Character Studies - ElectronicGospel

Character Study of Satana character study by Jeff S. SmithIntroductionThere are some Bible characters which appear to have no character, at least in the classic sense. Theircharacters are filled with evil and self-indulgence to the point that it is difficult to discern anythingpositive in them. Nowhere is this more accurate than in the case of Satan.DiscussionI. His CharacterA. Name1. we learn much of what we need to know about Satan from his name, which means “adversary”or “accuser” in its original tongue, along with the connotation of one lying in wait for another 47a. in his Greek lexicon, Thayer calls Satan “the prince of evil spirits, the inveterate adversaryof God and Christ” 48b. most of the time in the Old Testament, Satan is not really used as a name at all, but with adefinite article preceding it, as in “the Satan,” or literally, “the adversary”; it grows into a proper nameover time2. of course, we also think of him as the devil, again with the definite article3. the other names used for this character are completely descriptive titlesa. Tempter (1 Thessalonians 3:4-5)b. Beelzebub (Matthew 12:22-28)c. Evil One (Matthew 13:19, 37-43)d. Belial (see 2 Corinthians 6:15)e. Adversary (see 1 Peter 5:8-10)f. Father of Lies (John 8:44)B. The Evil One1. Satan is presented from the beginning of the Bible to the end as the enemy of God and man,although it is not as clear whether his original hatred was toward the Lord or humanity2. as the father of lies, his chief means of conquering and enslaving humanity to sin is deception(Second Thessalonians 2:9-10)a. Jesus told his disciples, “Take heed that you not be deceived” (Luke 21:8)b. deception and the devil go hand in hand and the outcome is always sin and lost souls1. “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not bedeceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites” (FirstCorinthians 6:9).2. “Do not be deceived ("Evil company corrupts good habits” (First Corinthians 15:33).3. “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will alsoreap” (Galatians 6:7).4. “Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift isfrom above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow ofturning” (James 1:16-17).3. the world’s first murder is attributed to the agency of the devil (First John 3:10-12)a. this well illustrates the way in which the devil works surreptitiously, enticing people to dohis well by appealing to their vanity, pride or lustb. the devil rarely needs anything more than a man’s own weaknesses to work against himC. Origin1. we meet him in the form of a serpent in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:1-7, 14-15)a. one can see how insidious his deception was, its obvious appeal and sad consequencesb. the question arises as to why the serpent was in Paradise and how God could have createdsuch a sinister reptile2. the origin of Satan is a mystery, save that he is not coequal with God in divinity or eternity, andis a creature akin to the angels and demons, perhaps even being one of their class on some level (see Job1:6)201