Having settled it that there is a Devil, we now face the question as to
the nature of the Devil.
1. First of all, the Bible teaches us that the _Devil is a person_.
This comes out in our second text, 1 John 3:8: +"The devil
sinneth."+ Only a person can sin. When we say that the Devil is
a person we do not mean that necessarily he has a body, certainly
not such a body as he is pictured as having in various paintings and
engravings that are supposed to represent the Devil. A person is any
being who knows and feels and wills. When we say that the Devil is
a person we mean that he is a being who has intelligence, feeling
and will, that he is not a mere principle of evil. The personality
of the Devil is taught over and over again in the Bible. Just a few
illustrations in addition to our texts. Turn again to Matt. 13:19:
+"When any one heareth the word of God, and understandeth it not,
then cometh the evil one, and snatcheth away that which hath been
sown in his heart."+ The representation of this passage is the
representation of a person. He is called "The Evil One," not merely
"evil," but "The Evil One," which of course is the representation of a
person. If evil is only impersonal, or if it only works through human
beings, these words of our Lord Jesus would be without meaning. The
personality of the Devil comes out again very clearly and very forcibly
in Eph. 6:10-12: +"Finally, brethren, be strong in the Lord and the
strength of his might. (11) Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may
be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. (12) For our wrestling
is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities,
against the powers, against the world rulers of this darkness, against
the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places."+ Here
Paul distinctly tells us that the great reason why we need to be strong
in the Lord and in the strength of His might and why we need to put on
the whole armour of God, is because there is a being of great cunning,
subtlety and power, a person named "The Devil," and that this being
has under him a multitude of other personalities of such dignity and
power as to be called by the titles: "principalities," "powers," "world
rulers," "spiritual hosts of wickedness." Beyond a question our Lord
Jesus, and the Apostle Peter and the Apostle John and the Apostle Paul
believed in and taught the existence of a personal Devil. If there is
not a personal Devil we may as well give up our Bible, for in that
case it is a book that is full of folly and of fraud. If there is not
a personal Devil we must give up our belief in the inspired authority
of the Apostle Paul, the Apostle Peter, the Apostle John, and we must
give up our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. No intelligent student of
the Bible can retain his faith in the inspiration and authority of that
Book, or his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, if he gives up belief in
the existence of a personal Devil. As intelligent men and women, we
must take our choice between believing in the existence of a personal
Devil or giving up our faith in Jesus Christ and Christianity. _Any
system of doctrine that denies the existence of a personal Devil is
radically unchristian whatever name it may arrogate to itself._
2. The second thing that the Bible teaches as to the nature of
the Devil, is that, _the Devil is a being of very great power and
authority_. This comes out in the verses we have just read, Eph.
6:10, 11: +"Finally be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his
might. (11) Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to
stand against the wiles of the devil."+ These words make it clear
that the Devil is so mighty that the people of God cannot resist his
cunning wiles without having on the whole armour of God, and it is also
evident from the 10th verse that we cannot resist his power unless
we are strengthened with the strength of God. And this is not all:
in the 12th verse we read: +(12) "For our wrestling is not against
flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers,
against the world rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual
hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places."+ These are tremendous
words. If they mean anything, they certainly mean that there are
beings of great authority and dignity who are under the leadership of
the one supreme being of evil, the Devil. The conflict that we have
on hand as believers in Christ is terrific. The conflict that the
Allies have on hand with the mighty military forces of the Kaiser is
nothing to the battle we have on hand with the Devil and his hosts.
We are fools if we underestimate the battle. On the other hand, we
must not over-estimate it. While our conflict is with the Devil, and
while our wrestling is against "the principalities," against "the
powers," against "the world-rulers," against "the spiritual hosts of
wickedness," nevertheless He that is for us is far mightier than they.
The Devil is mighty but our Saviour is almighty. It is quite possible
for one to become morbid over this subject of the Devil, and to become
utterly discouraged and even deranged. That is entirely unnecessary and
unwarranted. While our conflict is with the Devil and his mighty hosts,
God has provided for us a strength and an armour whereby we may "be
able to quench all the fiery darts of the Evil One" and to "withstand
in the evil day, and having done all to stand" (v. 13).
3. The third thing that the Bible teaches us as to the Nature of the
Devil is that, _the Devil is a being of great majesty and dignity of
position_. Turn to Jude 8, 9: +"Yet in like manner these also in
their dreamings defile the flesh, and set at nought dominion, and rail
at dignities+ (the literal translation of the Greek word rendered
dignities is "_glories_"). +(9) But Michael the Archangel, when
contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst
not bring against him a railing judgment, but said, The Lord rebuke
thee."+ From these words it is evident that _the position of the
Devil was so exalted that even Michael the archangel did not dare to
bring a railing judgment against him_. The context seems to imply that
the position of the Devil was more exalted than that of Michael the
archangel himself. The Devil of the Bible is not at all the Devil of
common thought. He is not a being hideous in appearance, with hoofs and
horns and tail. He is not even the being pictured by Milton or Bunyan.
He is a being of very great original majesty and dignity, a being of
great wisdom and power. When people talk lightly and contemptuously
about the Devil they display gross ignorance of what the Bible teaches
about him. It is true that he is evil in character and therefore
called "The Evil One" (John 5:19, R. V.). It is true he is a liar and
a murderer (John 8:44), it is true that he is full of malignity (II
Cor. 4:4): but he is a being of great dignity and majesty, so that even
Michael the archangel durst not bring against him a railing accusation.
4. The Bible teaches furthermore that _the Devil is "the prince of
this world."_ Our Lord Jesus Himself taught this. He says in John
12:31: +"Now is the judgment of this world; now shall the prince of
this world be cast out."+ The Greek word translated "world" in this
passage is _kosmos_, and the thought is of the present world order, and
our Lord's teaching is that the Devil is the prince of this present
world order. We have the same teaching of our Lord in John 14:30, where
we read: +"I will no more speak much with you, for the prince of
the world cometh: and he hath nothing in me."+ These words of our
Lord are found in what many regard as the most precious chapter in
the Bible, the 14th chapter of John, and if we give up this teaching
of our Lord regarding Satan we must give up, not merely the Bible as a
whole, but this most precious chapter in the Bible. We find the Lord
teaching the same thing again on that same night, the night before His
crucifixion, in John 16:11 where he says: +"The prince of this world
is judged"+—the evident reference being to Satan.
How the Devil came to be Prince of this world it may be impossible
for us to say, but that he is so admits of no question, if we are to
accept the teaching of Jesus Christ, and any one who will study the
ruling principles of commercial life, of political life, of social
life, and above all of international relations, to such an one it will
become perfectly evident that the Devil is the one who is master of
the present order of things. If we ever doubted before that there was
a Devil, and just such a Devil as the Bible pictures, we can scarcely
doubt it now, when we consider the action of the rulers of the earth in
this present mad world war. How could beings so intelligent in matters
of science and philosophy and economics as the present rulers of
Germany are, ever be guilty of plunging the nations of the earth into
this mad war? There is but one reasonable answer: because there is a
Devil who rules the present Kosmos, or world order, and he controls the
Kaisers and the Reichstags of the world and will until the true Prince
comes, the Prince of Peace, our Lord Jesus Christ.