Ask the Pastor 30

Is Satan equal to God?

There was once a comedian who was known for the quip “the devil made me do it!” The implication being that the devil has the power or even the interest in getting involved in ones life to cause that person to do evil. In the thinking of the ancient Greeks, there was the struggle between good and evil, Satan represents evil and God represents good. When viewed that there is a struggle between Satan and the Lord God, there is carried with it the implication that both are equal in the struggle and there is something that must throw the weight of the balance of power to one or the other. We must keep before us that God created Satan, first as an angel who then fell from heaven. Remember that evil is not a created entity but is the absence of good. Satan is a fallen creature who seeks to destroy the purposes of God by using evil. Satan was the tempter in the Garden of Eden to deceive mankind, he could not force mankind to sin but could tempt him to do so. Satan used evil in the life of Job to tempt him to deny his trust in the Lord but failed to do so, as we read, “Skin for skin! Yes, all that a man has he will give for his life.” (Job 2:4) but Job answered, “Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity? In all this Job did not sin with his lips.” (Job 2:10). Satan can only act out of permission from God, he is not equal in power and cannot create, he can only destroy. Satan cannot force anyone to do anything, he can only tempt people and then they will choose to yield to the temptation or to the will of God. God does have the power to force His will upon people but chooses not to do so, mankind may choose God in their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Have questions about the Bible?Send them to Dr. Greg Koehn at gak4850@gmail.com and read the answer here in this article.