Journal: Grace Journal
Volume: GJ 09:3 (Fall 1968)
Article: The New Testament Doctrine of Satan
Author: William G. Bellshaw

GJ 9:3 (Fall 68) p. 24

The New Testament Doctrine of Satan

William G. Bellshaw

Dean
San Francisco Conservative Baptist
Theological Seminary

The Revelation concerning His Personality

A proper and a logical place to begin any discussion of the New Testament revelation of Satan is to begin with the evidence for his personality. Every reference to Satan in the New Testament is an argument for his existence. Some simply believe Satan is the personification of evil, and so they deny his personality. In essence, they spell “devil” without the letter “d.” This is not an accurate nor an adequate view of the Scriptural teaching.

He Possesses the Nature of a Personality

One of the accepted methods of demonstrating that an entity is a real person is by presenting proof of its possession of intellect, emotions and will. All three of these are possessed by Satan.

Satan’s Intellect. Satan’s intellectual abilities are clearly demonstrated in the New Testament. Two will be selected as representative of the many which could be given. First, Satan tempted Christ (Matt 4:1–11). The Lord dealt with Satan as a real person. If this statement is denied, then all rational interpretation of these verses is hopeless. Satan demonstrated his intellect by recalling from memory a portion of the Old Testament, Psalm 91:11, 12 (Matt 4:6). In general, the application of this section to the situation at hand was appropriate, which is another demonstration of intellectual ability. His omission of an important part of the context (Psalm 91:1) points out that he has the ability to twist and pervert written documents to suit his purposes.

Second, the Apostle Paul pointed out that Satan might get an advantage over the saint (2 Cor 2:11). However, it is not necessary for him to be victorious since believers can know about his devices. The word “devices” translates the word to noēma. The basic meaning of the word is “thought or mind.”1 It may be used in an evil sense, as here, of “design or plot.” Such ability does demonstrate that Satan possesses intellect.

Satan’s Emotions. One verse clearly points out an emotion in connection with Satan. At the middle of the Tribulation, Satan will be cast out of heaven. He then initiates a time of severe persecution against Israel. His attitude toward the nation is described in You must have a subscription and be logged in to read the entire article.
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