It’s weird, but I often get emails that link to Q&As from Quora, even if the original posts and answers are years old. Normally I ignore them, but every so often, an interesting Q&A thread shows up and I read it and the responses.
Especially if they are theological.
It gives me insight into the human condition regarding how we seek truth. I’m constantly asking myself, “Why do people trust total strangers on message boards to answer questions rightly?” In the case of theological questions, are the people who ask these questions even Christian? If they are Christian, why aren’t they asking their pastors/elders instead of random strangers? If they aren’t Christian, why are they asking those questions instead of more important questions like “What must I do to be saved?”
There are so many questions.
It also gives me insight into the human condition regarding how we answer those who seek truth. In nearly all cases, the answerer appeals to personal experience, pop culture, or “my opinion”, as if any of those things are authoritative. Sadly, a lot of Christians answer this way as well, and that is not limited to Quora or other social media platforms.
I’m starting a little series on angels and demons and though there is much to cover and lots of questions to answer ranging from “What are they?” to “What do they do?” to “Why do I care?” to “What good are they if I have the Holy Spirit anyway?”, to “Are angels in Genesis 6?” (teaser, maybe?), I thought “This might be an interesting thing to kick off the topic with” so here is the question asked on Quora:
Why doesn’t Satan just give in and ask God for forgiveness?
Honestly, that’s a good question, and the answer involves peeking into the topic of “what are angels in the first place”, as well as what the atonement of Christ accomplished, how forgiveness comes, how God’s wrath against sin is satisfied, and all sorts of other things. Here’s the answer given on Quora:
If Sunday school knowledge has stuck, then I’m pretty sure it was because Lucifer was just as powerful as God (or close to it) and he wanted to be The Boss. He already knew how stuff worked because he was God’s favorite angel. So he was like, “ok I’m the Boss. And God’s ideas are dumb. He was a good mentor but, like, now I’m the Boss.” And God was like, “No you aren’t the Boss I’m the Boss and you’re banned from Heaven! Go to Hell.”
So Lucifer didn’t ask for forgiveness because he DGAF anyway and he didn’t buy into God’s authority…so why would he ask for penance? His mentality was basically like, “If I want forgiveness it’s because I want to forgive myself, bam!”
Appealing to personal experience (in this case “if Sunday School knowledge has stuck”) is not always bad, but when answering theological questions, Scripture is necessary. This answer contains no scriptural references and derives conclusions based on opinion without grounding. Because of that, this answer is almost completely wrong, with maybe the only shred of truth being found in the idea that Satan wanted to be the boss. Even the opening to the answer reveals a lot – either this person’s Sunday school knowledge has not stuck and the answer is based on wrong memories or this person’s Sunday school knowledge has stuck and their Sunday school was not very good.
Neither option is great.
And there is so much garbage out there because people “want more” than the bible says about topics like this, and they let loose of the anchor and drift into the sea of pop culture, Hollywood, mythology, and questionable historical works. In their fascination with things like “The Book of Enoch”, “Supernatural”, and even video games like “Diablo”, they offer answers without knowledge and leave the truth of scripture covered in the corner seen as too hard to understand.
Given that, what would the correct answer to that question be?
Or maybe a better question would be “How do we even answer a question like that?”
For starters, some questions within that question need to be answered first. Questions like:
- Where in the bible can I find information about Satan?
- What kind of being is Satan?
- Is there forgiveness for that kind of being?
- Can that kind of being “give in” and repent?
Let’s answer those questions first, then we can more easily answer the main question: “Why doesn’t Satan just give in and ask for forgiveness?”
Question 1: Where in the bible can I find information about Satan?
Satan is often referred to by name but also as “the devil”. Here are some of those references.
Then Satan stood against Israel and incited David to number Israel. (1 Chronicles 21:1 ESV)
Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them. (Job 1:6 ESV)
So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord and struck Job with loathsome sores from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. (Job 2:7 ESV)
Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him. 2And the Lord said to Satan, “The Lord rebuke you, O Satan! The Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is not this a brand plucked from the fire?” (Zechariah 3:1–2 ESV)
The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. 13And he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. And he was with the wild animals, and the angels were ministering to him. (Mark 1:12–13 ESV)
And he said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? 14The sower sows the word. 15And these are the ones along the path, where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them. (Mark 4:13–15 ESV)
And he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. (Luke 10:18 ESV)
After saying these things, Jesus was troubled in his spirit, and testified, “Truly, truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” 22The disciples looked at one another, uncertain of whom he spoke. 23One of his disciples, whom Jesus loved, was reclining at table at Jesus’ side, 24so Simon Peter motioned to him to ask Jesus of whom he was speaking. 25So that disciple, leaning back against Jesus, said to him, “Lord, who is it?” 26Jesus answered, “It is he to whom I will give this morsel of bread when I have dipped it.” So when he had dipped the morsel, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. 27Then after he had taken the morsel, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, “What you are going to do, do quickly.” (John 13:21–27 ESV)
But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, 2and with his wife’s knowledge he kept back for himself some of the proceeds and brought only a part of it and laid it at the apostles’ feet. 3But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land? 4While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to man but to God.” (Acts 5:1–4 ESV)
Anyone whom you forgive, I also forgive. Indeed, what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for your sake in the presence of Christ, 11so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs. (2 Corinthians 2:10–11 ESV)
But since we were torn away from you, brothers, for a short time, in person not in heart, we endeavored the more eagerly and with great desire to see you face to face, 18because we wanted to come to you—I, Paul, again and again—but Satan hindered us. (1 Thessalonians 2:17–18 ESV)
Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. 2And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, 3and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while. (Revelation 20:1–3 ESV)
And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison 8and will come out to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea. 9And they marched up over the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, but fire came down from heaven and consumed them, 10and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. (Revelation 20:7–10 ESV)
Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples came to him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.” 37He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. 38The field is the world, and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, 39and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. (Matthew 13:36–39 ESV)
“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. (Matthew 25:41 ESV)
Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. (1 Peter 5:8–9 ESV)
But Elymas the magician (for that is the meaning of his name) opposed them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith. 9But Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him 10and said, “You son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and villainy, will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord? (Acts 13:8–10 ESV)
Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. 8Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. (1 John 3:7–8 ESV)
Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word. 44You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. (John 8:43–44 ESV)
Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, (Revelation 12:7 ESV)
That’s only some of them, but in these passages, we learn many things about Satan (the devil.) I’ll list some, you can fill in the rest.
- Satan is a “he”, not an “it”. He is a personal being, not just some “force” of evil.
- He has existed for a long time, but is not eternal (therefore, he is a created being)
- He is a kind of angelic being
- He tempts people to sin
- He lies and murders
- He is an adversary and an accuser
- He seeks to devour and destroy Christians
- He is powerful
- His power is limited
- He is ultimately defeated and imprisoned forever and ever
There are many other things about him that the scriptures assert as true, but Satan is certainly not even in the same league as God as far as power goes. He is on a leash. He only does what God allows. And God easily defeats the devil and his angels and imprisons them forever in hell.
Question 2: What kind of being is Satan?
Using all of those scriptures, we see that Satan is an angel (or an angelic being), created by God, but corrupted by sin. Satan can be called a “fallen angel.” In fact, the demons can be called “fallen angels” as well.
Question 3: Is there forgiveness for that kind of being?
The original question asked about forgiveness for Satan, and now that we know what kind of creature Satan is, we can see if the bible offers repentance and forgiveness for that kind of creature. This requires a little digging, but Scripture is clear…
And to which of the angels has he ever said, “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet”? 14Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation? (Hebrews 1:13–14 ESV)
Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, 15and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. 16For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. (Hebrews 2:14–16 ESV)
In Hebrews, Jesus is shown to be better and more excellent than everything, including angels. In these two passages, we see a couple of things:
- Angels minister to those who inherit salvation but don’t seem to inherit salvation themselves
- Jesus helps the offspring of Abraham (covenant people), not angels
The context of this help in Hebrews 2 is salvation (freedom from slavery due to sin.) We have seen that the devil has an angel army too (the devil and his angels who do battle with Michael and his angels) who followed his sinful rebellion and were also cast out of heaven, so they too are in bondage to sin. Hebrews 2 specifically excludes them from those angels – “surely it is not angels that he helps…”.
Jesus entered into His creation as a human so that He could fulfill the righteous requirements of the law for humans, not angels. Angles are not humans and are not helped by Jesus in this way.
For sinful angels, no forgiveness is possible. For obedient angels, no forgiveness is necessary.
Question 4: Can that kind of being “give in” and repent?
A perfectly logical next question is “OK, if there is no forgiveness for Satan, can he even give in?”
The Bible doesn’t directly address this question concerning angels, but it does directly answer this question about humans specifically and by extension, any creature whose hearts are imprisoned to sin.
And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. (Ephesians 2:1–3 ESV)
Here we see that men who follow after the passions and desires of sin, following “the prince of the power of the air” who is Satan, the “spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience”, are dead in their trespasses and sins. This passage also strongly implies that Satan is also dead in his trespasses and sins as he both leads those who are and is also subject to the same condemnation they are.
For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 6For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. 8Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. (Romans 8:5–8 ESV)
For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. (1 Corinthians 1:18 ESV)
Here we see that those who live according to the flesh (whose minds are set on death and disobedience and destruction) live in death (like Ephesians 2 also says) and that they are hostile to God and will not and cannot submit to God’s law and therefore cannot please God because they see God’s truth as foolishness.
These passages speak to both desire and ability – those who are dead in their sin, both men and angels, willingly refuse to come to God and cannot come to God. They will not because they can not.
So, no, this kind of being will not “give in” and repent because this kind of being can not “give in” and repent.
And they will love every minute of their rebellion.
For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; 27and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error. 28And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. 29They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, 30slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them. (Romans 1:26–32 ESV)
The original question: Why doesn’t Satan just give in and ask God for forgiveness?
Simple question.
Involved answer!
Why doesn’t Satan just give in and ask God for forgiveness?
Because there is no forgiveness for angels. Beyond that, he cannot and doesn’t want to anyway. He loves his sin, he hates God, and he hates people. He is arrogant and even though he knows God’s righteous decree that he deserves death, he doesn’t care and tempts others into sin that will kill them too.
He knows he can’t win, and yet, he seeks to destroy God’s people and God’s good creation anyway. He wants to take down as many people and angels with him as he can in the process.
The unasked question: What hope is there for me?
You may be thinking to yourself – “That sounds a lot like how the bible describes sinful humans as well…what hope is there for me?”
Here are some…
For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 21But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. 22But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. 23For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:20–23 ESV)
So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. 22For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, 23but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. 24Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin. 8:1There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. 3For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. (Romans 7:21–8:4 ESV)
For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 21But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. 22But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. 23For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:20–23 ESV)
For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. 11More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. (Romans 5:6–11 ESV)
And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:1–10 ESV)
There are many others!
Know this – Jesus helps the sons of Abraham. Jesus came as a human, the second Adam, to succeed where Adam failed. Adam represented us to the Father and sin and death entered the human existence because Adam chose sin and death over obedience and life. Repentance, forgiveness, salvation, and freedom come to you by the work (the help) of Jesus.
For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. 17Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. 18For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted. (Hebrews 2:16–18 ESV)
He makes propitiation for the sins of the people, and as long as there’s breath, there’s hope.
Turn to Him who helps those who are being tempted.
because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 11For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” 12For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. 13For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Romans 10:9–13 ESV)
