Does Satan have ANY good in him?

[Phasmid]

Okay, so my knowledge of Satan is limited, but if I understand correctly, he was told, by God, to submit to humans. But Satan refused and was, "cast out" what ever that means, and now tempts people into fiddeling with their privates and killing on another. I've also heard it said that Satan thought he could be as powerful as God and was, "cast out" for that reason.

Anyway, what ever the reason, Satan was God's pal at one point, so Satan obviously knew/knows what love is and obviously had a heart. So, do the Christians here think he's PURE evil? Moderately evil? Missunderstood? A bit of a git?

If he does have good in him, then is this, "good" a conscience? If so, could he be persuaded to repent?

 

[tomspug]

Well, the Bible doesn't actually describe ANY of these accounts. All we know is that it is assumed that he was cast out of heaven. Basically, he's in complete opposition to God.

Everything he does, he does for the purpose of opposition to God. It depends on your own opinion of whether this is 'bad' or not.

 

[logician]

If I run into him, I'll let you know.

 

[Willamena]

"What doesn't kill you makes you stronger."

 

[Wandered Off]

"That which does not kill me postpones the inevitable."

Adversity

 

[rheff78]

I tend to think Satan is Hate, where God is Love. Satan can't make a person do anything, but rather gives them temptations.

 

[cardero]

Does Satan have ANY good in him?
I know he has an outstanding Public Relations department.

 

[Gentoo]

Some people believe that without Satan and threat of Hell, there'd be no reason to be with God and do good.

 

[Francine]

Does Satan have ANY good in him?

He carries out commands by God to the letter. When God told him to whack Job's servants and children, but leave Job himself unharmed, he did exactly that. When God told him to make Job covered with sores, but make sure he didn't actually kill Job, Satan did exactly that.

 

[cardero]

Some people believe that without Satan and threat of Hell, there'd be no reason to be with God and do good.

That sounds like the Universal Sovereignty syndrome. We do not need Satan for this, some people believe that God already has the right to threat and punish people who do not obey His laws. This conception can extend into the Stockholm syndrome.

 

[Gentoo]

That sounds like the Universal Soverignty syndrome. We do not need Satan for this, some people believe that God already has the right to threat and punish people who do not obey His laws. This conception can extend into the Stockholm syndrome.

I don't agree with it myself, but I have heard it said.

 

[Azakel]

He carries out commands by God to the letter. When God told him to whack Job's servants and children, but leave Job himself unharmed, he did exactly that. When God told him to make Job covered with sores, but make sure he didn't actually kill Job, Satan did exactly that.

That what I was thinking. Satan is the title given to the Angel in the OT(and most likely the NT) that does the will of God. And if you believe God is good then Satan is good.
Note: this is going of what of know of HaSatan, in the Jew holy book, were Satan is not seen as evil, just doing a job for God.

 

[Francine]

Note: this is going of what of know of HaSatan, in the Jew holy book, were Satan is not seen as evil, just doing a job for God.

Satan is God's version of Blackwater. He does the crappy dangerous jobs.

 

[Mike182]

does Satan have any good in him? his rejection of God was for the good of mankind, that we would be free from a jealous, schizophrenic, unjust God, that we would be our own masters.

that or some Church way back when took a horned deity from some other religion and made it out to be rather evil, in order to gain converts, showing a very successful PR campaign - but i only argue that one when i'm feeling particularly sceptical.

 

[rojse]

Satan offered Jesus food in the desert, did he not?

 

[ironangel]

Okay, so my knowledge of Satan is limited, but if I understand correctly, he was told, by God, to submit to humans. But Satan refused and was, "cast out" what ever that means, and now tempts people into fiddeling with their privates and killing on another. I've also heard it said that Satan thought he could be as powerful as God and was, "cast out" for that reason.

Anyway, what ever the reason, Satan was God's pal at one point, so Satan obviously knew/knows what love is and obviously had a heart. So, do the Christians here think he's PURE evil? Moderately evil? Missunderstood? A bit of a git?

If he does have good in him, then is this, "good" a conscience? If so, could he be persuaded to repent?

Satan "was" an angel of God, actually he was a bright star called Lucifer but because of pride and arrogance he was thrown from heaven.

Isa 14:11 Thy pomp (pride) is brought down to the grave, and the noise of thy viols: the worm is spread under thee, and the worms cover thee.
Isa 14:12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
Isa 14:13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
Isa 14:14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.
Isa 14:15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.
The name itself suggest (satan) there is no good in him. Satan means an opponent or enemy of God, & arch enemy of good, an adversary. Strong's Hebrew and Greek dictionary define satan as:

H7854
שׂטן
śâṭân
saw-tawn'
From H7853; an opponent; especially (with the article prefixed) Satan, the arch enemy of good: - adversary, Satan, withstand.

He is the father of lies and there is no truth in him. He is a murderer from the beginning and doesn't abide in truth for there is no truth in him.

Joh 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode 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 of it.

 

[vandervalley]

If God created everything then God also created Satan.

Did God create Satan on purpose?

 

[McBell]

Satan
proper name of the supreme evil spirit in Christianity, O.E. Satan, from L.L. Satan (in Vulgate, in O.T. only), from Gk. Satanas, from Heb. satan "adversary, one who plots against another," from satan "to show enmity to, oppose, plot against," from root s-t-n "one who opposes, obstructs, or acts as an adversary." In Septuagint (Gk.) usually translated as diabolos "slanderer," lit. "one who throws (something) across" the path of another (see devil), though epiboulos "plotter" is used once.

"In biblical sources the Hebrew term the satan describes an adversarial role. It is not the name of a particular character. Although Hebrew storytellers as early as the sixth century B.C.E. occasionally introduced a supernatural character whom they called the satan, what they meant was any one of the angels sent by God for the specific purpose of blocking or obstructing human activity." [Elaine Pagels, "The Origin of Satan," 1995]​

Satanic "pertaining to Satan" is first recorded 1667 (in "Paradise Lost"); meaning "diabolical" is from 1793. Satanism "worship of Satan" dates from 1896, with ref. to France, where it was said to be active at that time; Satanist is attested from 1559, applied by their enemies to Protestant sects.

 

[McBell]

Is Satan Lucifer?

 

[gnostic]

It really depends on who you are talking about?

Are you talking about Satan in the Old Testament or Satan in the New Testament? Because they are 2 different persons.

The former is agent and middleman of God, taking orders from God in testing people. OT Satan may not be considered good, but he is also not evil. He also seemed loyal to god, doing his bidding.

The later is the personification of evil, the opposite and opponent of God. The Devil, the Prince of Darkness. This NT Satan is a late invention in the 2nd century BC, as late Judaism and early Christianity became more influenced by Zoroastrian dualism of good vs evil and Hellenistic exaggeration.