Evil is complex, and our Bible provides insights that we cannot find anywhere else. The simple story is that Satan, a fallen angel who rebelled against God, seeks to lead humanity away from righteousness, away from God. Satan is at liberty to wander the earth, even visit heaven, where he can engage in a dialogue with God. He tempts individuals to sin (1 John 3:8; Matthew 4:1–11). The Scriptures allow us the privilege to hear directly from Satan. In the opening of the Book of Job, he talks to God directly about Job. It will be here that we can gain an understanding of the power of evil in our world. Satan’s role in the story revolves around testing Job’s faith. Satan is portrayed as a spiritual being with the ability to affect human lives, often causing harm. He argues that Job’s piety is contingent on his blessings. We first learn that Satan is ultimately subservient to God. Although he has the power to harm people, it is only because God grants him this authority. For instance, at the beginning of the Book of Job, God allows Satan to harm anything that belongs to Job, except Job’s own body. In Job 1, God says to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one like him on earth, a blameless and upright man who fears God and turns away from evil.” Yes, Satan causes disasters, but his actions are always within the boundaries set by God.
When God allows Satan to afflict Job with physical suffering, Job’s unwavering faith surprises Satan. Despite immense hardship, Job refuses to curse God. Job 2 begins to document the painful sores inflicted on Job by Satan. Despite Job’s suffering, he remains solid in his faith and does not sin by denigrating or blaming God. We can begin to see one of Satan’s characteristics emerging that plays to the advantage of evil. It is sin! Sin, came into our world when our first foreparents, Adam and Eve, directly disobeyed God, leading to their fall and banishment from Eden (Genesis 3). This disobedience introduced sin and evil into the world (Romans 5:12–14). But the “Gorilla in the Room” lies with humanity’s original creation with free will. We are a separate creation from God, with the freedom to choose how we will interact with the world around us, including God. This thing called “free will” grants each of us the power to break our relationship with God on our own, Satan is free to lead us to evil and suffering if we choose to follow him.
(Isaiah 45:7)1NIV New International Version Translatiosn – “I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the Lord, do all these things.”
The verse from Isaiah tells us that God says, “I make peace and create evil.” The Hebrew word for “evil” here is ra’ah, which refers to calamity, disaster, or hardship. It does not imply moral wickedness. God never causes anyone to sin! The Bible never attributes the creation of moral wickedness (rasha’) to God. God is consistently described as good and just (Mark 10:18; Psalm 111:7). What we learn about Satan from Job is that evil comes from a combination of Satan’s influence, human choices, and the risks inherent in free will. God did not directly create evil but allowed us the freedom to choose love and a relationship with Him.
In Hebrew, Satan means “The Accuser” or “The Prosecutor.” He searches out wrongdoings and appears as an accuser. Satan isn’t acting as a tempter here but rather as someone who challenges religious pretensions. To be religiously pretentious is to claim a level of religious devotion, knowledge, or piety that you do not genuinely have. It involves presenting oneself as more devout, righteous, or spiritually advanced than one truly is.
There is one more place that we can use to fully understand the nature of evil in our world. It is in the story of how Jesus, after fasting for 40 days, faced three specific temptations from Satan. Jesus responded to each temptation with Scripture, demonstrating His unwavering commitment to God (Matthew 4:1–11; Luke 4:1–13). Satan tempts Jesus directly, knowing that Jesus is the Son of God. Jesus’ authority is evident, and Satan’s efforts are futile. Jesus is without sin, and His will is that of His Father, not subject to humanity’s many flaws. Satan tempts Jesus with three specific challenges:
- To turn stones into bread (appealing to physical needs).
- To throw Himself down from the temple (appealing to pride and testing God’s protection).
- To worship Satan in exchange for worldly power (appealing to ambition).
Jesus resists all temptations, asserting His unwavering commitment to God. Satan departs, and angels minister to Jesus. How many of today’s leaders could come close to passing that same test?
(1 John 3:8) – “The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.”
In Summary
From these two encounters between God (and Jesus) and Satan, we can finally list Satan’s characteristics.
- Who is Satan? An accuser who stands against God’s chosen people (Zechariah 3:1–2).
- Deceit: Satan is associated with the serpent who deceived Eve in the Garden of Eden (2 Corinthians 11:3).
- Impact on humanity: Satan’s influence on human hearts and his role in deception are well documented in Scripture (Acts 5:3). Satan is real, and he is effective.
- The source of false information and murder: Jesus describes Satan as a murderer, liar, and the source of falsehood (John 8:44).
- Satan has influence: Jesus directly addresses Satan’s influence when Peter opposes God’s plan (Matthew 16:23).
- Impact on our World: Satan is a thief who seeks to harm and destroy, contrasting with Jesus’, who came to bring abundant life (John 10:10).
- Humanity’s response must be: To resist Satan’s interference in our world through submission to God (James 4:7).
- The End Game: This passage speaks of Satan’s ultimate defeat by God (Romans 16:20).
The verses above provide us with an insight into Satan’s character. Can you identify evil? Just look for deception and direct opposition to God. Be reassured that God’s Truth and Jesus will prevail.
God’s Word does not answer the question directly of why God permits evil to exist. We know that our free will lets us make choices independently, including choosing good or evil. Evil emerges when individuals turn away from God’s intended design. Sin disrupted the perfect harmony of creation, leading to suffering, pain, and moral evil. God allowed this consequence as a result of human disobedience. Trials can strengthen our character, deepen our dependence on God, and lead to spiritual growth (1 Peter 1:6-7; James 1:2-4). Our experiences of pain allow us to comfort and support those who suffer (2 Corinthians 1:3-6). Through Jesus Christ, God provides a way to overcome evil and reconcile humanity to Himself. This world is temporary compared to the glory of eternal life (2 Corinthians 4:16-18). God promises to make all things new (Revelation 21:5). Some aspects of evil remain mysterious. Our understanding is limited, and we cannot fully comprehend God’s purposes. Despite the existence of evil, we are called to trust in God’s wisdom, goodness, and sovereignty. All things together for His ultimate purposes (Romans 8:28).
Contemplations
- How do you spot evil?
- Ideas to Explore: Is it moving you farther away from God’s Truth? Is hatred present? Does it ever bring people closer to God? Does the source have a track record of unbiased influence on our world, bringing them together?
- Do you take stories like that in Job literally, or do you view them as figurative lessons on the character of our God?
- Ideas to Explore: Is the lesson within Job that God is in charge? God even controls the extent to which evil can persist. Note: Parables are also not intended to be taken literally. They are lessons to aid in our understanding of our Creation story. What might the lessons that you see be within the Book of Job?
- Do you think that evil in our world is a problem?
- Ideas to Explore: Are the risks of war higher? Why is the average lifespan dropping in our nation? Why is there such a political divide based on hatred?
- If you had to pick a source in which you would place both your physical and spiritual future, what would it be?
- Ideas to Explore: Is wealth stable enough? With manufactured diseases, is anyone safe? Do governments have the interests and freedoms of their people at heart?
- If you had to offer the ultimate protection to yourself and your family from evil, how would you do it?
- Ideas to Explore: Where would you look? Where would you live? What would your plan look like?
- Is there any safety outside of Jesus Christ?
- Ideas to Explore: This is a serious question. Knowing you have free will and will never be sinless, how is it that people will reconcile themselves with their Creator? Do we still care as a nation? Do we still believe in eternal life?
- 1NIV New International Version Translatiosn