The Fall, Sin, and Grace
Poetry, Theology, and Worldview among Celtic Christians (5)
Part 1: Colum Cille, Altus Prosator (6)

VII
Guileless our first parents were when Satan hastened to deter them;
thus they fell, and likewise Satan and his foll’wers all were chastened.
Frail men filled with terror would be if those raging hosts they could see –
all the horror in their faces and the roaring of their paces.
By the grace of God our vision cannot see those evils hidden,
which the Lord has cast forever in dark dungeons, bound together.

VIII
Highest in th’ angelic regions, Satan and his wicked legions
were by God cast down and now dwell in the airy regions of hell,
so that fallen men, exempted from their fate, should not be tempted
by the sight of their examples to with them be wicked rebels.
Otherwise, without the fences and invisible defenses
now afforded, men might gladly sin both openly and madly.

(You can continue to sing these stanzas to the tune, Tryggare Kan Ingen Vara – “Children of the Heavenly Father”.)

Colum continues to paint out the background and backdrop of our lives in the here and now. As we have seen, he intends to emphasize the spiritual nature of our lives and the challenges that presents. God the great Creator has made all things for His glory, every creature and all the operations and patterns of the vast cosmos. All things praise the Lord, and He made human beings to continue this great work of bringing Him glory by ruling over the earth and its creatures according to the Word of God.

But Lucifer’s rebellion introduced a struggle for sovereignty throughout the cosmos. In stanzas VII and VIII Colum reports on the fall of our first parents into sin and warns of the terrors and trials lurking in the unseen, airy regions that surround us at all times.

Stanzas VII and VIII: Spiritual Warfare
Upon being cast out of heaven, Satan immediately took aim at God’s greatest creation. If he could not overthrow God in heaven, he might be able to do so on earth. Adam had been warned to “guard” the garden into which God placed him and Eve (Gen. 2.15). He should have understood that some threat existed to the sanctity of the garden and the “guileless” state in which he and Eve had been created. Colum does not elaborate the details of their fall into sin; he simply states it as a fact. From the moment of their disobedience Adam and Eve became subject to the same chastening of the Lord which had befallen Satan and the rebellious angels.

We are to understand that our “natural” – not our created – state is rebellion. Thus we exist under the judgment of God until our rebellious condition is overcome.

But we do not occupy the earth alone. Fallen spiritual beings populate the airy regions all around us, and they are fearsome, raging, relentless spiritual foes. We cannot see them, and this is an act of God’s grace, Who defends us against even greater wickedness and rebellion by making it impossible for us to observe and follow the example of the fallen angels. Humans are “frail” compared to the devil and his ilk. Thus God restrains what they – and we – might otherwise do by keeping them hidden from our sight.

Stanzas VII and VIII: Theology
Colum gestures toward three important doctrines in these stanzas: sin, grace, and spiritual warfare.

Sin is the result of rebellion against God and His economy. The origins of sin are in heaven, in Lucifer and his followers; but the consequences of sin play out mainly on earth. Sin makes human beings, who were created without sin or guile and set to rule the creation, frail and vulnerable creatures. The sin of our first parents makes us prone to sin like them, and worse. We would gladly and madly run to sin were it not for the restraining power of God.

The rebellion which began in heaven continues in the airy regions, where spiritual forces of wickedness rage against God, bringing terror and trouble on every hand. We note, however, that these demons are “bound” by God (cf. Matt. 12.22-29). He determines how much power they can wield, when, and upon whom. Thus, though our sinful condition inclines us to rebel and rage like the fallen angels, God’s grace exerts a restraining power to prevent us from being as bad as we could. And this work of grace begs the question, “Why?” Why does God restrain us? Why does He preserve us from destroying ourselves? And why does he allow this terrible spiritual struggle to continue? Colum here hints at the greater manifestation of grace to be revealed in Jesus Christ, and which he will unpack in subsequent stanzas.

Human beings are thus creatures entirely dependent on the grace of God. In His grace God made us in His image, appointed us to rule, spares us His wrath, protects us from our worst inclinations, preserves us from terrors and trials, and so invites us to wonder about His love and forbearance.

Colum is not concerned to elaborate all the details of God’s work or plan. His students can consult the Scriptures for these. Rather, he is creating a framework for life and ministry, emphasizing and explaining the priorities that should govern our lives: submission to God, resisting temptation, resting in grace, and waiting for the promised redemption of the Lord.

It is useful to have such a framework for working out our salvation, so that we are not easily distracted – like Adam and Eve – from the simplicity of God’s grace in Jesus (2 Cor. 11.3).

For reflection: How many different ways does God by His grace restrain us from our worst inclinations and desires? Give Him thanks and praise each time you become aware of His grace at work in you.

T. M. Moore

For a fuller account of the wiles and workings of the devil, order a copy of T. M.’s book, Satan Bound, from our online store.