2. The God of this World

The consequences of the fall had devastating implications. From this point forward, all humanity would now be born physically alive but spiritually dead. The New Testament describes this as being born “in Adam” or with a “sin nature.” Like a compass pointing south to sin, your sinful nature will naturally lead you to live a life independent from God. Apart from God, you will naturally follow the course of this world, specifically, the fallen people who are under the spirit of disobedience (Ephesians 2:2).

To see the dramatic effects of “The Fall” and the results of mankind’s sinful nature, all you have to do is pick up the paper or turn on the news. Wars, addiction, disease, abortion, divorce, genocide, etc., are all evidence of humanity’s sinful nature at work in this fallen world. The Bible says, “Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News” (2 Corinthians 4:4). 

How does Satan blind the eyes of the unbelieving? He does this by convincing people of lies about the loving character of God. When arguing with a group of prideful teachers, Jesus said: “You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” (John 8:44 ESV).

Satan’s number one priority is to convince you to believe a lie about the true, loving nature of God. The Bible says, “God is Love” (1 John 4:16). It is the work of Satan to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10) so you will have a distorted view of your Heavenly Father who created you to be in a genuine, loving relationship with Him. 

Satan is the god of this world, the father of lies, and when the young son in the prodigal story receives his inheritance, he moves far away from the father to live a hedonistic lifestyle in “Sin City.” He believed a lie that it would be better to live a life independent from his father, following his sinful desires, rather than live under the authority and care of his Creator. While living like an orphan in a fallen world, he wasted all his inheritance on wild living and eventually hired himself out to a citizen of that country — but no one gave him anything.

The Living in a world controlled by Satan will leave you spiritually bankrupt, broken, and ashamed. Under the god of this world, you will be a slave of sin and shackled to the negative consequences of disobedience, willingly living a life separated from your Heavenly Father.

CHAPTER INDEX: Introduction | The Prodigal Story | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | Who are you in God’s Story?