Does Satan Exist?

We hear very little today about Satan in our culture or in our churches, and consequently many are ill prepared to face him. Many are just ignorant of the nature of the evil one who comes knocking at our heart’s door. The Bible says in Hosea 4:6… “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge”. Victory may be ours, but victory depends upon knowledge.

According to the latest Barna research poll, the majority of confessing American "Christians" do not believe in the existence of Satan. Does Satan exist? Yes! There is a real and a personal Devil. We base this believe upon 3 great pillars of truth.

1) We understand the fact of the Devil’s existence because of the Authority of God’s Word.

A good deal of skepticism has been expressed recently about Satan. In March of this year, ABC’s Nightline Face-off series debated this question… “Does Satan Exist?” The atheist and the agnostic believe that the existence of a sinister evil power in the universe is outdated and superstitious. However, for those of us who take the Bible seriously, we are obliged to believe in Satan’s existence since the Word of God unmistakably refers to the demonic. To say that Satan does not exist to people who hold the scriptures as absolutely trustworthy, is like asking them to throw as much as 1/5 of the Bible in the trashcan. The Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments make reference to Satan, the Devil, Demons and Devils over 185 times. Not once or twice, not 7 or 8 times, but 185 times! Thus, the existence of the Devil is not something that is easily overlooked by anyone who is serious about being faithful to the authority of the Bible.

We are first introduced to Satan in Genesis 3:1. In that verse, he is described as the personal enemy of God and of humans, and he is portrayed as a deceiver. The Devil is also given some very distinct personality traits, including intellect. In 2 Corinthians 11:3 and Luke 4:1, ascribed to him are the emotions of desire, jealousy, hatred, anger, and will. The Devil is also shown in scripture as one who speaks, hears, lies, walks, deceives, perverts, destroys, murders, believes, and fears. Nineteen of the the 27 New Testament books refer to Satan, and 4 more refer to Demons. To believe the Bible, is to believe in a real and a personal Devil.

2) We understand the fact of the Devil’s existence because of the History of God’s People.

The history of both Israel in the O.T. and the Church in the N.T., are difficult to understand apart from a personal Devil who seeks to thwart God’s plan for history. At the fall of mankind in Genesis 3:15, it was announced that human salvation and reconciliation would come through the promised seed of the woman. In Genesis 12, this covenant promise was eventually narrowed to the offspring of Abraham. In Genesis 49, the covenant came to be centered in the 12 sons of Jacob, and then through the tribe of Judah in particular. Satan relentlessly and ruthlessly attacked that bloodline.

1 Chronicles 21:1 and Psalm 109:6 both describe Satan as standing against God’s people. In the Book of Job, chapters 1 and 2, we have a record of the accusations of Satan against the man named Job. Satan was the real cause behind Job’s otherwise unexplainable suffering. Of course, Satan’s power is limited by the Lord, yet he is clearly seen as the enemy and accuser of God’s people. The Devil always fights the church, especially when the church is on the move. Charles Spurgeon said... "Satan never kicks a dead horse". To understand the History of God’s People, is to believe in a real Devil.

3) We understand the fact of the Devil’s existence because of the Testimony of God’s Son.

There are 29 separate references to Satan in the 4 Gospels. Of those 29 Gospel references, Jesus made 25 of them. In fact, Jesus is said to have carried on an extended conversation with Satan during His temptation in the wilderness. Both Matthew 4 and Luke 4 describe for us in great detail this encounter. Mark 1:12 and Hebrews 4:13 both refer back to this great confrontation. To deny the reality of a real Devil in these passages is to call into question either the Lord Jesus’ integrity or His sanity.

Satan is the great tempter and deceiver of mankind, and perhaps one of his greatest deceptions is to convince this world that he does not exist. However, he is real and he is your adversary. Your enemy is not a person, a co-worker, or a boss. Your enemy is not the government. Your enemy is not the Muslim. Your enemy, my enemy, our enemy is Satan!!

The Devil is real, and many people cheerfully serve Him. How are you doing in serving your master? What percentage of "confessing American Christians" do you fall under in regards to the existence of Satan?