Chapter 11: Satan’s Method of Attack—To Steal and To Counterfeit
It is impossible to speak of guarding what we have received in Christ without confronting the necessity of discernment. Light, by its very nature, exposes darkness. When we fix our attention on the truth, the lies and errors that once hid in the shadows become unmistakably clear. This is not a secondary matter; the Gospel itself is at stake. Our adversary knows that the Gospel is the very power of God unto salvation. Therefore, his primary strategy is to attack this message—either by stealing it from hearts or by introducing counterfeits that masquerade as truth.
The Spiritual War Over the Word
Jesus’ parable of the sower (Matthew 13) lays bare the battleground. The Word of the Kingdom is sown, but not all receive it. Some hear, but do not understand; the seed lies exposed on the wayside. In this condition, Jesus says, “then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart” (Matthew 13:19). This is not a passive loss. It is spiritual warfare. Whenever the Word is proclaimed, God is at work to release life—but Satan is present as well, eager to snatch away what was sown before it can take root.
The outcome is clear: when the Word is not understood—when it does not penetrate—the enemy steals it. This is a negative result, a loss of the very means by which God produces His children. If we are careless or indifferent to the truth, we leave the door open for Satan’s theft.
Counterfeit Seed: The Tares Among the Wheat
But Satan’s assault does not end with theft. He is also a counterfeiter. In the parable of the wheat and the tares, Jesus reveals that “He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man; the field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; the enemy that sowed them is the devil” (Matthew 13:38-39). God sows the Word to produce sons—true wheat. Yet, while men sleep, Satan sows his own seed, producing tares: false believers, indistinguishable from the true in outward appearance.
This is a devastating insight into the enemy’s work. The tares are not merely outsiders; they grow up among the wheat, sharing the same field. Their presence introduces stumbling blocks and offense within the visible church. The counterfeit is so close to the real that only the final harvest will reveal the difference. Jesus Himself will send His angels to “gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; and shall cast them into a furnace of fire” (Matthew 13:41-42). This judgment is not a threat to the wheat, but a positive and necessary separation—preserving the true and exposing the false.
The Cost of Counterfeit Gospels
If we accept Satan’s counterfeits, we lose everything that matters. The Gospel is not a negotiable doctrine; it is the dividing line between life and death, sonship and alienation, inheritance and loss. To embrace a false gospel is to forfeit the very promise of God. Paul’s warnings are not theoretical. He told the Corinthians of “false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ,” and did not hesitate to say that “Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:13-14). The danger is not merely external; it is within the sphere of religion, among those who claim to minister in Christ’s name.
Paul’s fear was that believers would be “corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ” (2 Corinthians 11:3), seduced by another Jesus, another spirit, another gospel. The Galatians, too, were troubled by those who would “pervert the gospel of Christ” (Galatians 1:6-7). These are not minor deviations. They are the very means by which Satan replaces the true message with a counterfeit, leading many to believe they possess salvation when in fact they have embraced a lie.
The Call to Vigilance and Discernment
What, then, is required of us? We must exercise vigilance and discernment. The positive outcome is not merely the exposure of error, but the preservation of the true message of salvation. By giving careful attention to the details of the truth—by refusing to compromise on the finished work of Christ, our sonship, our inheritance, and the cleansing of our conscience—we guard ourselves against the enemy’s theft and counterfeiting.
To neglect this is to invite confusion, stumbling, and ultimately, loss. But to stand firm in discernment is to ensure that the wheat will be preserved, the tares exposed, and the inheritance secured. The Gospel is not just the beginning of the Christian life; it is the dividing line that determines our eternal destiny. Let us not be found sleeping, but awake—discerning, guarding, and holding fast to what God has given us in Christ.
