If Satan is the devil, is God responsible for all evil?

[Judas Thomas]

Many Christians equate Satan with the Devil – and insist they are one and the same. But let’s assume for the sake of argument that this identification is correct:
That Satan, the Accuser, is also the Devil – the personification of evil.

Then the question becomes unavoidable:
If Satan is the Devil – and God is sovereign over Satan – isn’t God ultimately responsible for all the evil Satan causes?

You can’t have it both ways. Either:

God permits Satan’s actions and uses him as a tool (as seen in Job 1),
or

God is opposed to Satan but somehow powerless to stop him, which undermines divine sovereignty.


Most orthodox positions choose the first: God is in control, and Satan operates only with divine permission. But that leads to an unsettling conclusion:

> All suffering, deception, war, and religious strife are part of a divine script – a cosmic drama where Satan plays his role under God’s direction.



If that’s the case, then:

Human suffering becomes a prewritten element of God’s plan.

Religious wars, mass delusion, genocide, and even the “end times” become part of a divine performance.

Human dignity, free will, and the meaning of moral choice are reduced to scripted reactions in a play authored by God.


Is this really consistent with the God revealed by Jesus?

A God who:

Weeps with the brokenhearted (John 11:35)

Wishes that none should perish (2 Peter 3:9)

Warns against religious pride (Matthew 23)

Calls us to love even our enemies (Matthew 5:44)


How can such a God deliberately authorize a supernatural evil force to mislead, destroy, and cause misery?

This theological trap stems largely from a medieval synthesis of biblical and extra-biblical tradition. In the Hebrew Bible, haSatan is not the devil – he is God’s prosecutor, not his opponent. The devil, as a figure of ultimate rebellion and chaos, developed later and was merged with Satan.

If we don’t distinguish between Satan (God’s tester) and the Devil (false god, deceiver), we end up with a theology where:

Evil is part of God’s plan.

People are judged for roles they were assigned.

And the Gospel becomes a rescue from God himself – not from sin or injustice.


The dignity of human life suffers under this view.
It becomes a divine chess game, where our pain serves some “higher purpose” we can never challenge – because Satan is doing God’s will.

So I ask:
If Satan is the Devil, and God is his master, how do we avoid making God the author of all evil?

And if we can’t… isn’t it time to revisit the assumptions?

 

[Truly]

John was actually one such christian who equated Satan with the devil

Rev 20:2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years

Jesus also calls the devil (in Matt 4:8) Satan (in Matt 4:10)

Mat 4:8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them

Mat 4:9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.

Mat 4:10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

It is written that Jesus says to "the devil" Get thee hence, "Satan".

You can safely assume Jesus Christ and John (follower of Christ=christian) are clear about the devil being Satan.

Jesus is called a "tried stone"

The Spirit of God led Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted of Satan (Mark 1:14)

The LORD gave Satan permission to try Job (Job 1:12, Job 2:6, Job 23:10)

Jesus shares Satan's expressed desire to sift Simon, and Jesus prayed for his faith, who would later strengthen his brethren writing to them saying

Though now for "a season", if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations:

1Peter 1:7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ

Job also said,

Job 23:10 But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.

As far as evil goes, Job says,

Job 2:10 What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?
In all this did not Job sin with his lips.

And on the account of Job's suffering James writes,

James 5:10 Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience.

James 5:11 Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.

Tribulation worketh patience (Romans 5:3)

Jesus also says here to one of the churches

Rev 2:12 Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.

So as far as suffering goes in this life, we will all suffer in this world in one way or another, you really cannot get around suffering some pain, loss or death in some form (we will all die and so will lose someone we love and suffer that loss). That comes with our humanity, our mortality. Suffering as far as it depends on our own actions, Peter writes, "For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing." Who also wrote 1Peter 3:10 For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile.

As far as wars and fightings among themselves James writes

James 4:1-2 From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?

Jesus and John do not make these distinctions you try and make between Satan and the devil, the scriptures provided are clear that they are the same. You ignore these while doing on these wild rants.

 

[Judas Thomas]

John was actually one such christian who equated Satan with the devil

Rev 20:2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years

Jesus also calls the devil (in Matt 4:8) Satan (in Matt 4:10)

Mat 4:8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them

Mat 4:9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.

Mat 4:10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

It is written that Jesus says to "the devil" Get thee hence, "Satan".

You can safely assume Jesus Christ and John (follower of Christ=christian) are clear about the devil being Satan.

Jesus is called a "tried stone"

The Spirit of God led Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted of Satan (Mark 1:14)

The LORD gave Satan permission to try Job (Job 1:12, Job 2:6, Job 23:10)

Jesus shares Satan's expressed desire to sift Simon, and Jesus prayed for his faith, who would later strengthen his brethren writing to them saying

Though now for "a season", if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations:

1Peter 1:7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ

Job also said,

Job 23:10 But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.

As far as evil goes, Job says,

Job 2:10 What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?
In all this did not Job sin with his lips.

And on the account of Job's suffering James writes,

James 5:10 Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience.

James 5:11 Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.

Tribulation worketh patience (Romans 5:3)

Jesus also says here to one of the churches

Rev 2:12 Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.

So as far as suffering goes in this life, we will all suffer in this world in one way or another, you really cannot get around suffering some pain, loss or death in some form (we will all die and so will lose someone we love and suffer that loss). That comes with our humanity, our mortality. Suffering as far as it depends on our own actions, Peter writes, "For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing." Who also wrote 1Peter 3:10 For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile.

As far as wars and fightings among themselves James writes

James 4:1-2 From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?

Jesus and John do not make these distinctions you try and make between Satan and the devil, the scriptures provided are clear that they are the same. You ignore these while doing on these wild rants.

You're answer was good, until that last sentence. It's not a wild rant, if you support the conclusion.
Your conclusion is: "Yes God allows evil and sin to test us. Innocent people suffering and dying is part of a bigger plan by God." People going to God or to hell, based on roles assigned by God, not by their own free will and morality, is the consequence of this theology.

You do have a theology, based on scripture, so I will not deny it.

The doctrine that falls however is the one of a benevolent God, who is exclusively good and only does good, as your theology admits God is responsible for everything, the good and the evil.

You solve the theodizée dilemma by denying God is benevolent.

God is almighty and all knowing, but not benevolent. He doesn't only allow evil to happen, he's the source of all good and evil through his son Jesus Christ and his evil servant Satan. Is that true?