³⁰ “I will not speak much more with you, for the ruler of the world is coming, and he has nothing in Me …

That Satan is still active in this world in made clear in many passages. We write about him, not to give him glory and undue attention, but to warn. There is nothing more sinister to human beings than to be blinded to God’s work in the world. John lays out this dichotomy at the very beginning of his gospel account: “The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it” (John 1:5). Christ comes as the light shining in the darkness, Satan comes blinding people to that light. He began this in the Garden of Eden, and he has been unwavering in continuing to do so.

Paul writes that, “…the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (2 Cor 4:4). The deceiver continues to be quite active. In writing to the Ephesians, Paul also says, “… you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience” (Eph 2:2).

Christians have been made to see. In the words of the man healed by Jesus of his blindness, we can say, “… one thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see” (John 9:25). So now, our struggle is not in blindness but with the full knowledge that the light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ brings. We understand that, “our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.” (Eph 6:12). The unregenerate world still remains locked in the deceiver’s grasp. But not believers. “We know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. (1 John 5:19).

So what makes the difference? John again writes, “You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4). Though Jesus is not physically in the world, and Satan has now come in some sense unfettered, into the world, that deceiver is a defeated foe, who blindly, rebelliously, is going down—ostensibly not without a fight. But, we have overcome the world, because our Master, the Lord Jesus, before whom demons and Satan himself shudder, has overcome the world (John 16:33). We can therefore be of “good cheer,” as Jesus said.

It remains then for us to continue walking by faith and in faith, for, “Greater is He who is in us than he who is in the world.”

Lord, the victory is Yours, and I choose to walk in light of the victory.