Satan is a fascinating theological conundrum. One of the most common questions about Christianity seems like a very logical one to ask: “Why does God allow Satan to live? Would it not be better to just remove him from the face of the planet or to have never created him in the first place?” The question is spectacular. It hits at the core of Christian theology.
It feels simple and apparent, yet clearly God ignored what seems so obvious. Why is that? The answer may be unexpected. Satan has an important and profound role in everyday life. He always has and he always will, even until the day when he is cast down to Hell.
Old Testament
Satan's role in the Old Testament is fascinating. Satan acts in a very accusatory manner, presenting before God the sinful and those who are too weak-willed to stay away from sin when presented with the option. In this way, he is God's prosecutor.
Throughout the scriptures, God and Satan seem to be on fairly good terms. The contrast between the traditional view of Satan and the accounts of the Old Testament is striking. While instances such as Zechariah 3 show God rebuke Satan for his accusatory nature, others seem much more telling.
The most famous case of this is in Job. God and Satan catch up with one another and have a conversation just like two friends who haven't seen one another in years. It isn't until God shows off one of his most faithful Jews that Satan shows the nature with which we are familiar. In Job 1:9-11, Satan starts the infamous wager with God.
"Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “Does Job fear God for no reason? Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face." (ESV)
Satan has laid out a case, like a lawyer on the offense, for why Job would be faithful to God. He asks for a simple task: he wants God's permission to break him. This is an interesting dichotomy from the traditional view of Satan. Normally, Satan is seen as a powerful entity who acts against God's will to tempt people away from Him. Yet, it seems to show the exact opposite: Satan acts only with God's approval. In fact, there are instances of Satan acting as a messenger of God's command. In 1 Chronicles 21:1,
"Then Satan stood against Israel and incited David to number Israel." (ESV)
When Joab disobeys Satan's demands, it is not Satan who is angered, but God, who struck Israel in retaliation. In short, Satan is an accuser of the Jewish man in the Old Testament, in a sense. He is our accuser, as the name suggests.
New Testament
The role of Satan, it appears, completely changed when Jesus was added to the equation. Suddenly, Satan is much more active in the world and much more aggressive. He even becomes the adversary of God! However, there is a logical reason behind this. Satan's role, as of the Old Testament, was as an avid accuser of the world. In particular, he worked to show the faults of all human beings on the planet. So, naturally, seeing a challenge in the coming of Jesus Christ, Satan went on the offensive in Matthew 4.
"Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil." (ESV)
By attacking Jesus, who was the word, who was God, Satan no longer was simply the accuser of humanity. Now, Satan was the accuser of God. By that act, Satan became an enemy of God. However, Satan still serves a function. He still tempts people in the New Testament. His goal, now that he is against God, is to draw worship away from God by deceiving the people. Especially now, with the coming of the Messiah and his death for all of humanity, it makes Jesus a natural enemy of Satan.
After all, Jesus is the epitome of mercy and understanding. Jesus is the epitome, in a sense, of a defense attorney against Satan's accusations and a guide in the face of his temptations. Hence, the new image of Satan. Even still, God recognizes the necessary role that Satan plays in theology, assuring that the faithful remain faithful in the face of adversity.
Satan's role in the Bible remained surprisingly intact throughout scripture, despite its seeming inconsistency. As long as we remember that Satan is an accuser of all humanity, we can understand why Satan would change roles by God's acceptance of human form.
Once judgment day comes, Satan will have lost his usefulness and be cast into the lake of fire alongside his false prophets.
