…I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. – Ezekiel 28:16, KJV

Not long ago I watched a movie where two protagonists were having a discussion about their archenemy. During the discussion, one of them asked the other, “Did you defeat him?” The other protagonist answered, “Yes. At great cost.”

According to the Barna Research Group, roughly 80% of the population of the United States claim Christianity as their faith. Of these self-proclaimed Christians, 53% believe that Satan is a symbol of evil but not a living entity.* Such a statistic is fascinating, for it means that 53% of the self-proclaimed Christians in America believe that God is a liar and a lunatic.

Throughout both the Old and New Testaments, Scripture identifies Satan as a specific, created being with a will of his own. Ezekiel 28:13-16, Isaiah 14:12-15, and Matthew 13:38-40 are just a few such passages. If Satan is not real but merely a symbol, then God – the author of the Bible – is engaged in a deception. Not only is He doing His best to convince readers of the Bible that Satan is a specific person; He is engaged in trying to divert attention from the real source of evil. Evil is undeniably real, and it must have a source. If there is no Satan, then the only logical source of evil is God Himself. Therefore, these “Christians” in the 53%, either consciously or unconsciously, are arguing that God is the source of evil and, to divert attention from Himself, He has created Satan as a straw man.

God must also be a lunatic, if the 53% are right. In Matthew 4, we find Jesus engaged in a battle of wits with Satan. If Satan is not real, then who was Jesus arguing with? Himself? If so, then Jesus would fit the textbook definition of schizophrenia! And, what sense did it make for Jesus to die on the cross if Satan does not exist? As demonstrated above, if Satan doesn’t exist, then God must be the source of evil. If God is the source of evil, then why did Jesus have to die to redeem us from the evil that God the Father is the source of? In other words, why did Jesus have to die to buy us back from Himself?

The truth is, Satan is real, and Jesus had to die to buy us back from Satan’s family so that we could be a part of God’s family. We have an archenemy, and his name is Satan. And, praise God, he has been defeated, but only at the great cost of Christ’s physical torture, emotional shame, physical death, and separation from God the Father.

Never be fooled into thinking that Satan is a symbol. He is a real, roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. You’d better be ready to resist him; put on the whole armor of God, and stand firm!

* Barna Research Group, State of the Church 2011, Part 6: www.barna.org