March/April 2001
Is the Devil Dead?
by Keith Stump
In a classic Twilight Zone episode from 1960, an American on a walking trip through central Europe gets caught in a raging storm. Staggering through the blinding rain, he chances upon an imposing medieval castle. It is a hermitage for a brotherhood of monks. The reclusive monks reluctantly take him in. Later that night, the American discovers a cell with a man locked inside. An ancient wooden staff bolts the door. The prisoner claims he's being held captive by the "insane" head monk, Brother Jerome. He pleads for the American to release him. The prisoner's kindly face and gentle voice win him over. The American confronts Brother Jerome, who declares that the prisoner is actually none other than Satan the devil himself -- "the father of lies" -- held captive in the cell by the Staff of Truth, the one barrier he cannot pass!
This incredible claim convinces the American that Jerome is indeed mad. So as soon as he gets the chance, he releases the prisoner -- who immediately transforms himself into a hideous horned demon and vanishes in a puff of smoke!
The stunned American is horrified at the realization of what he has done. Jerome responds sympathetically. "I'm sorry for you, my son. All your life you will remember this night and whom you have turned loose upon the world."
"I didn't believe you," the American replies. "I saw him and didn't recognize him" -- to which Jerome solemnly observes, "That is man's weakness... and Satan's strength."
Widespread Disbelief
If a failure to be recognized is Satan's strength, then he is indeed in a strong position in modern America.
According to national surveys conducted by Barna Research, most Americans do not believe in Satan. Fully 60 percent of American adults -- six out of ten -- believe that Satan "is not a living being but a symbol of evil." Only 25 percent "believe strongly" that Satan is a real being.
| Forty-five percent of Christians who describe themselves as "born again" deny Satan's existence. |
Among Catholics, 70 percent say the devil is non-existent. Sixty-two percent of mainline Protestant churchgoers, 49 percent of non-mainline Protestant churchgoers, and 43 percent of Baptists also agree that Satan is only a symbol of evil. Forty-five percent of Christians who describe themselves as "born again" deny Satan's existence.
These statistics may seem surprising in view of the fact that a majority of Americans regard the Bible as the authoritative word of God. Many, however, choose not to take its text at face value, especially when it comes to the supernatural -- hence the trivialization of Satan as a red-suited being with horns, pointed tail and pitchfork. To many, Satan is a "myth," much like Santa Claus.
The Great Adversary
This widespread disbelief in the reality of Satan is a relatively recent development in Christianity.
During the Middle Ages, belief in Satan was taken very seriously. To medieval Christians, the devil was a real, living being. He was the Great Adversary, the Prince of Darkness, the Monarch of Hell -- the chief spirit of evil in the universe.
Belief in the devil was an important factor in daily life. Many Christians saw the hand of Satan and his demons in every little mishap and inconvenience they happened to experience through the day. No one doubted that Satan and his demonic cohorts actively promoted sinfulness in the world.
In the popular medieval mystery plays -- religious dramas on subjects drawn from the Bible -- God the Father and Jesus shared the stage with Satan, who acted the part of the intriguer, seducer or prosecuting attorney. Satan was invariably thwarted in his efforts and made to look the fool -- to the enthusiastic cheers of the crowd.
Another favorite conception of medieval Christianity was the belief that the devil's services could be procured by those ready to surrender their souls to him. Perhaps the best-known example is the popular legend of Faust, a German scholar believed to have sold his soul to the devil in exchange for youth, power and knowledge.
Witches and heretics were widely believed to be in league with the devil. These "worshippers of Satan" were seen as a serious threat to the welfare of church and state. Tribunals were instituted to investigate such deviations. The gross abuses of the medieval Inquisition are well known, wherein torture was employed as a means of extracting recantations or obtain evidence of liaisons with the devil.
The Protestant Reformation did not introduce a sudden change in the belief in the devil. Satan was very real to the German religious reformer Martin Luther, who is said to have thrown an inkwell at Satan when attacked by him in Wartburg Castle. (The ink stain on the wall is still shown to visitors.)
But in time, as the influence of Christianity began to wane as a dominant force in Western culture, so too did belief in Satan.
The Enemy Within
With the rise of modern science, many began to view belief in Satan and demons as a relic of the fear-based religious tyranny of the Middle Ages.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, some theologians began to openly question the existence of Satan as an actual being. The enemy is not "out there," they declared, but within ourselves. "Satan" is a dark force lurking in the hearts and minds of all individuals.
They suggested that the notion of a personal Satan had developed because of the need to explain the rampant evil pervading human experience. Satan was a convenient, but fanciful, personification of the wickedness that abides in the world.
In support of this view, they suggested that the concept of a personal Satan was unknown to the early
Hebrews, but had made its way into Jewish religious thought during the Exile under the influence of the dualistic Persian theology of Zoroastrianism and continued into Christian doctrine.
When Jesus claimed to have seen Satan fall from heaven, they explained he was merely personalizing evil and engaging in hyperbole. When Jesus applied the name "Satan" to Peter, he was showing us that "Satan" refers to any force or idea that runs counter to God's will.
Despite such arguments, it remains difficult for many Christians to accept such a position. Taken at face value, the Bible clearly teaches the reality of Satan, demons and a spirit world.
Though evil is indeed active within human behavior, the Bible indicates that it is not entirely contained there. Evil, scripture declares, is also a concrete reality outside of man!
The Origin of Evil
The origin of evil has been much debated through the centuries. How can we reconcile the existence of evil with the omnipotence of a good God?
The Bible declares God to be morally perfect and holy. It is impossible for God to sin. But God gave angels -- and, later, humans -- the power of choice, the freedom to express themselves as they desire. By granting his creation free will, God made evil possible. He is not the moving cause of evil; he permits it, but does not promote it.
Many commentators believe the origin of Satan, and of evil, is the subject of Isaiah 14:12-15 and Ezekiel 28:11-17. These passages imply that Satan was originally a powerful angelic being, a wise and beautiful cherub that covered God's throne with his wings. But his heart became proud because of his beauty, and his wisdom became corrupted.
Pride and ambition led to rebellion. "I will make myself like the Most High," he declared. He thus fell from his original sinless
state and was cast from heaven by his Creator: "How you have fallen from heaven, O morning star [translated as Lucifer in the Latin Vulgate], son of the dawn!" (Isaiah 14:12).
Lucifer (literally, "light bearer") refers to an attribute of Satan before his fall. Jesus clearly equated Lucifer with Satan when he said, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven" (Luke 10:18).
The Hebrew name Satan means "adversary." Satan is also called the devil (Greek diabolos), meaning "slanderer" or "accuser." The angels who joined Satan in his rebellion against God are commonly referred to as demons or unclean spirits.
Satan's sin introduced evil into the universe. Later, Satan misrepresented God's motives to Adam and Eve. As described in Genesis, they were created sinless, in the image of God. But they were given the freedom to choose whether to obey their Creator. When tempted by the serpent -- subsequently identified as Satan (Revelation 12:9) -- to eat the forbidden fruit, they chose to disobey God. Sin thus entered the human race.
This act of disobedience had far-reaching consequences. Adam and Eve became alienated from God and subject to suffering and death. A corrupt nature -- an inner moral sickness -- was passed on to their descendants, manifesting itself in the tendency to choose self interest over God's will.
The Bible does not answer all our questions about evil, Satan and demons. But it makes it clear that evil -- defined as that which is contrary to the nature and will of God -- is an objective reality as well as an inner human tendency. Satan has been an evil force in every generation.
But the Bible also shows that Satan, as a created being, is in no way equal to God. Though God's chief antagonist, Satan is not God's opposite, for he was created by God and is under God's control.
Though the devil is defeated, God is allowing him to keep his power until the end of the present age. Satan's dominion and influence as "god of this age" (see sidebar) will cease at the return of Jesus Christ.
A Personal Satan
Biblical references to the reality of the spirit world are abundant, including numerous passages that clearly represent Satan as a personal being.
In the book of Job, it is Satan who cynically charges that Job serves God only for personal gain. It is Satan who rises up against Israel and incites David to take a census (1 Chronicles 21). It is Satan who accuses Joshua the high priest (Zechariah 3).
The idea of Satan the devil as a personal being is further reflected in the New Testament, which mentions Satan by name 36 times, and refers to him as the devil 33 more. Among these references:
· Jesus confronts Satan the tempter (Matthew 4).
· Jesus declares he saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven (Luke 10:18).
· An eternal fire has been prepared for the devil and his angels (Matthew 25:41; Revelation 20:10).
· Satan enters into Judas Iscariot (Luke 22:3).
· Satan hinders Paul's travels (1 Thessalonians 2:18).
· Peter warns Christians that the devil prowls around like a roaring lion seeking for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8).
· Satan battles with the archangel Michael (Revelation 12:7-9).
It must be remembered, however, that these passages are sometimes interpreted in other ways. Some scholars use techniques of biblical analysis that tend to interpret verses symbolically rather than literally. While others might regard such an approach as an unjustified denigration of the biblical text, it should not, of itself, become a point of division among Christians.
Belief in a personal Satan is not generally considered an essential doctrine of the Christian faith. It is not in the same category as belief in humanity's fallenness and culpability, the deity and humanity of Christ, the bodily resurrection, and salvation by grace through faith.
Put simply: To be a Christian, one must believe in Jesus; belief in Satan is not essential. The truth of the gospel does not rise or fall on the existence of a personal devil.
Spiritual Warfare
What, then, are the practical considerations of believing, or not believing, in Satan? Does disbelief in Satan leave one open to his efforts, as is often alleged?
In one sense, it makes little difference whether evil arises solely from within ourselves or whether Satan and his demons provoke us to sin. It is sin either way -- and we have a duty to resist! Either way, we need to be delivered from its bondage by God's grace through Jesus Christ.
At the same time, conservative Christians must take care to avoid a preoccupation with Satan and demons. Undue emphasis on the power of demons can serve to excuse our own sinful actions and mitigate our sense of responsibility for the harm we inflict on others.
There are those who see Satan and his demons under every rock and behind every tree. They view the Christian life as one of continual "spiritual warfare," fighting off incessant attacks by Satan and his demons.
To them, the world is one vast supernatural battlefield. Confronting and rebuking demons becomes a daily exercise.
Aside from being unscriptural, this approach often results in a fearful and paranoid existence, a life with little joy and happiness, reminiscent of the superstitious tendencies of medieval Christians.
Fight Evil!
In the final analysis, regardless of the view one holds about Satan, all Christians can agree on this: the existence of sin calls for action!
Even if we don't fully understand evil, we can still fight it! Humans are morally responsible for the evil they allow to enter their lives. We have a choice between light and darkness, good and evil, right and wrong -- whatever its source. Our lives -- now and for eternity -- are defined by our choices.
The fact of sin makes salvation necessary. All humans need the deliverance God offers through Jesus Christ. Jesus has won the victory over Satan. By his death and resurrection, he shattered the power of Satan and drove him out (John 12:31; Colossians 2:15). All believers have a part in that victory. We need not fear Satan and his demons. Evil is always subordinate to good. "The one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world," John assures us (1 John 4:4). Satan can never make us act against our will! "Resist the devil," James declares, "and he will flee from you" (James 4:7).
God's battle with evil has been fought and won, but our struggle continues. We still have to face temptations and trials. We must "take our stand against the devil's schemes" (Ephesians 6:11). We must "resist him, standing firm in the faith" (1 Peter 5:9).
Our best defense against evil is a right relationship with God through the application of Christ's atoning blood to our hearts and minds. Before it, Satan is rendered powerless -- and, indeed, irrelevant!
As Christians, we live in two ages at once. Our salvation and God's kingdom is already here, but not yet in its fullness. Likewise, Satan has been defeated, but he still works against the gospel. He is free to do his work on the earth until the end of the age, when his influence will finally cease at the return of Jesus Christ.
In the meantime, consider this simple suggestion: Resist evil -- whatever its source, however it manifests itself -- and leave the theorizing about it to the theologians.
Keith Stump is an author, script writer, historian and archaeologist.