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Does God Love the Devil?

By November 1, 1999November 9th, 2022No Comments

Q.

Did God, or does God, love the Devil, since the latter is a created being and God loved His creation?

A.
It would appear that the answer to your question is yes, based on the following observations.

First, God is love (1 John 4:7, 8). As you pointed out, He also loves His creation, and Satan is a created being. Genesis 1:31 states, “Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good.”

Second, God can both love and hate at the same time. Genesis 6:6 and 7 and Zechariah 8:17 are verses to consider in this question. It is imperative to understand that God loves sinners but hates their sin. Satan fell through pride and rebellion. In the course of God’s program Satan will thus be consigned to the Lake of Fire for all eternity.

Third, we need to note the example of Judas Iscariot, one of Jesus’ twelve disciples. Judas was a wicked man, and he betrayed Jesus into the hands of Jesus’ enemies, who ultimately put Him to death. Judas had every opportunity to repent. He had blown a chance that few people possessed—being a true disciple of the Lord. In spite of the dastardly deeds Judas committed in the betrayal, we see the Lord’s love for Judas. Even when Judas betrayed Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane with a kiss, Jesus addressed Judas as “Friend” (Matthew 26:50). Had Judas repented, no doubt he could have received pardon and forgiveness. Yes, Jesus loved Judas, but He also referred to Judas as a devil during His public ministry (John 6:70, 71).

This article appeared in the “Q & A” column of the Baptist Bulletin (November 1999) by Norman A. Olson. 

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