约壹三8　犯罪的是出于魔鬼，因为魔鬼从起初就犯罪。为此，神的儿子显现出来，是要消除魔鬼的作为。

　　来二14　儿女既同有血肉之体，祂也照样亲自有分于血肉之体，为要借着死，废除那掌死权的，就是魔鬼。
　　新受膏的王是在祂的人性里，站在人的立场上禁食〔太四1~11〕。另一面祂也是神的儿子，就如父神在祂受浸时所宣告的。祂要为着诸天的国完成祂的职事，就必须以人的身分击败神的仇敌，就是魔鬼，撒但。祂必须以人的身分来作这件事。因此，祂站在人的地位上，面对神的仇敌。魔鬼知道这事，就来试诱祂，要祂离开人的地位，自居神儿子的地位。四十天以前，父神从天上宣告祂是父的爱子。那狡猾的试诱者，就以父神的宣告作根据试诱祂。如果祂在仇敌面前，自居神儿子的地位，祂就会失去击败仇敌的立场（马太福音生命读经，一五七页）。

　　1 John 3:8 He who practices sin is of the devil, because the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.

　　Heb. 2:14 Since therefore the children have shared in blood and flesh, He also Himself in like manner partook of the same, that through death He might destroy him who has the might of death, that is, the devil.

　　The newly anointed King fasted in His humanity, standing on the ground of a man [Matt. 4:1-11]. However, He was also the Son of God, as God the Father had declared at His baptism. For Him to accomplish His ministry for the kingdom of the heavens, He had to defeat God's enemy, the devil, Satan. This He must do as a man. Hence, He stood as a man to confront the enemy of God. The devil, knowing this, tempted Him to leave the standing of man and assume His position as the Son of God. Forty days before, God the Father declared from the heavens that He was the beloved Son of the Father. The subtle tempter took that declaration of God the Father as the ground to tempt Him. If He assumed His position as the Son of God before the enemy, He would have lost the standing to defeat him. (Life-study of Matthew, p. 139)

　　马太四章四节〔记载，主耶稣〕说，“经上记着，‘人活着不是单靠食物，乃是靠神口里所出的一切话。’”那试诱者试诱新王，要祂站在神儿子的地位上。但祂用经上的话回答说，“人……， ”指明祂是站在人的地位上对付仇敌。鬼称耶稣为神的儿子（八29），但邪灵不承认耶稣是在肉体里来的（约壹四3），因为它们一承认耶稣是人，就是承认自己失败了。鬼虽然承认耶稣是神的儿子，魔鬼却不让人信祂是神的儿子，因为人一旦这样信，就必得救（约二十31）。主耶稣对那试诱者所说的“人”字，乃是击杀的字。在马太四章十节主耶稣说，“撒但，退去吧！因为经上记着，‘当拜主你的神，单要事奉祂。’”撒但，来自希伯来文，意对头。他不仅在神的国之外作神的仇敌，也在神的国之内作神的对头，背叛神。新王斥责魔鬼的提议，并站在人的立场上敬拜神，单单事奉神，借以击败魔鬼。为利敬拜或事奉神以外的任何事物，总是魔鬼的试诱，要取得人的敬拜。主似乎对撒但说，“撒但，我耶稣是人，我敬拜神，单单事奉祂。你是神的仇敌，我绝不敬拜你。我不在意世上的万国或万国的荣耀。撒但，离开我吧！”
　　十一节说，“于是魔鬼离开了耶稣，看哪，有天使进前来服事祂。”魔鬼对头一个人亚当的试诱虽然成功了，但他对第二个人基督的试诱，却完全失败了。这指明魔鬼在新王的诸天之国里，毫无地位。主耶稣击败撒但之后，天使进前来服事受试诱的王这受苦的人（参路二二43）（马太福音生命读经，一五八、一六五至一六六页）。

约壹三章八节启示，主耶稣在地上尽职时，消除魔鬼的作为：“为此，神的儿子显现出来，是要消除魔鬼的作为。”为此，直译，向此。即向这目的、为这缘故。魔鬼从古时就不断地犯罪，并生出罪人与他一同实行罪。为这缘故，神的儿子显现出来，要消除并毁坏魔鬼罪恶的作为，就是借十字架上的死，在肉体中定罪那恶者所起始的罪（罗八3）；毁坏罪的权势，就是魔鬼罪恶的性情（来二14）；并且除去罪与诸罪（新约总论第三册，二五〇页）。
　　参读：马太福音生命读经，第十一篇。

　　Matthew 4:4 says, "...It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out through the mouth of God.'" The tempter tempted the new King to take His position as the Son of God. But He answered with the word of the Scriptures, "Man," indicating that He stood in the position of man to deal with the enemy. The demons addressed Jesus as the Son of God (8:29), but the evil spirits did not confess that Jesus came in the flesh (1 John 4:3), because by confessing Jesus as a man, they would be defeated. Although the demons confess Jesus as the Son of God, the devil does not want people to believe that He is the Son of God, because in so doing they will be saved (John 20:31). The word "man" spoken by the Lord Jesus to the tempter was a killing word.

　　In Matthew 4:10 the Lord Jesus said, "Go away, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve.'" Satan in Greek means "adversary." He is not only God's enemy outside God's kingdom, but also the adversary within God's kingdom, rebelling against God. The new King rebuked the devil's presentation and defeated him by standing on the ground of man to worship and serve God only. To worship or to serve anything other than God for gain is always the devil's temptation to secure worship. The Lord seemed to be saying to Satan, "Satan, as a man, I, Jesus, worship God and serve Him only. You are God's enemy, and I will never worship you. I don't care for the glory of the world or for the kingdoms of the world. Satan, get away from Me!"

　　Verse 11 says, "Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him." The devil's temptation of the first man, Adam, was a success; his temptation of the second man, Christ, was an absolute failure. This indicates that he will have no place in the new King's kingdom of the heavens. After the Lord Jesus defeated Satan, angels came and ministered to the tempted King as a suffering man (cf. Luke 22:43). (Life-study of Matthew, pp. 139-140, 146-147)

　　First John 3:8 reveals that as He ministered on earth the Lord Jesus was undoing the works of the devil: "For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil." The Greek word rendered "destroy" may also be translated "undo, loose, dissolve." Also, the Greek word translated "for this" literally means "unto this," that is, to this end, for this purpose. The devil sins continually from ancient times and begets sinners to practice sin with him. Hence, for this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might undo and destroy the devil's sinful deeds—that is, condemn, through death on the cross in the flesh (Rom. 8:3), sin initiated by him, the evil one; destroy the power of sin, the sinful nature of the devil (Heb. 2:14); and take away both sin and sins. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, pp. 746-747)

　　Further Reading: Life-study of Matthew, msg. 11