Did God Create Satan?

Perhaps one of the most difficult subjects concerning the presence of evil in this world is the origin of our Enemy:  Satan.  While a number of possible answers to this question have been proposed, few of these positions are founded on the Biblical teachings of the character of God Himself.

First, we must understand that Satan is inherently evil.  When it comes to Satan there is not a more heinous being in existence.  So strong is this influence that Jesus tells His believers the important of throwing off his bonds of wickedness.  "Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father it is your will to do.  He was a murderer from the beginning, and standeth not in the truth, because there is no truth in him.  When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own:  for he is a liar, and the father thereof” (John 8:44).  Satan does not have a single bit of truth or justice in his being.

Secondly, all things in existence were either created by God or eternal.  Not only did God create the world in which we live (Genesis 1:1), but all that has been created, was created by God (John 1:3).  Saying that evil exists then does not answer our question; we must determine whether or not God could have created it or if it is has merely existed from eternity.

Third, all that was created by God is good.  Moses records that, “God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good” (Genesis 1:31).  Not only that but for God to have created anything that was evil would have been impossible since “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5).  All that has been created (especially humanity; Genesis 1:27) then reflects (however imperfectly) aspects of God’s own nature (Romans 1:20).

Fourth, evil is never good nor good evil.  Good and evil are as far from being similar as light and darkness, both physically and spiritually.  When Paul was called by Christ, his mission to the Gentiles was “to open their eyes, that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive remission of sins and an inheritance among them that are sanctified by faith” in Christ (Acts 26:18).  Good then is the very essence of God and evil can have nothing to do with that which is godly.

Fifth, since evil exists and it is inherently not good, it could not be created.  God is completely sinless and perfect, even though He Himself was tempted just like every other human being (1 Peter 2:21-24).  This being said, He is the Giver of “[e]very good gift and every perfect gift” and “the Father of lights” whose character is without alteration (James 1:17).  God did not “break the mold” after creating His would-be adversary, He didn’t create him at all since such would neither have been good nor perfect!

The only biblical conclusion we can come to then is that Satan is an inherently evil being “from the beginning” (John 8:44), could not have been part of God’s inherently good creation (Genesis 1:1, 31) and is therefore eternal.  Know, however, that the end of his power is the day of our victory.  “Ye are of God, my little children, and have overcome them:  because greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world….  For whatsoever is begotten of God overcometh the world:  and this is the victory that hath overcome the world, even our faith” (1 John 4:4, 5:4).