Romans 16
20 The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.
Often the question asked. If God does it why do other places in the Bible say “I” must do it. e.g.: 1 Timothy 6:12 “Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life”. Other verses say “cleanse yourself”; “resist the devil”, “stop lying”, “humble yourselves”. Also: Psalm 34:14 “Depart from evil and do good; Seek peace and pursue it.” Jeremiah 29:13 “And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.” Matt 5:9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God” .
Is there any contradiction. No, God has provided the means, through our Lord Jesus Christ. Satan, in trying to bruise and crush Him at Calvary had his head bruised and crushed, fulfilling God’s promise of Genesis 3: 15. Jesus bruised heel crushes Satan’s head.
Hebrews 2: 14 & 15 Jesus came to crush Satan for us to release us. Is 53: 5: “He carried our chastisement for our peace.” Jesus became flesh so that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death…and deliver…” Romans 5:1 Therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Peace starts when you were born again and when Jesus Christ came into your life and washed all your sins away. Unless sin is removed, there is no peace in the heart.
God is at war with Satan and his works – sin.
Power of peace: Peace is not crushed obedience to dictatorship. Islamic peace is forced peace by crushing opposition and everyone lives under Sharia law. Bombs kill many every day from Islamic organisations. They honestly believe they are bring peace.
The most peaceful place is a graveyard, where everything is absolutely in submission to the power of death. No-one can rise above his circumstances. In that sense, Jesus is the peace-breaker and the war-maker. Matt 10: v. 34 he says, “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.”
The verse could have said: God has crushed Satan, but it says “God of peace has…”. Peace is a conquering force. It is not something fragile. There is power in peace because Jesus Christ brought this peace. One of the last words of Jesus Christ to His disciples was in Jn. 14:27 and He says Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you, not as the world gives do I give to you. It is a powerful peace.
Only assurance that we are in God’s will is His peace. (Yet, be careful, many feel “peaceful” while they sin.
E.g.: Jessica Hawn, former church secretary who committed immoral acts with Jim Bakker (former host of the PTL Club), and later brought down the PTL empire, said today (9-28-87) that God gave her “real peace” about granting an interview to Playboy magazine and posing for topless pictures.
Guide our feet to way of peace: Right at the end of the prophecy of Zacharias in the gospel of Luke 2:79 :To guide our feet into the way of peace. Now his prophecy was about John the Baptizer but here is a wonderful truth. The phrase says to guide our feet into the way of peace. His message of repentance and “Behold the Lamb who takes away sin”. Therefore, peace is a way, a way that we walk. It is the will of God. No other place is more powerful than to be in God’s perfect will. When we are in God’s perfect will, we are in the shadow of the Most High or the secret place of the Most High that David talked about. In that place no evil shall be found neither shall any plague come near your dwelling place. You shall not be afraid of the arrow that flies by day or the pestilence that walk at night.
Then, God crushes Satan under our feet, because of the power of His peace.
Peace is guarding force: Phil 4:7 speaks of the peace of God, which passes all understanding, which will guard (garrison) your hearts and minds.
Let His peace reign: Now, God will do it but you must allow it to happen. Col 4:15. Let the peace of God rule in your hearts. …called in one body. Fellowship: “under your feet was in the church context”. For individual within his church fellowship.
Let His peace also means allowing peace to be your umpire or referee; follow the rules of the game.
Let God continually crush the Satan who helps us make excuses for our sin.
Final answer to question: He shall do it. Under our feet. He does it, we must allow Him to do it and walk in His peace. Walk in peace by remembering, verse 19 of Rom 16 says “be wise in what is good and simple/innocent in what is evil”.