Questions
& Answers
Christianity
7. How can a loving God allow a satan and hell to exist?
Anonymous: God created both angels and people with free will. He didn’t
want puppets. However, one of the most powerful angels realized that if he inverted all
the ways of God and could convince all the other angels to do the same, he could set up
his own kingdom completely independent of God. But
remember, satan is not another God because although he is very powerful, he was created
by God and therefore, can be crushed in a second if God chose to do so.
So why doesn't God destroy Satan? The reason for that is because he uses the devil to test and challenge us in ways that show us our need to trust God. This was shown in Job when God used Satan to test Job's faith in Him. The prime example of Satan's usefulness was shown when he tempted Jesus in the wilderness to prove that Jesus was perfect even in the midst of the sweetest of temptations. It may be strange to think that the devil (to his disliking) is actually being used as a servant in God's ultimate plan. Another key example of the Devil's usefulness was to seduce Judas into betraying Christ. If there was no Satan or Judas, Jesus would not have been nailed to the Cross which is the only reason we have any hope of gaining salvation.