The following excerpt is taken from What Every Christian Should Know About Satan. Order your copy in print, Kindle, or Audible versions here.

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We may be hard-pressed to come up with a universally accepted definition of evil, but most of us know evil when we see it – or at least we think we do. For example, most (but not all) would say the gas chambers of Auschwitz were evil, as were the U.S. institution of chattel slavery, the serial murders of Ted Bundy, the packaged explosives of “Unabomber” Ted Kaczynski, and the domestic terror of Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh.  

God has placed in every human heart a conscience, which not only helps us discern right from wrong but universally testifies of a divine moral law giver (Rom. 2:14-16). And so, we know intuitively what evil is, and therefore we know who ultimately judges us for it. Or we should. The problem is, sin has knocked every human being’s moral compass off magnetic north.

Evil is not so much the opposite of good as it is the absence of good, or the perversion of good. Just as darkness may only be described in contrast to light, evil is only understood in relation to good. And that’s the rub, because all human beings, though made in the image of God, are evil. We all sin, and our sin separates us from an eternally and unequivocally good creator (Rom. 3:10, 23; 6:23). 

As a result, we often call evil good, and good evil (Isa. 5:20). We willingly descend the long spiral of godlessness, rejecting the God who reveals himself to all people in creation and conscience (Rom. 1:18-20; 2:14-16). Incrementally, God delivers us over to the depravities of our hearts until we live in open rebellion against him, celebrating the very deeds for which we stand condemned (Rom. 1:28-32).

Put simply, we are evil. And although we may gloss over our wickedness, or compare ourselves positively with those we deem far worse than we are, it is a fool’s game. God is holy. We are not. And apart from God’s grace, we all share a common destination in the lake of fire. 

When it comes to the character the Bible identifies as the evil one, our ability to discern between good and evil is even more precarious. In part, that’s because Satan is the embodiment of evil, so much so that he comes to us as an angel of light and makes wrong seem right, wickedness seem righteous, and evil seem good. He places a veil over our eyes, whispers soothing words into our deepest depravities, and makes a lie sound like the greatest version of our own personal truth. 

Let’s look at several Greek words the New Testament employs to convey the concept of evil. Then, let’s turn our attention to several passages of Scripture that tell us more about the evil one.

Adikia. The noun adikia appears about two dozen times in the New Testament and is translated variously as “iniquity,” “evil,” “wickedness,” and “wrongdoing.” Adikia specifically denotes anything at odds with divine or human law. For example, Paul says the wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against the godlessness and wickedness of people (Rom. 1:18). He further writes that all who do not believe the truth but delight in wickedness are condemned (2 Thess. 2:12 NIV). We are urged to confess our sins so that the Lord, who is faithful and just, forgives our sins and purifies us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).

Kakia. The noun kakia means “malice” and appears in nearly a dozen passages. New Testament writers view kakia as a force that breaks or destroys fellowship. For example, Paul urges his readers to engage in good works, reminding them that they were once “foolish, disobedient, deceived, enslaved by various passions and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, detesting one another” (Tit. 3:3). Christians are to put away malice (Eph. 4:31; Col. 3:8; 1 Pet. 2:1). 

Akathartos. The adjective akathartos essentially means “unclean” and pertains to that which may not be brought into contact with the holy. Impurity often is associated with fornication and idolatry (Eph. 5:5; Rev. 17:4). Those afflicted with demons often are described as having an unclean or evil spirit (e.g., Matt. 10:1; 12:43; Mark 1:23, 26). This Greek adjective appears more than thirty times in the New Testament.

Kakos. Another adjective, kakos, shows up about fifty times in the Greek text and conveys the idea of something “evil,” “bad,” or “wrong,” with a view toward something good that has been perverted. The use of kakos may be loosely divided into what is morally or ethically evil and what is destructive, damaging, or harmful. For example, people are morally or ethically evil (Matt. 21:41; Phil. 3:2; Rev. 2:2), and so are emotions and deeds (Rom. 3:8; 7:19, 21; 1 Thess. 5:15; 1 Pet. 3:9). Meanwhile, objects, events, and actions may be evil in destructive or damaging ways (Luke 16:25; Acts 16:28; 28:5).

Poneros. The Greek term often used to describe Satan is ho poneros – the evil one. The adjective poneros basically means “bad,” “wicked,” or “evil.” It may be used in a purely physical sense to mean sick or in bad condition (e.g., Matt. 6:23; Rev. 16:2). Most commonly, however, poneros holds a strong ethical meaning relating to someone or something wicked. Jesus calls the Israelites who oppose him an evil generation (Matt. 12:39; 16:4; Luke 11:29). In his common grace, God sends sunshine on both the evil and the good (Matt. 5:45). Thoughts and works may be evil as well (Matt. 15:19; Col. 1:21; 2 Tim. 4:18). 

When used as a noun, poneros may refer to evildoers (Matt. 5:39), evil actions (Luke 6:45), or to the preeminently evil one, the devil (e.g., Matt. 6:13; 13:19; John 17:15; Eph. 6:16; 1 John 5:18). It is these passages – the ones focusing on Satan as the evil one – to which we now turn our attention.

Next: The evil one