The Road to Atheism

To deny the existence of Satan, called the Devil by Scripture, is not some minor doctrinal matter, some non-essential “little deal.” It raises a major theological problem. Once the Bible’s repeated presentation of the Devil as a real, external, personal being is dismissed, there is no clear reason why the same method could not also be used to dismiss the existence of God Himself. Therefore, the road to atheism begins with denying the Devil.

First, the Hebrew word Satan and the Greek Diabolos are understood in Scripture as proper nouns, that is, personal names. As The Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible notes (1999, p. 244):

“As a proper noun in intertestamental Jewish texts and Christian writers the word denotes the great Adversary of God and righteousness, the Devil.”

Likewise, Vine’s Concise Dictionary of Bible Words, on the Greek diabolos (1228), defines it as “an accuser; a slanderer” (from diaballo, “to accuse, to malign”), and explains that it is one of the names of Satan. From it the English word Devil is derived and should be applied only to Satan as a proper name. Daimon, “a demon,” is frequently, but wrongly, translated “devil”; it should always be translated “demon.” There is one Devil; there are many demons.

Second, the Old Testament presents the Devil as the chief external enemy of God’s creation from beginning to end. The serpent in Genesis 3 is no mere literary device in the story of fallen humanity. In Job 1–2, Satan appears as the accuser. In Zechariah 3:1–2, he stands to accuse Joshua the high priest.

Third, the New Testament leaves us in no doubt, since Jesus speaks in the same way. He does not treat the Devil as a symbol for sinful human inclinations or as a poetic way of describing evil. Jesus says:

“He was a murderer from the beginning... and the father of lies” (John 8:44).

In the temptation narratives, Jesus is confronted by a real, external individual, not wrestling with his own evil (Matt. 4:1–11; Luke 4:1–13). Indeed, in Matthew 4 the Devil “came up to” speak with Jesus. Using precisely the same language, we are later told that “angels came up to him” to care for Jesus (Matt. 4:3, 11). Clearly, both the Devil and the angels of God came from outside. These are not internal temptations or delusions. Certainly, Jesus was not talking to himself. If the angels are personal beings in that context, then so is the Devil. To say that the Devil was merely Jesus’ internal struggle creates even greater problems.

James says that each person is tempted when he is “drawn away and enticed by his own desire,” and that such desire gives birth to sin (James 1:14–15). But Jesus never sinned (Heb. 4:15; 2 Cor. 5:21). Nor could he have been the source of a temptation designed to lure him into disobedience. To suggest otherwise would compromise both his sinlessness and his perfect obedience to the Father (John 8:29). Only a real external Devil makes sense of the narrative, especially one who twists Scripture in an effort to divert Jesus from his purpose-driven life and mission (Luke 4:43; Matt. 4:6; cf. Ps. 91:11–12).

The same Jesus who speaks of the Devil as a real individual also identifies God as his real Father, “the only true God” (John 17:3). So the question becomes unavoidable: if Jesus is reliable when he speaks about who God really is, why is he suddenly unreliable when he speaks about the Devil? Once the reader begins deciding which parts of Jesus’ supernatural worldview make sense to him and which do not, his authority as the one sent by that God has already been placed beneath human judgment. And the problem extends to the whole mission of Jesus.

The New Testament describes his ministry as a real conflict with real, external enemies:

“The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8).

His exorcisms, his confrontations with demons, and his victory over the Devil are not incidental to the gospel story. They are part of his proclamation of the coming Kingdom itself, a preview of its power (Matt. 12:28; Luke 10:18). If the Devil is only a metaphor, then Jesus’ whole mission is reduced to symbolism. But the New Testament does not present it that way.

As a result, Paul speaks of the Devil as one who “fell into condemnation” (1 Tim. 3:6) because of his rebellion against God. This clearly shows that the Devil exercised free will and, as a result, was condemned for his rebellion (Gen. 3:14–15; Rom. 16:20; Rev. 20:2–3). These are things that can only be ascribed to a real, external individual.

Likewise, Peter warns Christians:

“Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion” (1 Pet. 5:8).

It would make no sense for the apostles’ words here to mean merely a synonym for the internal sinful tendency of humans. Your own lusts and evil inclinations are one and the same as yourself. What purpose, then, would it serve to describe them in ways external to you?

Finally, Revelation describes “the original serpent, the one called the Devil and Satan, who is deceiving the whole world, was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him” (Rev. 12:9; cf. 20:2). The reference is to a final battle against the Devil and his fallen angels in our future. Again, it would make no sense at all for this to be describing merely human sin or evil inclinations.

The fact is that Scripture reveals both God and the Devil as real, external individuals. We know God because He once spoke to the Hebrew patriarchs and the prophets, and now to us in His Son (Heb. 1:1–2). In the same way, we know of the Devil because that same revelation speaks of him as a real personal fallen being. If one part of that revelation can be explained away because it is too supernatural or too uncomfortable for modern taste, then the same can eventually be done with the rest. To alter the meaning of words like Devil or Satan is an assault on the integrity and consistency of Scripture. God’s revelation must never be made a slave to human theories.

For that reason, denying the existence of the Devil as a real, external being is no harmless revision. It is a hermeneutical warning sign that should never even be entertained in the Christian mind, let alone allowed anywhere near a church. Once the Christian becomes the final authority over what Scripture may and may not mean, the door is opened not only to denying the Devil, but eventually to denying the God who revealed him. The road to atheism has then been solidly paved, and though one may think he is on the path of truth, its end is death (Prov. 14:12).