Is There Really a Creature Named Satan?

To discuss sin, we must discuss Satan. It’s impossible to ignore his work: broken hearts and homes, abuse, disease, and immorality. The list is long and tragic. 

Satan is both real and defeated. He wants you to believe neither is true, but the choice is yours. I pray that this devotional reveals God’s truth to you.

Satan Is Real

Satan goes by a number of names in the Bible. The two we know best are “Satan” and “devil.” The former means “accuser” and is found thirty-four times in Scripture—the one who accuses and abuses us. Devil is found 36 times in the New Testament and literally means “slanderer.”

Satan is also known as the “ancient serpent,” the “dragon,” and the “evil one.” Jesus’ description of Satan’s work in John 8:42–47 is a frightening resume indeed.

First, Satan claims ownership over every unsaved soul.

In John 8, our Lord refers to his enemies as children of their Satanic “father” (v. 44). He is the “god of this age” (2 Corinthians 4:4), the “prince of this world” (John 12:31) who controls this fallen age (1 John 5:19). Christians live in a world dominated by Satan. We are soldiers stationed on enemy soil, living in an occupied country.

Second, the devil blinds our minds to the truth.

He is “a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44). This is why the person who has not received the Holy Spirit cannot understand the things of God (1 Corinthians 2:14). Satan wants to snatch the seed of the word from the hearts that need it most (cf. Matthew 13:1–9).

Third, Satan lies about God’s word.

From Genesis 3 to the present, he manipulates the truth of Scripture to lead us astray. The one who quoted the Bible in tempting Jesus (Matthew 4:1–11) will misuse God’s word to deceive us as well. Not everything we hear taught as the truth of God is. Our enemy can quote the Bible better than we can, but always for a diabolical end.

Fourth, the devil is a “murderer from the beginning” (John 8:44).

Satan is a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8). Those who serve his cause engage in physical, emotional, and sexual attacks against each other and the rest of us. Their master wants nothing less than the wholesale destruction of the human race and especially the people of God.

Fifth, Satan rules demons.

They serve as his minions and foot soldiers in his ongoing war against the Lord and his children.

In essence, Satan opposes God.

In John 8, he inspired the religious leaders to seek Jesus’ death. He later led them to crucify our Lord.

Satan is the opposite of God in every way:

• Our Lord is light; Satan is darkness.
• God is a holy, consuming fire; the devil is sinful, sickening, diseased.
• God is Spirit; Satan is unholy carnality.
• God loves you; Satan hates you.
• God gave his Son for you; Satan would take your soul.
• God is your Father; the devil is your foe.

Satan is real, but never forget: he’s also defeated.