Theocast
Would Satan Approve of Your Morality?
March 12, 2025
Summary
Is there a kind of preaching that Satan would approve of? We often assume it’s the kind that denies miracles and weakens morality, but he may just as well applaud preaching that exalts virtue and moral living while leaving out Jesus. At Theocast, we believe this kind of Christless preaching is dangerous, as it shifts the focus from the gospel to mere behavior. Today, Jon and Justin will discuss this issue and how it affects life in the local church. How do we talk about obedience, faithfulness, and discipleship without obscuring Jesus or assuming the gospel? Our goal is to keep Christ at the center of every conversation, and we hope this discussion is helpful to you.
Topics
- Episode focus: Would Satan Approve of Your Morality?
- Is there a kind of preaching that Satan would approve of?
- We often assume it’s the kind that denies miracles and weakens morality, but he may just as well applaud preaching that exalts virtue and moral living while leaving out Jesus
- At Theocast, we believe this kind of Christless preaching is dangerous, as it shifts the focus from the gospel to mere behavior
- Today, Jon and Justin will discuss this issue and how it affects life in the local church
Links
- More Than Forgiven — Justin Perdue
- Theocast Community
- Rest — free ebook on faith vs. faithfulness
- Partner with Theocast
Transcript
Edited machine transcript. May contain errors. Select a timestamp to watch that moment.
Is there a kind of preaching that Satan would approve of?
There is, and it might not be the kind of preaching we think.
We would tend to think that it's the kind of modern denying miracles and being squishy on morality, kind of thing, that Satan would most applaud.
But it's possible, from our perspective here at Theocast, we think this is true, that Satan would applaud preaching that extols virtue and moral Christian living, but is devoid of Jesus.
So, John and I are going to talk some today about that, preaching and sermons that Satan would approve of, but we're also going to try to apply that very practically to life in the local church, the Christian life.
What are the kinds of conversations that we're having as brothers and sisters in the church?
How are we thinking about the Christian life together?
How are we thinking about obedience?
How are we talking about faithfulness and discipleship and good things like that?
We want to have those conversations in a way that does not obscure Jesus and does not assume the gospel.
We hope this is helpful to you.
Stay tuned.
Hey guys, this is Justin.
Maybe you know that you are forgiven because of Jesus Christ.
But you're wondering, what does Jesus have to do with my Christian life?
How is he involved in my sanctification, even?
Or is he concerned at all with the ways that I struggle and the way that my life goes up and down.
Is there any comfort for me in Jesus when it comes to all of that?
Well, I've written a book called More Than Forgiven: How Being in Christ Changes Everything that deals with this topic from Romans chapter six.
You can find this book at theocast.org.
