Several argue that enemies are secret allies since they enhance, improve, and keep us focused. Some even elevate the adversary to the status of a savior. Some people base their status on the number of enemies they have—the more enemies they have, the greater their status. We’re also advised to make our enemies our friends.
Anything that compels followers away from God, such as death, evil spirits, demons, “other” religions, nonbelievers, Satan, wickedness, sin, and so on, has all been characterized as His enemies.
Contents
Does God Have Enemies?
Certain people believe and think that only mortals have enemies and that the Lord does not. A foe or enemy is someone who stands in opposition to another, despises him, and seeks to destroy him.
Others may feel He still has opponents; however, they are unconcerned because they are convinced that the Lord’s enemies will perish in the end. He has defeated all of his opponents and won every battle.
Who Is The Specific Enemy Of God?
Satan is God’s number-one enemy[1]. Satan and his followers fight the Lord, His mission, and His servants (Ephesians 6:11–18; John 8:44; 1 Peter 5:8). We can also consider sin and its consequences to be enemies of God, considering that those are the aspects from which He rescues us in Jesus and which God will remove in our final moment (Revelation 20:14–15; 1 Corinthians 15:54–58).
Satan is one of the fallen angels who thought he was equal to God. Although God’s triumph was assured at the cross, Satan still tries to ruin God’s creation. This didn’t go down well for him.
Who Are The Other Enemies Of God?
Every Man Is God’s Enemy
Evidently, the wicked are God’s adversaries (Moses 16:5; Moroni 7:12). According to Paul, the worldly God’s children are also God’s adversaries. A worldly man is someone who decides to be affected by his earthly emotions, wants, and temptations rather than the power of the divine Holy Spirit. Material objects are intelligible to such an individual, but spiritual things are nonsense to him, according to 1 Corinthians 2:14.
Because of Adam and Eve’s sin, everyone is carnal, or mortal (Moses 5:13). God had planned for a Savior since He knew the Fall would occur. On the condition of repentance, Jesus Christ died to make amends for Adam’s fall as well as for man’s personal sins and evil deeds. To stop being a sinful man, each individual must be reborn through the mercy of Jesus Christ.
In reality, mankind’s original wicked state is completely contradictory to God. The word “enemy” is used in the Bible to characterize an individual’s relationship with their Creator before they dedicate their lives to Christ. According to Romans 5:10, “while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the sacrifice of his Son.”
Another verse depicts humans before they are saved as being “alienated and hostile in thought, committing evil acts” (Colossians 1:21). Prior to being rescued, a person lives in resistance to divinity and is an enemy of God because he refuses or denies the existence and character of God as confirmed in the Bible. The individual’s actions and goals are diametrically opposed to God’s.
Romans 1:18–32 provides a detailed characterization of those who are opposed to God: “Although it is God’s goal that everyone come to repentance,” based on 2 Peter 3:9. Also, the Lord just as well honors those who choose to deny Him by allowing them to succumb to their bodies.
Death Is Also God’s Enemy
Death will remain an enemy to us humans, even if death does not occur for the Lord, who is everlasting. We sing verses from Psalm 67 in honor of Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection, by which God defeats death: “Let God arise, and let His enemies be scattered.” Evidently from the context, “enemy” denotes death and everything it carries: corruption, sin, pain, and demonic persecution.
Real And Imaginary Divine Foes
Unreal beings cannot have physical adversaries. Of course, imaginary entities can have fictional adversaries. Consider that the Exodus story is true and that God is to be held responsible for the deaths of all Egyptian firstborn sons. It is possible that the grieving Egyptian parents saw God as their worst enemy for killing their children. According to legend, the lost fallen angel Lucifer regards God as his adversary.
Everyone who feels God is to blame for the disease that causes worldwide outbreaks and has lost family and friends to it may regard God as an enemy. Is an atheist deemed to be an opponent of God? No, since by doubting the existence of a creator, the atheist is arguing that nothing appears to exist to be called an enemy.
Still, God Is Merciful
The incredible fact is that “when we were God’s opponents, we were reunited to him through the crucifixion of Jesus” (Romans 5:10). As God loves human beings so much, whenever man positions himself against God, he fights to reestablish their connection with Him via the death of Jesus, His only begotten Son, that enables them to have eternal life.
When battling with the enemies of God, the Scripture advises believers to be careful yet bold: “Be sober-minded; be attentive. The devil prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to consume” (1 Peter 5:8).
In 1 Peter 2:22–23, Jesus Christ additionally gave an example for His believers to follow when they encounter enemies of the Lord and their temptations: “You should follow in his ways. ‘He committed no evil, and no deceit was found in his mouth.’ When they insulted him, he did not respond; when he grieved, he made no threats. Instead, he surrendered himself to Him Who Judges Justly.”
What Does It Mean To Be An Enemy Of God?
Being an opponent of God means that they disobey Him for selfish reasons. For instance, Satan, out of ego, refused a direct command from the Lord, making him the very first enemy. Despite knowing that the Lord is the Almighty One and has immense authority over him, Satan kept on disobeying Him.
Scripture lists several more enemies of God and His children in addition to Satan. In the Gospels, an enemy of the Lord is often referred to as a foe or an adversary. Anyone who refuses to obey the Lord’s instructions is considered an enemy of God. So, to avoid God’s wrath, we should follow God’s teachings in the Bible as well as His commandments.
Sin separates us from the Lord, as said in Colossians 1:21, “Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior.” The apostle Paul regarded lost sinners as the enemies of God (Romans 5:10).
Likewise, there are many adversaries of the Lord on this earth. They are the crooks and tyrants who have followed Satan’s lead, the spiritual enemies of His allies. The Lord outlined His punishment for those individuals accordingly.
Throughout Israel’s history, the followers of God have constantly encountered foes determined to destroy them. The Canaanites, the Egyptians, the Philistines, and the Babylonians represent only a handful of the brutal and tyrannical enemy nations mentioned in the Bible. All the nations mentioned were considered His enemies because they opposed God’s people, and God battled on Israel’s behalf (2 Kings 19).
7 Bible Verses About The Enemies Of God
Philippians 3:18
For many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross of Christ.
James 4:4
You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore, whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
2 Samuel 12:14
However, because by this deed you have given occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, the child also that is born to you shall surely die.
Micah 2:8
Recently, my people have arisen as an enemy—you strip the robe from unsuspecting passersby and from those returning from war.
Nahum 1:2
A jealous and vengeful God is the Lord; the Lord is avenging and wrathful. The Lord takes vengeance on His adversaries, and He reserves wrath for His enemies.
1 John 4:3
And every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world.
Acts 13:10
You who are full of all deceit and fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease to make crooked the straight ways of the Lord?
Conclusion
Christians will encounter numerous enemies as a result of their trust in Jesus Christ, according to what He said: “In truth, everyone who desires to live a good life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (John 15:18–19; 17:14; 2 Timothy 3:12).
God’s enemies are battling a losing battle: “Surely your enemies, Lord, surely your enemies will fall; all evildoers will be dispersed” (Psalm 92:9). Death is the last adversary of God that must be vanquished: “For he must reign until he has placed all his foes under his feet. Death is the last enemy to be defeated” (2 Timothy 1:10; 1 Corinthians 15:25–26; Revelation 21:4).
