The Bible tells a story, a great story of love, freedom, and a cosmic controversy that we have been drawn into. It begins not on earth, but in a perfect heaven, for the very nature of God, and His law, is love (1 John 4:8). The King of the universe desired the service of all His creatures, but He had no pleasure in forced obedience. He wanted a service that would spring from a heart that truly appreciated His character. For this reason, He granted every being the sacred gift of freedom of will.
In this realm of perfect harmony, God did not create a devil. He created Lucifer, the “son of the morning” (Isaiah 14:12), an anointed cherub who was the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty (Ezekiel 28:12, 15). He held the highest position of honor, next to Christ Himself.
But a change came over this perfect state, and the responsibility for sin rests with the one who first misused his freedom. Sin began with Lucifer. Slowly, subtly, he began to indulge a desire to exalt himself. The Bible records his fall: “Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness” (Ezekiel 28:17). He grew jealous of Christ and dared to covet the worship that belonged only to the Creator, saying in his heart, “I will exalt my throne above the stars of God… I will be like the most High” (Isaiah 14:13, 14).
Though warned with infinite love, Lucifer’s pride only grew more determined. He began to secretly spread discontent among the other angels, hiding his true purpose under a cloak of reverence for God. He artfully planted doubts about God’s laws, suggesting they were an unnecessary restraint, and portrayed God’s exaltation of His Son as an injustice. This spirit of discontent ripened into open rebellion, and there was war in heaven. Michael and His angels fought against the dragon, who is Satan, and that great deceiver “was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him” (Revelation 12:7, 9). Now on this earth, our adversary, the devil, “as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8).
Though warned with infinite love, Lucifer’s pride only grew more determined. He began to secretly spread discontent among the other angels, hiding his true purpose under a cloak of reverence for God. He artfully planted doubts about God’s laws, suggesting they were an unnecessary restraint, and portrayed God’s exaltation of His Son as an injustice. This spirit of discontent ripened into open rebellion, and there was war in heaven. Michael and His angels fought against the dragon, who is Satan, and that great deceiver “was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him” (Revelation 12:7, 9). Now on this earth, our adversary, the devil, “as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8).
The controversy then moved to this world. In the Garden of Eden, Satan, using a beautiful serpent as his medium, contradicted God’s clear command, telling Eve, “Ye shall not surely die” (Genesis 3:1-4). Adam and Eve chose to believe the serpent’s lie over God’s word, and they disobeyed. And so, the Bible says, “by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men” (Romans 5:12).
This leads us to the heart of the matter: Why did God permit sin? Why did He not destroy Satan the moment he rebelled? The answer is the bedrock of all truth: “God is love” (1 John 4:8). His government is founded on love, not fear. If God had destroyed Satan immediately, the heavenly beings who did not understand the nature of his rebellion would have served God out of fear rather than love. For the good of the entire universe, for all eternity, sin had to be allowed to run its course so its true, terrible nature could be fully revealed. This dreadful history of rebellion was permitted to become an eternal lesson, a permanent safeguard to unmask the deceiver and prove forever that God’s government is just and His law is perfect.
Yet, God’s incredible love did not leave us in despair. In humanity’s darkest hour, God Himself announced the plan of restoration, promising that the seed of the woman would one day come to crush the serpent’s head (Genesis 3:15). This plan for our rescue is the ultimate proof of God’s love. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).
In the fullness of time, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem us (Galatians 4:4, 5). Christ, who was in the very form of God and equal with God (Philippians 2:6), humbled Himself and became a man. He took on our flesh and blood (Hebrews 2:14), experiencing hunger, thirst, and weariness, yet He was completely “without sin” (Hebrews 4:15). He was made to be sin for us (2 Corinthians 5:21), and on the cross, He paid the death penalty we deserved. Through His own death, He secured the ultimate destruction of “him that had the power of death, that is, the devil” (Hebrews 2:14). Because He suffered and was tempted, He is able to help us when we are tempted (Hebrews 2:18). In this great conflict, we can be victorious by submitting our will to Him, for “greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world” (1 John 4:4).
In the end, God’s original purpose will be fulfilled, and there will be a sinless world once more. And we must never forget that the foundation of it all is freedom of choice. This is the gift God gave all His creatures from the beginning, a gift He will never take back. In the new earth, we will still possess this precious freedom. But having witnessed the devastating cost of sin and having finally, fully grasped the breathtaking depth of love that led Jesus Christ to the cross for us, we will never again choose to sin. Our eternal service will be the free and joyous outpouring of a love that has seen the ultimate price and chosen, forever, the Giver of all good things.