Arthur Walkington Pink (1886-1952) was an evangelist and Biblical scholar. The video below is a reading from his Studies in the Scriptures. [There’s a brief bio below the video.]
While taking notes on the video and transcribing them, I noticed that A W Pink took many biblical warnings, admonitions, encouragements… and organized them for those who sincerely desire to understand how they are failing to walk in obedience.
He focused mostly on how a believer leaves himself open to the assaults of the devil – giving place to the devil as it is put in scripture. And his points thoroughly cover the topic.
Main text of scripture:
“Neither give place to the devil.” Ephesians 4:27
The following bullet points, taken from the 25-minute video, are more comprehensive than just highlights [bracketed statements, emboldening and underscoring are mine, not Pink’s or the Bible’s]:
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- Ephesians 4:26 Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, 27 and give no opportunity to the devil.
- Many Christians give place to the devil because they are not familiar with his ways as God has revealed them in scripture
- To begin to fight against Satan, one must be knowledgeable of his tactics / methods
- His chief tool is deception: Revelation 12:9 And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.
- We are unable to see any of his numerous disguises if we are not given the light of understanding by the Holy Spirit as we read God’s Word
- Giving place to the devil and being overcome by him are different, but closely related
- Giving place to the devil sets one up to be overcome by him
- Illustration: if you leave all the windows in your home unlatched and your doors unlocked, then you could be said to be giving an invitation to criminals to rob you [physical plane]
- Failing to avail oneself of God’s safeguards, found in the Bible; not being watchful against the devil’s approach [watch and pray]; is equivalent to leaving the door to one’s soul open to the devil’s advances
- Prevention is better than cure [defending your soul may keep you from needing to be cured]
- John 10:10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly
- IN THE FOLLOWING 7 WAYS WE LEAVE OURSELVES OPEN TO THE DEVIL’S ASSAULTS:
- ONE: when we fail to really believe Gods warnings: 1Peter 5:8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour
- Being acquainted with God’s word, as opposed to acting on it as though we believed we were in real danger from the devil
- We greatly need the Holy Spirit to bring the word home to our remembrance each day…that we might be vigilant against Satan, as he seeks to destroy us
- TWO: we give place… when we are not on prayerful guard: Matthew 26:41 Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak”
- He talked about Peter’s failure to heed that admonition; had Peter been seeking grace to fortify him against temptation, how differently he would have acted at the high priest’s palace
- Pink noted that we often lapse into a careless and prayerless state and are thereby rendered helpless against Satan’s deceptions
- THIRD: We give place to the devil when we fail to put on the whole armor of God. We must use all the armor for the sake of our souls, Ephesians 6:11
- [Pink did not diverge to explain the pieces of the armor. By listening to Calvin’s sermons on Ephesians 6, I came to understand a simpler way of thinking about these pieces of armor, putting them on, etc., and that is explained in a post which is linked below the video. It amounts to using God’s appointed means of grace: prayer; Bible study; hearing sermons, particularly, being in a church that preaches the biblical gospel message; fellowship with believers around the word of God, not chatting about football, shopping…; and taking the Lord’s Supper. Via these avenues, God’s Spirit humbles a believer and conforms that one to the image of His Son. The post provides specifics about this interpretation of armor]
- FOURTH: We give place… when we fail to confess every known sin, Proverbs 28:13 Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy [see Psalm 32 also]
- Isaiah 59:2 but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear
- Sin clogs the channels of blessing in one’s relationship with God
- Unconfessed sin leaves the door open for Satan to attack us at the very same place
- To have power against our Adversary, it is necessary that we keep short accounts with God, frequently confessing every known sin
- FIFTH: We give place…when we fail to fully trust God. Proverbs 18:10 The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe.
- To the extent that we are not fully reliant upon God, doubt enters in and with it, a door is opened for the devil
- SIXTH: We give place…when we shrink from persecution
- Hebrews 13:12 So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood. 13 Therefore let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured.
- Suffering with the people of God is contrasted against enjoying the pleasures of the world in the following in scripture:
- Hebrews 11:25 choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin
- Such suffering is to be viewed as a holy privilege and a high honor, not something to be shunned and ashamed of; it brings us into fellowship with Christ, as in
- Philippians 3:10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,
- If we strive to avoid suffering then we open a door for the devil
- [Therefore, prosperity preaching actually gives place to the devil, as it emphatically calls one to seek worldly blessings; the opposite of Christ’s call to pick up one’s cross…; and how about all those seeker friendly evangelical churches that talk about how happy one will become if he chooses to follow Christ – A W Pink is herein speaking in line with scripture, of a way that is agonizingly difficult to identify and to follow, as Jesus said in Matthew 7]
- Revelation 2:10 Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.
- SEVENTH: We give place to the devil when we relax spiritually: 1Corinthians 16:13 Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong
- 1Peter 1:13 Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ
- Proverbs 4:23 Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life
- Not doing so, opens a door for the devil
- 2 Samuel 11:1 In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle, David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel. And they ravaged the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem. 2 It happened, late one afternoon, when David arose from his couch and was walking on the roof of the king’s house, that he saw from the roof a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful
- THE AFOREMENTIONED 7 POINTS ARE NEGATIVE WAYS IN WHICH WE GIVE PLACE TO THE DEVIL, BY FAILING TO BE ARMED AGAINST HIM
- THE FOLLOWING POINTS ARE POSITIVE WAYS IN WHICH THE DEVIL GAINS AN ADVANTAGE OVER US
- FIRST: When we listen to his evil suggestions: as when Eve conversed with the devil before she took of the forbidden fruit [she was tricked by him and enticed to disobey God]
- The following is a right example for us regarding acting independently of God:
- Matthew 4:3 And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” 4 But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
- SECOND: We give place…when we begin to compromise as in the following:
- Acts 4:36 …Barnabas… sold a field that belonged to him and brought [all] the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet.
- Act 5:1 But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, 2 and with his wife’s knowledge he kept back for himself some of the proceeds and brought only a part of it and laid it at the apostles’ feet. [They wanted other believers to think they’d given all the money from the sale to the church.]
- [MacArthur’s commentary on Acts 5:1 Ananias … Sapphira. These are two classic examples of hypocrisy among Christians who faked their spirituality to impress others (cf. Mat_6:1-6, Mat_6:16-18; Act_15:7; Act_23:13-36). They were “in the congregation of those who believed” (Act_4:32) and were involved with the Holy Spirit (Act_5:3), but remained hypocrites.]
- Pink’s point is that they gave place to the devil, left an opening for him to enter into their spiritual lives [because their desire to appear ‘important’ and ‘generous’ moved them to scheme]
- Do we realize that it was Satan that was filling our hearts when we held back, only half consecrating ourselves to the Lord, when we gave Him only partial obedience; when we used on ourselves a portion of His tithe [or of the amount you have set aside, or determined to cheerfully give]
- THIRD: We give place to the devil when we become self-sufficient, independent of God
- Pride is a subtle thing because we are largely unconscious of its presence
- 1Timothy 3:6 He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil
- Pride is at the root of self-sufficiency; not asking for divine strength, wisdom and guidance
- The humble man seeks the Lord’s help in everything
- FOURTH: We give place to the devil when we put self-interest before the Lord’s glory
- After Jesus healed the demon-possessed man and his demons were cast into the pigs that ran into the sea and destroyed themselves– “Mark 5:17 And they began to beg Jesus to depart from their region”
- Ask the Holy Spirit to show you anything that you are preferring to the Lord
- FIFTH: Satan is relentless in his efforts to get believers to be unequally yoked with unbelievers – marriages and close friendships: Ephesians 5:11 Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them
- SIXTH: We give place…when we knowingly enter the devil’s territory: Proverbs 4:14 Do not enter the path of the wicked, and do not walk in the way of the devil. 15 Avoid it; do not go on it; turn away from it and pass on
- If we deliberately do not follow God’s prohibitions, then we cannot expect to be delivered when we are ensnared by the devil
- SEVENTH: We give place…when we allow him to use us to do his work
- Every hour of the day, believers are either controlled by the Holy Spirit or the evil spirit
- When he causes us to set an un-Christ-like example for the ungodly, then we have been used to evil ends, that they might be encouraged in their sins
- Christians are used by the devil when he can get them to sow the seeds of discord among brethren – gossip, slander, criticism of God’s servants…
- SOME OF THE DEVIL’S TACTICS:
- As he did with Eve, injecting doubt in our minds; for example, while we wait for answers to prayers
- He aims to discredit God in our esteem, as when Job’s wife told him to curse God and die – the devil’s words; also, to think hard thoughts about God in the midst of trials
- To puff us up with pride: 1 Chronicles 21:1 Then Satan stood against Israel and incited David to number Israel
- If the devil cannot make us proud about our natural gifts and possessions, then he will seek to make us proud of our devotedness, obedience, kindness to others… we must remind ourselves daily that we have nothing that God did not give us
- 1Corinthians 4:7 For who sees anything different in you? What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?
- He aims to destroy full dependence upon God as in Christ’s first temptation:
- Matthew 4:3 And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” 4 But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
- To induce reckless trifling with God – to act presumptuously, as in the second temptation
- Matthew 4:6 and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, [from the pinnacle of the temple] for it is written, “‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and “‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’” 7 Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
- We are guilty of giving place to the devil when we fail to take wise precautions and needlessly expose ourselves to danger
- He aims to fix our hearts on worldly things, as in the third temptation of Christ:
- Matthew 4:9 And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me…
- Coveting a beautiful home, aspiring to a high position in business, following the fashions of the ungodly… are ways of giving place to the devil
- Hebrews 13:5 Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you”
- He aims to prevent believers from practicing self-denial and taking up their cross daily:
- Matthew 16:22 And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you [the cross].” 23 But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.” [read verses 21-24 for a fuller context]
- Regarding the use of leisure time: Ephesians 5:15 Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.
- He aims to blind our minds and cloud our judgment. He often accomplishes these via twisting scripture [as can be seen clearly in prosperity preaching; the SBC’s imbibing of CRT; the Emergent church mystics; the word-of-faith gospel…]
- 2Timothy 2:15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth
- Psalm 119:60 I hasten and do not delay to keep your commandments
- When we ought to rebuke sin in a brother, the devil quotes Matthew 7:1 “Judge not, that you be not judged [we are supposed to judge outward behaviors with the golden rule in mind; only God, not we, can judge a persons inner motives;]
- Leviticus 19:17 “You shall not hate your brother in your heart, but you shall reason frankly with your neighbor, lest you incur sin because of him. [Albert Barnes commentary: Not suffer sin upon him – Rather, not hear sin on his account; that is, either by bearing secret ill-will Eph_4:26, or by encouraging him to sin in withholding due rebuke Rom_1:32.]
- He aims to catch away the word from our hearts, Luke 8:12 The ones along the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved
- The devil succeeds when we fail to seek God’s intervention; and when we fail to meditate upon His word
- He also makes people believe that all of the word does not apply to them, but a lot of it is specifically for the Jews
- He aims to afflict our body so that we are not able to perform our spiritual duties: Luke 13:11 And behold, there was a woman who had had a disabling spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not fully straighten herself
- Gluttony is used to make us listless and drowsy, hampering our spiritual work
- Isaiah 40:28 Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. 29 He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. 30 Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; 31 but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.
Link to post on the armor of God / means of grace:
https://sheeplywolves.com/ephesians-610-18-the-armor-of-god-john-calvin-commentary-excerpts/
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Studies in the Scriptures – A. W. Pink Video Playlist:
- W. Pink Video Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list…
Arthur Walkington Pink (1886-1952) evangelist and Biblical scholar
Pink was born in Nottingham, England on April 1, 1886 and became a Christian in his early 20’s. Though born to Christian parents, prior to conversion he migrated into a Theosophical society (an occult gnostic group popular in England during that time), and quickly rose in prominence within their ranks. His conversion came from his father’s patient admonitions from Scripture. It was the verse, Proverbs 14:12, ‘there is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death,’ which particularly struck his heart and compelled him to renounce Theosophy and follow Jesus.
Desiring to grow in knowledge of the Bible, Pink immigrated to the United States to study at Moody Bible Institute. In 1916 he married Vera E. Russell, who was from Kentucky. However, he left after just two months for Colorado, then California, then Britain. From 1925 to 1928 he served in Australia, including as pastor of two congregations from 1926 to 1928, when he returned to England, and to the United States the following year. He eventually pastored churches Colorado, California, Kentucky and South Carolina.
In 1922 he started a monthly magazine entitled Studies in Scriptures which circulated among English-speaking Christians worldwide, though only to a relatively small circulation list of around 1,000.
In 1934 Pink returned to England, and within a few years turned his Christian service to writing books and pamphlets. Pink died in Stornoway, Scotland on July 15, 1952. The cause of death was anemia.
After Pink’s death, his works were republished by the Banner of Truth Trust and reached a much wider audience as a result. Biographer Iain Murray observes of Pink, “the widespread circulation of his writings after his death made him one of the most influential evangelical authors in the second half of the twentieth century.” His writing sparked a revival of expository preaching and focused readers’ hearts on biblical living.
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Please watch: “A Call to Separation – A. W. Pink Christian Audio Books / Don’t be Unequally Yoked / Be Ye Separate”