlar

Perg - If you're able to get a copy of it, you might find Frederick Leahy's "Satan Cast Out", published by Banner of Truth, helpful. I think it's quite well done, and, while brief, covers much of the territory you're interested in. Here's a review from the back cover:

"Professor Frederick Leahy presents a lucid, biblical review of Christian teaching on such issues as the existence of angels - good and evil; the present position and strategy of Satan; the witness of Old and New Testaments to demonic activity; the demonic in church history; and the challenge of the demons to the church of Christ, especially on the mission field. While taking our 'adversary the devil' seriously, Leahy constantly emphasizes the victory of Christ over him, and the fact that, in the words of John Calvin, 'The whole of Satan's kingdom is subject to the authority of Christ.'"

Thanks for the recommendation.....and here is something that you all should know - I just read this book 2 weeks ago when I received it in the mail from a PB brother! THANKS! It is one of the best books on spiritual warfare, next to Clinton Arnold's books and Robert Priest's articles.

Originally Posted by Prufrock

The only passage I can think of off the top of my head is from Turretin, 14.X.XI, although it is quite indirect...

Atque hinc patet, Cuinam satisfactio ista persolvi debuerit, An Diablo detinenti, ut cavillatur Socinus, An vero Deo supremo Judici? Cum enim Diabolus hic sit tantum Minister Dei, et praefectus Carceris, qui nullam nisi ex Dei justo judicio potestatem habet in peccatores, satisfactio ipsi praestari non debuit, sed Deo Judici, qui primario et principaliter nos detinebat.

What does this 14.X.XI refer to?

Does this refer to Turretin's Institutes of Elanctic Theology?

One of my favorites and often overlooked is Luke 22:31-34:

"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; and when you have turned again, strengthen your brethren." And he said, "Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death." He said, "I tell you, Peter, the **** will not crow this day, until you three times deny that you know me."

The words of Jesus imply that Satan has requested of God to 'sift' the apostles. Sifting wheat is a good thing and the Holy Spirit's role in sifting us is to point out weakness and give us the power to strengthen what is weak.

Satan knows that there must be a tearing down process as well - a deconstruction. In His lust for power (he has very little since the cross) he requests of God to do the 'tearing down' part. We would expect God to say NO but he doesn't. Jesus instead prays and insures that their faith will be made strong and he will use the greatly fallen 'ape' to begin the process.

The difference between the apostles on the night of betrayal and the same men at pentecost is the deconstruction brought by Satan and the superintending by the Holy Spirit.

Satan is a pest who has the power to touch briefly with affliction. The Holy Spirit FILLS the believer and makes all things new.

As has been pointed out, Satan is God's agent of wrath, of discipline and of punishment but he is ALWAYS under the sovereign control of the Creator.