Is Satan the Ultimate Cause of Unbelief in Paul’ s Mission? Paul’ s View of Satan’ s Power in 2 Cor 4:3-4 and Its Missional Implications

Is Satan the Ultimate Cause of Unbelief in Paul’ s Mission? Paul’ s View of Satan’ s Power in 2 Cor 4:3-4 and Its Missional Implications

This article examines Paul’s view of Satan’s power ex pressed in 2 Cor 4:3-4 to show that contrary to the so called “apocalyptic” interpretation of Paul, this passage does not emphasize Satanic rule as the ultimate cause of unbelief. Given the observation that Paul identifies the cause of the unbelief of Gentiles, on the one hand as Satan’s blinding work in 2 Cor 4:4, and on the other hand as the problem of their veiled heart and hardened mind in 2 Cor 4:3; 3:12-18, it is better to understand Satan’s influence and the hardened mind as two distinct causes of unbelief without prioritizing one over the other. The very fact that Paul refers back to Israel’s post-exodus life under God’s care in the wilderness as the time when Israel’s mind was hardened in 2 Cor 3:12 18 implies that this phenomenon of hardening is an internal problem that arose while under God’s protection apart from Satan’s inference, and that Satan’s blinding influence is an additional problem introduced later in history. This pattern of thinking is attested in at least two Second Temple Jewish texts, where Israel’s hardening and blindness are described as their own problems and Satan’s rule over them began only after they are sent into exile. These shared patterns in the Old Testament and some strands of Second Temple Jewish thought make it plausible that Paul similarly identifies the internal problem of hardened mind as one cause of unbelief that began to operate at least from the time of the exodus generation of Israel, and Satan’s blinding power as another cause of unbelief that was added afterwards. For Paul, then, we can conclude, the internal problem of hardened mind and Satanic rule are two distinct yet collaborating causes of un belief in his day. A proper missional strategy that counteract these dual causes of unbelief should combine both spiritual battle and character formation.

This article examines Paul’s view of Satan’s power ex pressed in 2 Cor 4:3-4 to show that contrary to the so called “apocalyptic” interpretation of Paul, this passage does not emphasize Satanic rule as the ultimate cause of unbelief. Given the observation that Paul identifies the cause of the unbelief of Gentiles, on the one hand as Satan’s blinding work in 2 Cor 4:4, and on the other hand as the problem of their veiled heart and hardened mind in 2 Cor 4:3; 3:12-18, it is better to understand Satan’s influence and the hardened mind as two distinct causes of unbelief without prioritizing one over the other. The very fact that Paul refers back to Israel’s post-exodus life under God’s care in the wilderness as the time when Israel’s mind was hardened in 2 Cor 3:12 18 implies that this phenomenon of hardening is an internal problem that arose while under God’s protection apart from Satan’s inference, and that Satan’s blinding influence is an additional problem introduced later in history. This pattern of thinking is attested in at least two Second Temple Jewish texts, where Israel’s hardening and blindness are described as their own problems and Satan’s rule over them began only after they are sent into exile. These shared patterns in the Old Testament and some strands of Second Temple Jewish thought make it plausible that Paul similarly identifies the internal problem of hardened mind as one cause of unbelief that began to operate at least from the time of the exodus generation of Israel, and Satan’s blinding power as another cause of unbelief that was added afterwards. For Paul, then, we can conclude, the internal problem of hardened mind and Satanic rule are two distinct yet collaborating causes of un belief in his day. A proper missional strategy that counteract these dual causes of unbelief should combine both spiritual battle and character formation.