Is Satan the source of all evil?
Question:
Hey Mr. Jeffrey,
Is every single evil ideology, false teaching and deceptive doctrine that is against God derived in some form or fashion from Satan? I noticed the Spirit says many will follow after the doctrine of demons in I Timothy 4. It got me thinking
Answer:
Since Satan is the one who originally tempted Eve into sin, you can say he is the originator of evil since he got the ball rolling (John 8:44). However, Satan doesn't come up with every evil idea. "Behold, I have found only this, that God made men upright, but they have sought out many devices" (Ecclesiastes 7:29). People have imaginations and create all sorts of evil on their own. It is our own desires that lead us astray. "But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust" (James 1:13). Satan and the demons just encourage such sorrow. When a person makes a habit of sinning, he is aligning himself with Satan. "The one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil" (I John 3:8).
