C. S. Lewis wrote that modern people generally make two equal and opposite errors about Satan: they either deny him and ignore him, or they give him too much credit. Those who deny him, however, still have to acknowledge the presence of evil in the world. Today, the common tendency is to give Satan too much credit – to think that he is an equal and opposite counterpart to God. Scripture makes it clear that this is not the case! Here are nine things that Satan cannot do.
1. Satan Cannot Do Anything That God Has Not Permitted
Job had it all – wealth, health, family, friends, and prestige. But when God praised Job, Satan claimed that Job's devotion was only the result of God's blessings. He claimed that if God took away Job's wealth and family, Job would "curse You to Your face." God said, "Behold, all that he has is in your power; only do not reach out and put your hand on him" (Job 1:11-12 NASB). Until God permitted Satan to test Job, Satan was unable to do so. In Job 2:6 NASB, God allowed Satan to afflict Job physically, but not to kill him. Clearly, Satan cannot do anything that God has not permitted.
2. Satan Cannot "Force" People Into Hell
Satan's power to afflict us is subject to God's limits, but God has completely put our salvation off limits. Jesus makes this point in Matthew 10:28 NASB: "And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul." Satan can tempt, deceive, mislead, and afflict, but he cannot eternally condemn us.
3. Satan Cannot Force People to Do Anything Against Their Will
The story of the Fall (Genesis 3:1-13, NASB) describes how sin entered the world. The serpent was cunning (verse 1), and he deceived Adam and Eve (verse 13) – but he did not force them to eat the fruit. He distracted them by getting them to take their eyes off God and put them onto the temptation. Nothing in that narrative has changed – Satan cannot force people to act against their wills. He tempts, misleads, and deceives to convince them to disobey God, but he cannot force them.
4. Satan Cannot Speak the Truth
In John 8, Jesus tells the people that the truth will set them free (John 8:32 NASB). When they argue that they had never been enslaved, He says plainly that Satan is a liar: "[He] does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he tells a lie, he speaks from his own nature, because he is a liar and the father of lies" (John 8:44 NASB). Thankfully, God has given us the truth; Jesus said that He Himself is the truth (John 14:6 NASB) and that God's Word is truth (John 17:17 NASB). We don't have to accept the devil's version of things; we can walk in the light.
5. Satan's Power Extends Only to Testing Us
As Jesus was preparing His disciples for the events of His arrest and crucifixion, He told them plainly that they were going to be tested. "Simon, Simon, Satan has demanded to sift you men like wheat; but I have prayed for you, that your faith will not fail; and when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers" (Luke 22:31-32 NASB). Satan has authority as the "prince of this world" (see Ephesians 2:2 NASB), but that authority has limits.
We know the story of Peter's failure when he denied even knowing Jesus. Importantly, Jesus also knew what would happen – and He told Peter ahead of time that his failure would not be the end. "When you have turned back" is a powerful reminder that, contrary to what Satan would like us to believe, one failure does not condemn us.
6. Satan Cannot Separate Us From God
In Romans 8, Paul writes to encourage his readers about the depth and breadth of the deliverance we have in Jesus. We are set free from the law of sin and death through the law of the Spirit of life (Romans 8:2 NASB), and God is at work for our good in all situations. Paul then closes this passage in talking about the victory that we have in Christ: "For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:38-39 NASB). Satan falls under several of the categories that Paul lists of things that cannot separate us from God's love – angels, principalities, powers, and created things. Satan will try to get us to turn away from God, but he cannot separate us from God's love.
7. Satan Cannot Overcome Believers
"You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world" (1 John 4:4 NASB). "Them" are the false prophets and antichrists who have come and who will come into the world. "He who is in the world" is, of course, Satan. But despite his false prophets and antichrists, Satan cannot overcome believers, because the Spirit of Christ is in us – and He who is in us is greater than Satan!
8. Satan Cannot Stand in the Face of God's Power
The story of Satan's fall is well known, though it must be pieced together from Scripture. Satan was a powerful angel in heaven's hierarchy – but at some point, he decided that wasn't enough. That was a challenge to God's authority – and no one wins that kind of challenge. Satan could not stand in the face of God's power then, and he still cannot today. James reminds us: "Submit therefore to God. But resist the devil, and he will flee from you" (James 4:7 NASB). When we stand in God's power, Satan has to flee – because he cannot stand up to the power of God.
9. Satan Cannot, and Will Not, Defeat God
"Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. And he took hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he threw him into the abyss and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he would not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed; after these things he must be released for a short time" (Revelation 20:1-3 NASB). In the end, Satan will be bound and cast into the abyss – first for a time, and ultimately for eternity. John tells us in Revelation 20 that when the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released for one final battle. That battle will end suddenly, as fire comes down from heaven and devours Satan's forces. "And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever" (Revelation 20:10 NASB).
Remember: Satan is Not God's Equal
Satan has power, but his power has limits. We should not underestimate him as the enemy of our souls, but we should also not despair. Scripture shows us, in the passages above as well as others, that there are many things that Satan cannot do. From the beginning, God has given humanity the freedom to choose to obey Him - or not to obey Him. God does not force us, and Satan cannot force us.
Satan primarily directs his power to deceive us, to convince us to disobey God. Because he cannot force us to disobey, he ultimately has no power over us unless we choose to listen to him. And we don't have to listen to him! As John wrote, greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world.
