Topical Bible: The Devil: The Wicked are the Children of

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The concept of the wicked being the children of the devil is a theme that runs through various passages in the Bible, illustrating the spiritual lineage and moral alignment of those who reject God and His commandments. This notion is particularly evident in the New Testament, where the distinction between the children of God and the children of the devil is made clear.

In the Gospel of John, Jesus addresses this theme directly in a confrontation with the Pharisees. He states, "You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, refusing to uphold the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, because he is a liar and the father of lies" (John 8:44). Here, Jesus identifies the devil as the progenitor of lies and murder, and those who follow in these ways are considered his offspring.

The Apostle John further elaborates on this concept in his first epistle, where he contrasts the children of God with the children of the devil. He writes, "By this the children of God are distinguished from the children of the devil: Anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is anyone who does not love his brother" (1 John 3:10). This passage underscores the moral and ethical behaviors that differentiate the followers of God from those aligned with the devil.

The Apostle Paul also touches on this theme in his letters. In Ephesians, he describes the former state of believers as being under the influence of the devil, "the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit who is now at work in the sons of disobedience" (Ephesians 2:2). This description highlights the pervasive influence of the devil over those who live in disobedience to God.

The wicked, as children of the devil, are characterized by their rejection of truth and righteousness. They are depicted as living in accordance with the desires and deceptions propagated by the devil. This spiritual lineage is not a matter of physical descent but rather a reflection of one's allegiance and actions. The Bible consistently calls for repentance and a turning away from the works of the devil, urging individuals to become children of God through faith in Jesus Christ.

In summary, the Bible presents the wicked as children of the devil through their alignment with his deceitful and destructive ways. This spiritual parentage is marked by a life of sin and disobedience, in contrast to the righteousness and love that characterize the children of God.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Matthew 13:38
The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one;
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Acts 13:10
And said, O full of all subtlety and all mischief, you child of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?
Torrey's Topical Textbook

1 John 3:10
In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whoever does not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loves not his brother.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Those Persons who do not Believe in God, but who are Disobedient ...
... For this reason, therefore, He has termed those "angels of the devil," and "children
of the wicked one," [4448] who give heed to the devil, and do his works. ...
/.../irenaeus/against heresies/chapter xli those persons who do.htm

Fourth Sunday after Trinity Redemption of the Creatures.
... the devil and to wicked people, and must serve them in every form of sin and vice.
Hence these sigh and complain, waiting for the manifestation of the children ...
/.../luther/epistle sermons vol iii/fourth sunday after trinity redemption.htm

That Evil Comes of Sloth, and virtue from Diligence, and that ...
... On this account he left the wicked in the midst of the good, that since they ... a Devil? ...
For the one he denuded of all his wealth, and deprived of his children. ...
/.../chrysostom/on the priesthood/homily iii that evil comes.htm

A Discourse On
... made him an image of his own proper being; but by the envy of the devil death entered ...
Their wives are foolish, and wicked are their children; accursed is ...
/.../various/select masterpieces of biblical literature/ii a discourse on.htm

In the Creation of the World, and all Things in It, the True God ...
... father the devil. [117] For as believers are recognised to be the sons of God by
bearing his image, so the wicked are properly regarded as the children of Satan ...
/.../calvin/the institutes of the christian religion/chapter 14 in the creation.htm

How Saints May Help the Devil
... "Doth Job serve God for nought?" said the devil. ... Sins, too, they are that render
the wicked callous in their ... way, you see, the testimony of the children of God ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 5 1859/how saints may help the.htm

Acts of Andrew and Matthias
... [2269] One ms. adds: And the devil answered and said to the seven wicked demons,
My children, kill him that dishonours us. [2270] Or, a bishopric. ...
/.../unknown/acts of andrew and matthias/acts of andrew and matthias.htm

An Exhortation to the People of God not to be Discouraged in their ...
... in Their Way, by the Scoffs and Contempt of Wicked Men. ... because we will not go to
the devil's diversions with ... as they are called; no, these the children of the ...
/.../selected sermons of george whitefield/an exhortation to the people.htm

Fifth Sunday after Trinity Exhortation to the Fruits of Faith.
... and a loving heart, not allowing yourself, on account of the devil and wicked men,
to be ... the sentence pronouncing them children of the curse and of eternal ...
/.../luther/epistle sermons vol iii/fifth sunday after trinity exhortation.htm

A Preliminary Discourse to Catechising
... pastors and teachers; for the edifying of the body of Christ; that we henceforth
be no more children.' The word ... While there is a devil and a wicked man in ...
/.../watson/a body of divinity/1 a preliminary discourse to.htm