Satan is Real

Satan is Real

In the introduction to his book, “Satan: His Motives and Methods,” Lewis Sperry Chafer wrote:

“The name Satan has by no means been lost. It has, however, been associated with a most unscriptural fantasy. Without reference to revelation, the world has imagined a grotesque being, fitted with strange trappings, who has been made the central character in works of fiction and theatrical performances, and by this relation to that which is unreal, the character of Satan has come to be considered only one of the myths of a bygone age.”¹

Chafer’s comment isn’t particularly striking today because he’s pointing out the obvious. The vast majority of people, including many who self-identify as Christians, consider Satan imaginary. What is striking is that he wrote it over 110 years ago, in 1909.

Compared to over 300 million today, the United States population in 1909 was around 76 million. Most were of Christian western European origin or descent. Christianity dominated American cultural ethics, both public and private.

Considering these demographics we might have assumed that in 1909 the average American accepted the Bible’s teaching that Satan is a literal, living being. That wasn’t the case. By 1909 Satan had already become, in the overwhelmingly Christian United States of America, “one of the myths of a bygone age.”

Satan is no myth. He is a real, living, angelic being. Though he’s a spirit being, without a permanent² physical body, he’s none the less a true person. Angels, like humans, possess the fundamental elements of personality: intellect, emotion, will, self-consciousness, and self-determination.³

As the “father of lies” (John 8:44), Satan is the author and perpetrator of the belief that he’s an imaginary figure. He hides his true existence and nature, the most evil being ever existing, and masquerades as an angel of light (2 Cor. 11:14) and messenger of truth.

If in 1909 people imagined Satan as a mythical “grotesque being, fitted with strange trappings,” then he’s made much progress in hiding his true existence and nature over the past 100 plus years. Though he’s still frequently depicted as grotesque, it’s now often in a bizarrely positive way, a kind of celebration of and identification with, “badness.” He’s now also often depicted as an appealing, mischievous little character in cartoons, advertising, and the like. This image of an endearing “devil” even extends to cute little plush toy “devil” dolls and Halloween costumes for infants and children.

Today, many aren’t content to quietly holding the view that Satan imaginary. They take it a step further and openly ridicule those Christians who know from God’s word that Satan is real. It’s one of the great ironies of the nature of the lost, repeated over and over again, without end. They, who are spiritually blind (2 Cor. 4:4) and dead in sin (Eph. 2:1-2), attack those who see the truth and are alive in Christ.

That Satan has been able to hide his true nature and existence and sell his image as good for a child to snuggle up with at bedtime is evidence of his amazing abilities of deception. Satan is a real, purely evil, living being. How do we know that? We know it because the Bible plainly declares it.

Reasonable people may disagree about the meaning of certain Biblical passages, concepts, and teachings. But, no reasonable person could claim that the Bible presents Satan as anything other than a real living being. Anyone who rejects the reality of Satan is either ignorant of the Bible’s teachings about Satan, distorting Scripture, denying the Bible is the Word of God, or calling God a liar.