Who is Satan?
Scripture does not open with Satan; he appears already fallen, already at work in Eden, and the Bible traces him from that moment to his final judgment. Reading those passages together gives a portrait of a real, created being — his name, his ruin, his present power, and his defeat.
The Names Given to Him
Several titles are used for the same being, and each one describes a role rather than a mood. One writer notes how Scripture stacks them together so the identification cannot be missed:
F. B. HoleAs Satan he is the adversary. As the devil he is the accuser. He is the old serpent of the opening book of the Bible, and the dragon of the closing book. All through the ages his aim has been to "deceive the nations."
Where He Came From
The Bible never gives a plain narrative of his beginning, and commentators are careful about how much they claim from the passages usually applied to him:
Morrish Bible DictionaryThe origin of Satan is not definitely stated, but if Ezekiel 28:12-19 refers to him, under the title of the king of Tyre (as was believed very early in the church, and may be correct), he is described as the anointed cherub that covers... He was perfect in his ways from the day he was created, until iniquity was found in him.
The Sin That Ruined Him
What went wrong was not weakness but refusal to stay a creature. Writing on the book of Job, one commentator describes the fall of the highest of God's servants:
Samuel RidoutDazzled with his own glory, willfully forgetting the creature-place which he must always keep, he has fallen into pride ("the condemnation of the devil"), by which he became the bitter, eternal enemy of all that is good, and of God Himself.
Not a Second God
He is powerful, but he is not God's opposite number. His abilities stop where every creature's abilities stop:
A. J. PollockIt is worth emphasising that Satan does not possess powers beyond creature range... Satan is neither omnipotent, omniscient, nor omnipresent. People often say lightly, "The Devil tempted me." Did he? Possibly he did through his agents, but the Devil can only be in one place at once.
More than that, he acts only inside a boundary God sets. Commenting on Job, another writer draws out the comfort in this:
C. H. MackintoshHe has no power whatever over a soul who stays in the place of dependence and obedience; and, blessed be God! he cannot, in any case, go one hair's breadth beyond the limit set by divine command.
His Present Position
People often assume his grip loosened once the Christian message spread. One writer argues the exact reverse — the titles came after Christ came:
J. N. DarbyPeople imagine the worst of fancies, that when Christianity was introduced Satan stopped being the god of this world — it is just the opposite. Satan was never called the god of this world until Christianity came, and then came the total setting aside of this world, and the perfect demonstration that Satan was its prince.
Beaten at the Cross
The moment that looked like his triumph turned out to be his undoing:
J. G. BellettCalvary was the hour of the power of darkness. All Satan's resources were brought up there, and all his subtlety put forth; but he was overthrown. His captive was his conqueror. By death, He destroyed the one who had the power of it.
How He Attacks Christians Now
Because the contest was already settled by Another, what remains to be feared is not force but trickery:
William KellyWe have to stand, not so much against the strength of the devil (Christ did this) as against his wiles. In truth, he is to us a defeated foe in the cross; and we are entitled always to treat him as such. Therefore James says, "Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."
Summary
- Adversary. The name itself means opponent; devil means accuser, and serpent and dragon describe the same being — a person, not a symbol of evil.
- Creature. He was made, was perfect in his ways at first, and fell through pride by refusing the high place God gave him.
- Limited. Not all-powerful, not all-knowing, not everywhere at once, and never able to move one step past the boundary God sets.
- Prince. He now holds the position of god of this age, and his method is deception — of nations, and of individuals.
- Defeated. The cross annulled his power; for the Christian he is already a beaten enemy, so his wiles are met by resistance and he flees.