Ask a Pastor Column

Q: Does God love Satan?

A: Wow, what a good question! And it may surprise you to know just how important and relevant the answer can be to our lives, behavior and choices. This concept lies at the heart of why evil and good are allowed to coexist in this world for the time being.

Satan is the self-declared enemy of God (Isaiah 14:13-14; Revelation 12:7-12), He stole the world God created, kidnapped the human race, turned us away from God, and is holding humanity hostage against God’s will. Every tragedy, atrocity, sorrow and suffering in this world can be traced back to the original sin of Adam and Eve (Romans 5:12), which can be traced back to Satan’s influence (Genesis 3:1; John 8:44; Revelation 20:10).

Does God still love Satan after all he has done? The Bible doesn’t spell out a direct answer to this question, but I think it’s clear enough with some basic background. I Corinthians 13:3-8 gives us the characteristics of love. Anyone who behaves in the way that I Corinthians 13 describes is a loving person. So, does God treat Satan the way I Corinthians 13 describes? Does God continue to show Satan kindness, despite what Satan has done to Him? (I Corinthians 13:4; see Job 2:3-6). Did God respond harshly and yank back His own from Satan or did He allow Satan to take it (I Corinthians 13:5; see I John 5:19)? Has God shown amazing, even unconditional forbearance to Satan; giving him grace above and beyond what he could ever deserve? (I Corinthians 13:7; see Revelation 20:7-8).

The clearest answer lies in Matthew 5:43-48. In this passage, Jesus teaches His disciples to love their enemies and overcome evil with good. He describes those who do so as “sons of our Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” (v. 45). Learning to love our enemies makes us like God, because God loves His enemies. He even loves His greatest enemy, and does what He can to bless him, despite all he has done.

I think this sheds a lot of light upon the interactions we have recorded between God and Satan (such as Job 1-2), and helps us understand why God has given wrongdoers so much leeway. Even though He will give everyone what they are due at the right time (Matthew 25:41; Revelation 20:9-10), He still wants to give everyone as much freedom and blessing as they are able to possess until that judgment becomes necessary (II Peter 3:9-10). What amazing grace.

———

You can now order a set of Ask a Pastor articles in book format! Search for “Ask a Pastor by Daniel Waide” on Amazon or your preferred book sales outlet to place your order. If you need help placing an order, you can contact us at [email protected]