Jesus Christ has triumphed, and yet evil continues to have an influence. The Chief Apostle explains why and how a clear “no” can help in the fight against evil.
Chief Apostle Jean-Luc Schneider conducted a divine service in Mar del Plata, Argentina, on Wednesday, 25 March 2026. He based his sermon on Romans 16: 20: “And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.”
The Holy Spirit as our guide
“The Holy Spirit wants to tell you and me the will of God.” It is God’s will to grant us His peace. This is more than merely the absence of conflict. Rather, it “is the perfect bliss that results from perfect fellowship with God”. If human beings have the right fellowship, the right relationship with God, then they have peace.
However, this connection with God was damaged by the fall into sin. But God sent His Son so that human beings might once again have access to God and His peace. He came in order to …
- “…defeat Satan.” … “Through His sacrifice and His obedience, He overcame evil and death.”
- “…re-establish the connection with God” and “make it possible for all of us to come to Him”.
- “… defeat the accuser.” Whenever the accuser comes, Jesus is there to intercede on behalf of each one of us.
Overcome—yet still active
This victory is total and definitive, the Chief Apostle said. Yet evil is still at work. “The world is full of injustice, full of evil,” he explained, adding, “It is even active in my heart. It lives there.” We do not do the good things we want to do.
“Jesus has already overcome evil and death. But this victory is not yet visible.” The Holy Spirit helps us to recognise not only God’s will, but also the will of Satan:
- “The devil wants to separate us from God.”
- “He wants to weaken our faith and trust in God.”
- “He wants to prevent us from following Christ.” He attempts to lead us into resisting God’s will by hindering our efforts and making us believe that it is not urgent to obey what God says.
- “He seeks to destroy the unity of the Church.”
No to evil, yes to God
“What can we do?” the Chief Apostle asked.
- “We must listen to the Holy Spirit and reflect on what He says,” so that we can recognise: “Oh, that is the will of God, that is the will of the devil.”
- “Establish your priorities. What do you really want?”
- “Make up your mind and just say no to the devil and yes to God.”
“Each time we make a wrong decision, it is because we did not respect these three steps.” Even those who follow them will still sin, but it will be “possible for us to benefit from the grace of the Lord Jesus, and that makes a difference”. Through grace He will make us perfect, and He will accomplish His work. Besides, Jesus will not save individuals. “He wants to save His people.” To this end, the unity of the Church is important, because “God wants His own to be one”.
“Listen to the Holy Spirit,” Chief Apostle Jean-Luc Schneider urged. “Reflect on what He is telling you. Establish your priorities. Use your freedom to say no to the devil.”
Jesus’ yes is stronger
Jesus Christ knows our struggle with sin, and He is beside us, Chief Apostle Helge Mutschler emphasised. “He says no to sin and to the devil, but yes to us sinners.”
Sophie Berg