Satan’s Motive

Satan’s motive is to be like God.

Satan’s the most evil being who has ever existed. The most obvious evidence of that is the physical and spiritual human toll his evil has taken. He caused physical and spiritual ills to come into the world when he deceived Adam and Eve and continues to foster physical and spirutual suffering today.

Does that mean he’s primarily motivated by a hatred of humanity? No. The fruit of Satan’s pride, his desire to be like God, is the primary motivation behind all he does. Human pain and suffering is a side-effect of his efforts to be like God.

Along the same lines, though Satan hates God and the children of God, his isn’t a blind hatred, like a continuing feud between families who long ago forgot the original offense. On the contrary, Satan’s hatred of God and His family is purposeful.

He hates God because only God can be God. That truth prevents Satan from being like God. His attacks on God, though futile, have a purpose. Satan’s purpose is to displace God from His throne, in the pursuit of building his own counterfeit kingdom.

Satan’s attacks on Christians are indirect attacks on God. He hates because of our relationship to God, not because of who we are personally. Our presence in the world hinders his kingdom’s growth and power.

The entire counsel of the Bible supports the premise that Satan’s desire to be like God is the primary motivation for everything he does. Let’s look at some examples.