It’s one of those passages we’ve heard countless times. Jesus, led by the Spirit into the wilderness, fasts for forty days and is tempted by the devil. The story feels familiar; we know the pattern. But in Matthew 4 there’s a detail that deserves our attention. When Satan tempts Jesus, he quotes Scripture. Not only that; he quotes it correctly.

The tempter says, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written: ‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’” (Matthew 4:6, quoting Psalm 91). In other words, Satan knows the Bible—and he uses it against the Son of God.

For us as Brethren, that reality should give us pause. Our spiritual heritage grew out of the conviction that genuine faith is never only about knowing the text; it is about embodying it. The early Brethren movement, like its wider Anabaptist family, insisted that Scripture is meant to be lived, not merely studied. Understanding the Bible, in our tradition, has always been a matter of obedience, humility, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The devil’s knowledge of Scripture in the wilderness reminds us that biblical literacy alone does not equal faithfulness.

Knowledge without Obedience

Menno Simons once wrote, “The Scriptures without the Spirit are a dead letter which killeth; but the Spirit with the Scriptures quickeneth.” Our own Brethren founders echoed that idea in different words: faith must take shape in daily life. We are not saved by right knowledge but by a right relationship—one that produces love, service, and obedience.

In the wilderness, Satan demonstrates that it is possible to know the words of God without knowing the heart of God. He recites verses like a theologian, yet his intent is manipulation. He quotes the psalm to justify pride.

When Jesus responds, “It is written,” he does more than out-quote the devil. He reads Scripture in light of God’s character and mission. He refuses to turn the Word into a tool for self-interest, spectacle, or power. In doing so, he models what the Brethren tradition calls discernment through obedience. We interpret Scripture rightly only when we live it rightly.

For Brethren, this is central. The Word of God is not a sword for debate but a seed for transformation. When Scripture is used to justify control, privilege, or domination, it ceases to be a word of life. To use the Bible for our own gain is to echo the voice of the tempter rather than the voice of Christ.

The Three Temptations as Warnings

Each of the devil’s temptations invites Jesus to misuse something good.

• “Turn these stones to bread.” The temptation to meet immediate needs through power rather than trust. How often the Church is tempted to use its influence to secure comfort or reputation instead of dependence on God.
  
• “Throw yourself down.” The temptation to make faith a spectacle; to demand proof of God’s favor instead of resting in His will.
  
• “Bow down and worship me.” The temptation to compromise for influence. This is the ancient deal still offered to the Church: gain the world, lose your soul.

Each temptation distorts something good—provision, protection, power—by separating it from obedience. And each temptation, in its own way, still stalks the Church.

Reading with the Spirit, Living in Community

Brethren have long believed that Scripture must be read through the life and teaching of Jesus. He is our lens and our standard. The devil quotes Psalm 91 accurately, yet Jesus interprets it faithfully—through the Spirit, through humility, and through the Father’s will.

That same Spirit-led reading remains our call. But we also add something distinctively Brethren: we read together. From our earliest gatherings, Brethren have practiced communal discernment, believing that truth is best discovered in the fellowship of believers seeking the mind of Christ together. The Word is not private property. It belongs to the community that lives it out.

This matters because the devil’s misuse of Scripture was not only intellectual; it was relational. He sought to isolate Jesus, to detach Him from trust in the Father and from the mission to redeem humanity. In the same way, Scripture detached from the Spirit and the Body of Christ easily becomes self-serving.

The Brethren way insists that knowledge must always lead to love. We don’t read Scripture merely to be right; we read it to become righteous—that is, rightly related to God and others. The Bible is not a manual for control but a call to cruciform living.

When Scripture Becomes a Weapon in Our World

We see this same temptation alive today. It is easy to find voices in our culture—especially in politics—who quote Scripture not to serve Christ but to sanctify their own agendas. Verses are pulled from context to defend cruelty, nationalism, or greed. Leaders invoke “biblical values” while ignoring the humility, mercy, and justice that define the kingdom of God.

In recent months, even the conversation surrounding the tragic murder of Charlie Kirk has revealed how quickly Scripture can become a shield for hatred or vengeance. People who claim Christ use sacred words to deepen division and justify hostility. It is the same wilderness temptation dressed in twenty-first-century clothes: the urge to use God’s Word for power rather than repentance.

As Brethren, we are called to a different posture. We remember that Jesus refused to seize power by manipulation; He chose the cross instead. Faithfulness for us does not mean winning arguments but bearing witness to a better kingdom. It means speaking truth, yes—but with gentleness, with tears, and with the conviction that love is stronger than coercion.

The Word that Cannot Be Twisted

At the end of the story, Jesus sends the devil away. The enemy flees not because he ran out of verses but because the living Word stood firm in obedient love. The written Word became flesh and refused to be weaponized.

That is the calling of every follower of Jesus, and especially of the Brethren. We are invited to let the Word become flesh again—in our patience, in our gentleness, in our integrity. To let our reading of Scripture shape our living, and our living shape our reading.

Satan knows the Bible. He always has. What he does not understand is love—the self-giving, cross-bearing, resurrection-shaped love that defines our Lord. That love is what makes Scripture come alive. It is what makes the Church different. It is what makes us Brethren.

So we must read Scripture as Jesus did: through the Spirit, through obedience, and through the mind of Christ formed in community. The devil can quote the Bible; only the disciple can live it.

Respectfully Submitted,
Patrick Sprague
Member, North Central Regional Leadership Team