#KidsAsk: "Does God Love Satan?"

My first year of teaching has been met with countless unexpected questions, situations and circumstances - be it COVID protocols, navigating zoom learning, or the facets of teaching a Grade 5/6 class I wasn't prepared for (ex. all the social drama). However, one of the most interesting parts has been the array of questions I am asked during our Bible class. This is the first post of a series where I'll share what's been asked and give my initial thoughts on it. By no means are they final, and it is meant to be open-ended, so if you have some insights, please feel free to chime in!

This past week I was asked, "does God love Satan?"

More often than not, these questions come out of nowhere and are usually irrelevant to the discussion we were having in class. The logic behind this fifth grader's question was "if the Bible tells us to love our enemies, and Satan is an enemy of God, then does God love Satan?".

I have never had to think of this idea from this particular perspective. Based on what I was able to gather in that moment, my response was to look at what we do know from the scriptures. We know that Satan is the prince of the power of the air (Ephesians 2:2), and is the ruler of the world (2 Corinthians 4:4), we know that Satan schemes against God (Matthew 4:1-11) and we know (and have hope in the fact that) ultimately God will give Satan final and complete judgment when he is thrown into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:7-10). From what I know and have read, there has been no inclination that God loves Satan or any intention that God wanted redeem Satan.

Then I proceeded to wonder out loud, "perhaps Satan is too far gone, that he is beyond redemption" - however, God desires a broken and contrite heart, and those who turn to God, he will gladly welcome. Could that not be the case for Satan as well if he were to show signs of repentance? I think of the story of Paul's conversion, he persecuted churches, he hated Christians, in fact, he never desired God or was poor or broken in spirit, yet God pursued, changed and saved him. 

The doctrine of election then raised its hand. "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion... Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden" (Romans 9:15, 18). Before God, no one is worthy or righteous and there's nothing we have or can do to merit salvation, grace or mercy. God is perfectly right and just in giving the punishment we all deserve for the cosmic treason we have committed against him. But God, being rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when were dead in our transgressions (Ephesians 2:4-5), and he has chosen, before the foundation of the world, his children to be his very own (Ephesians 1:4-5). God is not obligated to show mercy or grace to any of us, Satan included. 

I spent the rest of the week asking other brothers and sisters in Christ, bible study group members, friends, and pastors. I so appreciate their feedback and insights as each of them responded usually with a pause, followed by their thoughts based on scripture, and usually a comment on kids and their incredible questions sometimes. 

One point from my pastor that I appreciated was to distinguish the spiritual realm from the physical realm. Satan, though a created being, was not created in the image of God and belongs to the spiritual realm, whereas humanity was created in God's image and belong in the physical realm. God's plan for salvation is for humanity, his chosen people, and was never intended for the spiritual realm, so demons and fallen angels have no part in this.

At the same time, Satan has set himself against God with all his being, and recognizing that God is a holy, perfect and righteousness God, he hates sin which Satan embodies and is characterized by. 

What do you think? Have I missed anything?