“Why does God allow Satan to exist?”—Emma
In the previous column, I likely did not answer your question satisfactorily. The figure of Satan is one of the most mysterious in the Bible. We should note that the biblical perception of the devil changed over time. In the Hebrew Bible, Satan only rarely appears as a distinct figure, notably at the temptation of Eve (Gen. 3:1ff) and the suffering of Job (Job 1, 2). At the beginning of the Christian era, people had come to see Satan as the ruler of a demonic empire and the world as a battleground between good and evil.
In the overall view, Scripture presents Satan as a created being (not a separate or equal deity) who rebelled against God and who is free, to some degree, to wreak havoc among humans in the arena of their free will (II Cor. 4:4; Eph. 2:1-3; I Jn. 5:19).
The good news: Satan has been defeated (Jn. 12:31; 16:11). His ultimate doom was sealed by Jesus’ death and resurrection (Eph. 1:20-22; Col. 2:13-15). One day he will be imprisoned forever (Rev. 20:7-10).
Understanding the character of Satan helps believers grasp the tremendous power of evil in the world while remaining confident that God in Christ sets us free and makes us new (Eph. 2:4-10). The message of the Bible: God invites us to know Him and His power which rescues us and enables us to stand strong in the face of evil (Eph. 6:10-18; I Jn. 4:4).
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