How Did Satan Become Evil?

Q: How Did Satan Become Evil?

A little understanding of what is “good” and what is “evil” will help, so I must begin from there. Evil is the opposite and absence of good as darkness is the opposite and absence of light. Just as with light and darkness, when good is absent, evil is present. We must understand who or what good is, and what causes that which is good to become absent, bringing about evil.

Good is the person, nature, and works of God. As a person, God is good; goodness radiates his nature, and his creation and all His works are good. Please see Mark 10:18, James 1:17, Gen. 1:31, Ps 73:1, 1 Tim 4:4, Psalm 100:5. God alone is infinitely good, exploring his goodness will lead you from one depth of goodness to another. His thoughts for us are for good, even His commands to us are for our good. There’s no end to His goodness, Jeremiah 29:11, Deuteronomy 10:13, Ps 23:6.

The will of God is good. Evil becomes manifest when one goes against the will of God. Even if it’s with a supposedly good intent, it will still lead to evil. The only will other than the will of God is self-will. Good is pleasant, evil is unpleasant; good is peaceful, evil is harmful; good is wellness, evil brings corruption and decadence; good is healthy, evil brings injury. Every time anyone chooses self-will over God’s will, it will end in evil one way or another, even if the person had a good intent, how much more when it’s with a wicked intent.

At some time in history, Satan chose to advance his self-will (which ultimately leads to evil) above the will of God (which is always good) and it led him to commit several evil atrocities and ultimately led him to become the evil one. God cast him out and also became absent in his being, causing everything about him, including his very nature to become evil.