The Bible speaks a lot about this evil being. His Hebrew name is Satan en his Greek name is ‘diabolos’ from which comes our word ‘devil’. The meaning of these names are “enemy” or “adversary”. Indeed, he is the opponent of God and the enemy of man. He wants to separate man from God and destroy the image of God in man (see meditation 18).
Jesus says about him: “He was a murderer from the beginning and has always hated the truth. There is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44).
Furthermore, in John 12:31 Jesus calls Satan “the ruler (or: prince) of this world.”
The apostle Paul calls Satan ‘the god of this evil world’ when he says to the Christians in the Greek town of Corinth: “Satan, the god of this evil world, has blinded the minds of those who don't believe, so they are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News that is shining upon them. They don't understand the message we preach about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God” (2 Corinthians 4:4).
To the followers of Jesus in Ephesus the apostle Paul refers to Satan as ‘the mighty prince (or: ruler) of the power of the air’ when he says: “Once you were dead, doomed forever because of your many sins. You used to live just like the rest of the world, full of sin, obeying Satan, the mighty prince of the power of the air. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God” (Ephesians 2:1-2).
Moreover, the apostle Paul explains that Satan has an army of evil spirits at his side. Those who want to follow Jesus Christ face a constant battle with evil powers: “We are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against those mighty powers of darkness who rule this world, and against wicked spirits in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 6:12).
The apostle Paul exposes the evil strategies Satan might use in his attempt to entice people: “Satan can disguise himself as an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14).
That’s why the apostle Peter warns those who want to follow Jesus: “Be careful! Watch out for attacks from the Devil, your great enemy. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for some victim to devour” (1 Peter 5:8).
The apostle John reminds us of Satan’s enticement of Adam and Eve when he speaks of Satan as ‘the ancient serpent’: “This great dragon-- the ancient serpent called the Devil, or Satan, the one deceiving the whole world...” (Revelation 12:9).
As we read in the Bible about the immense control Satan and his evil spirits have over human hearts and over our world, one wonders how we ever can break free from that confinement of darkness.
When Jesus Christ calls Paul to be his messenger to the nations, he says: “I am going to send you to the nations, to open their eyes so they may turn from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God. Then they will receive forgiveness for their sins...” (Acts 26:17-18).
In the ‘Epistle to the Hebrews’ we read how the power of Satan was broken: “Jesus ... became flesh and blood by being born in human form. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the Devil, who had the power of death” (Hebrews 2:14).
The apostle John explains why Jesus Christ came into our world: “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work” (1 John 3:8).
So, if Satan is the great evildoer in our world, can we simply blame him for all our wrongdoings?
All Bible verses are quoted from the ‘New Living Translation’, except 1 John 3:8 (‘New International Version’) .
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