Satan’s #1 goal is to keep us away from God at all costs. His #1 strategy to achieve this goal is to get us to believe that we become “like God” because of what we DO. This is the great “DO to be like God” lie, related to Satan’s lie “I will make myself like the Most High” (Isaiah 14:14, ESV). It ultimately leads to believing, “I can be like God, WITHOUT GOD”.
In this provocative series we trace the origins of this diabolical strategy of “DO to be like God” all the way back to Satan’s own fall, when he was the great archangel Lucifer. We also examine how Satan used this same strategy with our first parents, Adam and Eve, turning them away from God. Then we look at the perfect Man, The Lord Jesus Christ and His radical counter to Satan’s “DO to be like God”, when He said that He can DO NOTHING of Himself (John 5:19). From there, we look at the great secret of Jesus as perfect Son of Man: His union, oneness, with His Father. We learn further that union with Christ is the great secret of the real Christian life.
Click on an episode title in the list below to see details of that episode:
- Satan’s prime tactic to achieve his #1 goal of keeping us away from God is by deceiving us into trying to be “like God” based on what we DO.
- To understand how this happens, we look at two origins of the lie “DO to be like God”: the fall of Lucifer (who became Satan) and the fall of our first parents, Adam and Eve.
- We examine in depth Origin #1, the fall of Lucifer: “I will make myself like the Most High”.
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[Part 2 of 5] On the surface it looks so good. But in reality, it’s the deadly, cunningly deceptive scheme of Satan to keep us away from God: focusing on trying to be like God by means of our doing. In this episode, we examine Origin #2 of this diabolical scheme: the fall of our first parent’s Adam & Eve, and what that has to do with us today:
- How Satan managed to get Adam and Eve to turn away from God and toward sin, even though they had no history of sin and lived in an environment of face to fellowship with God, surrounded by His goodness.
- How sin springs to life when the law comes in, which is centered on DO AND LIVE.
- How we are led into sin by trying to be like God without God, caught up in doing to be “like God”.
- How false, unbiblical notions of sanctification are evidence of Satan’s scheme to keep us away from God, by distracting us with DO to BECOME LIKE GOD.
[Scriptures: Genesis 3:1-19, 1 Cor 1:29-31, Rom 7:14-25]
[This episode is a part of the “Exposing Satan’s Master Scheme: To Be Like God WITHOUT GOD” series]
CC by-nc-nd 2016 Mark D. VanOuse
This recording is under a Creative Commons copyright license.
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[Part 3 of 5] Satan’s #1 goal is to keep us away from God, at all costs. And his #1 tactic to achieve that goal is so subtle, seemingly so good, that we miss it entirely: He tries to get us to be LIKE GOD WITHOUT GOD, by having us believe that we become like God because of what WE DO. In this episode we look at The Perfect Son of God and Son of Man, Jesus, and how He countered that lie. We delve into:
- Important warning signs that the devil is keeping us away from God by distracting us with trying to DO to become like God.
- Satan’s failed schemes against Jesus, the Perfect Man, and how Jesus countered those schemes, which were centered on “DO to become like God”.
- Jesus #1 counter to Satan’s “DO to become like God” tactic: “I can do NOTHING of Myself” (John 5:19)
[Scriptures: Luke 4:1-13, John 5:19,15:5]
[This episode is a part of the “Exposing Satan’s Master Scheme: To Be Like God WITHOUT GOD” series]
CC by-nc-nd 2016 Mark D. VanOuse
This recording is under a Creative Commons copyright license.
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[Part 4 of 5] If Satan’s #1 strategy to keep us AWAY FROM God is to have us believe that we must DO to be LIKE GOD… then what is GOD’s way and plan for us? In this episode we explore God’s brilliant plan in the new creation: not “just you”, but the NEW YOU in union (one) with Christ:
- We examine the reality of Christ’s oneness with His Father in John 17. This is BEING based not on “doing” but on UNION WITH GOD.
- What it means when the Bible says that we CONTAIN Christ: as earthen vessels, branches of the vine, in Last Adam (Christ), temples of the Holy Spirit, slaves of righteousness, members of the body of Christ, as the wife (bride) of Christ, as the Father is in Christ.
Scriptures: John 17:20-26, John 15 & others
CC by-nc-nd 2016 Mark D. VanOuse
This recording is under a Creative Commons copyright license.
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[Part 5 of 5] While Satan’s plan to keep us away from God is devious — by distracting us with DOING to be like God — God’s REALITY for the new order of our being is INFINITELY better than DO — it is CHRIST IN YOU, the hope of glory. In this episode we learn:
- That we don’t live “for” Christ, but Christ HIMSELF is our life, who is IN us (1 Cor 1:27)
- The zenith of Christian living is because of our union with Christ, who lives through us, AS US.
- Living by The Spirit vs. living by the flesh (our humanity)
- God is not interested in you “becoming”. Believer, you ARE because Christ IS.
- The NEW ME: a humble vessel, honored to carry and manifest The Lord Jesus Christ!
[Various scriptures]
CC by-nc-nd 2016 Mark D. VanOuse
This recording is under a Creative Commons copyright license.
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