the greatest love

The Bible clearly warns against undue concern over appearance. The devil’s hubristic fall from glory because of his beauty warns us against doing as he did. Preoccupation with and pride in our bodies do not glorify God. It is idolatry and it separates people from God. Jesus warns us not to be anxious over what we eat, drink, or wear: God will care for us as He cares for the birds in the sky and the flowers in the fields. We are His children, more valuable to Him than all other creatures. We must concern ourselves first with loving God, the greatest love of all, and the only one to be exalted.

The people of Pergamum would have had to be people-pleasers to flourish in their city. People-pleasers conform to the ways of the popular people they wish to emulate. They wear, do, and say what others deem appropriate. In the formative teenage years, passing off such actions as a phase and insignificant to a bright future may seem inconsequential, but it may not be—we do not know our hour of death. Christians in Pergamum would have been pressured to deny Christ.

Thus begins the slippery slope. The ruler of the world knows those who are his and he uses everything in his power to deceive and lure others away from God. Paul warned the Colossians that they would always struggle with their flesh and the ways of the world, but if they were Christians “raised with Christ,” they must “seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things that are above, not on things that are on earth” (Col. 3:1–2). Christians need God’s Word, and they need to pray to God for strength to persevere.

One positive aspect of crises is that they can help people realize the tentative nature of life. Some may stop, contemplate their mortality and the meaning of life, and realize that they are dancing with the devil and giving him a foothold in their souls. God stirs hearts to want to change. His call helps people to see how sin hurts Him, and them; it cannot be tolerated, much less belittled by phrases like “the devil made me do it.” Some use HALT, a tool of addictions therapy and counseling: No one should ever allow themselves to get too hungry, angry, lonely, or tired, because these weaken the ability to resist temptation and make it easier to capitulate to sin.

The Bible tells us that the devil prowls around like a wild animal seeking prey to devour. We are assured in 1 Peter 5:9–10 that, if we resist the devil, firm in our faith, after we have suffered a little, the God of all grace will strengthen us to overcome temptation. Christians throughout the world are tempted by the devil to sin, but they have been given the strength to defeat it. When Jesus returns, He will restore and establish them as part of His household forever, along with Antipas, John, first-century Christians, and all who have suffered and fought to overcome temptation and evil.

The devil tempts with everything in his arsenal, but his greatest appeal is to pride. It defeated him and it defeated Eve when she believed that she would not die. She believed the devil’s lies over God’s truth. If we continue in sin, believing that sin is inconsequential because God loves us, the devil has deluded us into believing that we can, like him, be ultimately victorious. But he is not, and neither will we.

Jesus teaches us to be humble like Him. The opposite of humility is arrogance, and few like to be described as arrogant. The devil warred with God and Israel, with Jesus and the church, but he is ultimately defeated (Rev. 12). He could never be God—nor can we. Christians, empowered by the Holy Spirit, want to honor, and please God. They do their best in all circumstances, for they know that “God so loved the world, that He gave His Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). Whenever they disobey God’s commands, they repent and are forgiven.

Pergamum’s message from Jesus was difficult to hear but it was no surprise. The Christians there knew who ruled them. Some clung to faith overcoming and finding the hidden manna that led to new names on white stones (eternal life), but many did not. They tolerated the sin in their midst which cost them dearly, as it costs many in our day.

The devil knows that his time is short. He looks attractive, even magical, to his prey, as many are easily fooled into following him. Christians must be wary, for even the elect may be deceived. Sin must not be tolerated in a church, because toleration is the beginning of a steep, slippery slope toward acceptance. After acceptance, sin is promoted because it feels good and everyone tolerates, accepts, and participates in it. Sinners choose to and they want everyone else to follow their example, even to death.

In contrast, Christians are reassured that through Jesus they are not going where the devil is going. Hell was created for the devil, his demons, and those following them. People who detest God and His ways go there. Readers learn from the Pergamum church of the popularity of the devil’s ways, but these must not be tolerated. The devil’s ways must be revealed for what they are—the wiles of a defeated enemy leading on the broad path to the destruction of body and soul. Everyone must choose carefully whom they serve. If it is God, the devil must be fought; God will provide all that is needed to resist and endure the battle.