©
1999 James A. Fowler
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SATAN THE DEVIL
I. Representative Biblical references
A. Satan: Greek word Satanas -
transliteration of Heb. (36 ref.) - adversary, opponent, to resist,
oppose,
counteract
Job 1:6-12;
2:1-6 - "Satan presented himself before the Lord"
Mk. 1:13
- Jesus "was in the wilderness forty days being tempted
by Satan"
Acts 26:18
- "to turn from the dominion of Satan to God"
I Cor.
7:5 - "lest Satan tempt you"
II Cor.
11:14 - "Satan disguises himself as an angel of light"
Rev. 12:9;
20:2 - "the devil and Satan, deceive the whole world"
B. Devil: Greek word diabolos -
dia=through; ballo=to throw (38 ref.) - slanderer,
misrepresenter,
deceiver, divider, accuser, divider
Jn. 8:44
- "you are of your father, the devil"
Eph. 4:27
- "do not give the devil an opportunity"
II Tim.
2:26 - "the snare of the devil, having been held captive
to do his will"
Heb. 2:14
- "the one having the power of death, that is, the devil"
I Jn. 3:8
- "the one doing sin is of the devil"
C. Evil One: Greek word ho poneros
- the evil one
Matt. 13:38
- "the tares are the sons of the evil one"
II Thess.
3:3 - "the Lord will strengthen and protect you from the
evil one"
I John
3:12 - "Cain was of the evil one, and slew his brother"
I John
5:18,19 - "whole world lies in the evil one"
D. Tempter: Greek word peirazo -
to pierce in order to prove or examine
Matt. 4:3
- "the tempter came and said to Him (Jesus)..."
I Thess.
3:5 - "for fear that the tempter might have tempted you"
E. Adversary: Greek word antidikos
- against right or justice
I Pet.
5:8 - "your adversary, the devil, prowls about like roaring
lion"
F. Ruler of this world -
Jn. 12:31
- "the ruler of this world shall be cast out"
Jn. 14:30
- "the ruler of this world has nothing in Me"
Jn. 16:11
- "the ruler of this world has been judged"
G. God of this age
II Cor.
4:4 - "the god of this age has blinded the minds of the
unbelieving"
H. Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons
Matt. 9:34
- "casts out demons by the ruler of the demons"
Matt. 12:24
- "cast out demons by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons"
I. Belial - possibly "lord of flies,
dung, or forest;" worthlessness
II Cor.
6:15 - "what harmony has Christ with Belial..."
J. Prince of the power of the air
Eph. 2:2
- "the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that works
in the sons of disobedience"
K. Enemy: echthros, from echthos
= hatred, hostile
Matt. 13:25,28,39
- "the enemy who sowed them is the devil"
Lk. 10:19
- "authority over all the power of the enemy"
Acts 13:10
- you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness"
L. Dragon, serpent; cf. Gen. 3; II Cor.
11:3
Rev. 12:9
- "the great dragon, the serpent of old called the devil
and Satan"
Rev. 20:2
- "the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and
Satan"
M. Accuser - kategoreo
Zech. 3:1
- "Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him"
Rev. 12:10
- "the accuser of our brethren...who accuses them day and
night"
N. Apollyon: from Greek apollumi =
to destroy; destroyer
Rev. 9:11
- "the angel of the abyss...Apollyon"
O. Destroyer: Greek olothreutes
I Cor.
10:10 - "destroyed by the destroyer"
II. Relation of Satan to God
A. No absolute dualism; no two
equal powers; good god and bad god
B. Contrasting opposites; adversary,
enemy
1. Not
merely a philosophical tenet of necessary negative to God's positive.
2. Not
to be defined as but the absence or privation of God.
a.
God = Being; Satan = non-being; nothing
b.
Satan as darkness (Acts 26:18; Eph. 6:12; Col. 1:13) or death
(Heb. 2:14) implies an active
spiritual antagonist.
C. Creator God created a choosing creature
who was/became Satan
1. Derivative
being - not independent, autonomous, self-existent, or self-generative
2. Satan
takes that which is of God and falsifies and relativizes; distorts
and aborts; misuses and
abuses; perverts and inverts; pollutes and convolutes
III. Origin of Satan
A. Indirect Biblical evidence within
historical narratives
Is.
14:3-21
Ezek.
28:2-19
B. Idea of Lucifer, "light-bearer"
from Isa. 14:12 (KJV)
C. Idea of falling from heaven - Isa.
14:12; Ezek. 28:16; cf. Jude 6
D. Questions
1. Was
this an unsolicited choice?
2. Where
did the self-oriented pride and arrogance originate?
3. Does
this posit the impossibility of redemption?
IV. Being of Satan
A. Satan is a spirit-being - I Cor.
2:12; Eph. 2:2; I Jn. 4:6
1. Not
omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, as only God is.
2. Not
uni-temporal, uni-locative (one place at one time) as man is
in his tangibility.
3. As spirit,
Satan is
a.
trans-temporal (time) - Adam, Job, Jesus, us
b.
trans-locative (space) - USA, Japan, Africa
B. Satan is a personal-being
1. Not
just an impersonal "force"
2. Biblical
evidence is overwhelming in identifying as personal
a.
speaks - Lk. 4:3
b.
knows - Rev. 12:12
c.
works - Eph. 2:2
d.
disputes - Jude 9
e.
desires - Jn. 8:44
f.
requests - Lk. 22:31
g.
schemes - II Cor. 2:11
h.
conceit - I Tim. 3:6
i.
wills - II Tim. 2:26
j.
wrath - Rev. 12:12
k.
deceives - Rev. 20:2
V. Character of Satan
A. Evil - Jn. 17:15; II Thess. 3:3;
I Jn. 3:12
B. Sinful - I Jn. 3:8
C. Deceitful, deceiving - Acts 13:10;
II Cor. 11:3; Rev. 12:9; 20:2
D. Liar - Jn. 8:44; Acts 5:3
E. Murderer - Jn. 8:44; I Jn. 3:12
F. Malicious - I Tim. 3:11; Titus 2:3
G. Self-exalting - Matt. 16:23; Mk. 8:33;
I Tim. 3:6
VI. Function of Satan
A. Controls the unregenerate
1. works
in - Eph. 2:2
2. dominates
- Acts 26:18; Col. 1:13
3. enslaves
- II Tim. 2:26; Rom. 6:17
4. blinds
their minds - II Cor. 4:4
5. source
of sin - I Jn. 3:8,10,12
6. basis
of death - Heb. 2:14
7. not
necessarily possession, oppression or control - ex. Judas
(Mk.
8:33; Lk. 22:3; Jn. 6:70; 13:2,24)
B. Individualized expressions of his
activity in the patterns of the "flesh"
C. Collective expression of his activity
in the "world of evil" - Lk. 4:5;
Jn. 12:31;
I Cor. 2:12; I Jn. 4:4; Rev. 12:9; 20:3
D. Activity toward Christians individually
1. tempts
- I Cor. 7:5; I Thess. 3:5; James 1:14
2. accuses
- Rev. 12:10
3. snares
- I Tim. 3:7
4. takes
advantage - II Cor. 2:11
5. persecutes
- Rev. 2:10
6. thwarts
- I Thess. 2:18
7. seeks
to create apostasy - I Tim. 1:20; 5:15
E. Opposition to Christians collectively
1. opposes
kingdom of God - Matt. 12:28,29
2. antichrist
activity - I Jn. 2:18,22; 4:3
3. counters
evangelism - Mk. 4:15; Lk. 8:12
4. fosters
religion - II Cor. 11:14; Rev. 2:9; Jn. 8:44; Col. 2:20-23
5. counterfeit
believers - Matt. 13:30
6. occult,
magic, witchcraft - Acts 13:10
F. To what extent should illness and
adversity be attributed to Satan's work?
(Lk. 13:16;
Jn. 9:2,3; Acts 10:38; I Cor. 11:30; II Cor. 12:7; Heb. 12:6)
VII. Christian response to Satan
A. Recognize conflict of spiritual
warfare with spiritual enemy - Eph. 6:10-18
B. Avoid idleness - I Tim. 5:13-15
C. Consistent marital relations - I Cor.
7:5
D. Resist - James 4:7
E. Receptivity of Christ's activity -
Faith - I Peter 5:9
F. Affirm identity in Christ - cf. Lk.
4:3
G. Reckon on the victory in Christ
a. overcome
the evil one - Jn. 16:33; I Jn. 2:13; Rev. 12:11
b. greater
is He in you - I Jn. 4:4
c. kept
from evil one - Jn. 17:15
d. untouched
by evil one - I Jn. 5:18
e. authority
over - Lk. 10:19
VIII. End of Satan
A. Overcome by the work of Christ
1. cast
out - Jn. 12:31
2. judged
- Jn. 16:11
3. rendered
powerless - Heb. 2:14
4. works
destroyed - I Jn. 3:8
5. triumph
over - Col. 2:15
6. defeat
by Christ - Rev. 12:5-12
7. head
crushed - Gen. 3:15
B. Restrained activity in enigma of the
interim
1. strong
man bound - Matt. 12:29
2. devil
bound - Rev. 20:2,3
3. to be
crushed under feet of Christians - Rom. 16:20
C. Eventual terminus
1. all
rule, authority, power abolished - I Cor. 15:24
2. eternal
fire prepared for devil and agents - Matt. 25:41
3. thrown
into lake of fire - Rev. 20:10
4. Differing
opinions
a.
everlasting perpetuity?
b.
destructive annihilation?
IX. Brief history of Christian thought concerning Satan
A. Early Church Fathers
1. Unregenerate
regarded as devil's property
2. Personal
experiences with devil and demons
3. Jesus'
death regarded as payment to devil
B. Middle Ages
1. Elaborate
explanations of diabolic activity
2. Art
and literature attempted to portray
3. Sickness,
accidents, sterility, death, crop failure (everything undesirable
or unpleasant) attributed
to the devil.
C. Reformation
1. Maintained
many of Medieval ideas
2. Luther
threw his inkwell at the devil
3. Luther
did affirm that Satan had no right or power over Christian
D. Modern Christian thought
1. Academic
theology unwilling to address study of personal devil
2. Renewal
of emphasis on demonology in charismatic movement
X. Concluding thoughts
A. Christian theology has never definitively
clarified and articulated a Christian doctrine of
theodicy
(an understanding of the origin, source, judgment of evil). The
doctrines of
satanology
or diabology have been weak, ambiguous and inconsistent.
B. One of the first doctrines to be questioned
and jettisoned by those who regard the Biblical record
as suspect is the teaching about Satan.
1. Satan
often regarded as
a.
pre-scientific myth; figment of imagination of ignorant peoples.
b.
metaphorical or literary personification of evil
2. To the
extent that the severity of sin and evil is disregarded, the
Biblical record of the spiritual
and personal agency of Satan will be diminished or derided.
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