John Piper stated, "Satan, whose name means an accuser, a devil which means slanderer." Satan takes away the grace from every being. The Devil is the "deceiver of the whole world" (Revelation 12:9), "ruler of this world" (John 12:31, 14:30, 16:11), "god of this age" (2 Corinthians 4:4), "prince of the power of the air" (Ephesians 2:2), "Beelzebub, the prince of demons" (Matthew 12:24).
Some of God's holy angels "sinned" and the sin was a rebellion, a desire for more power and authority than what God had appointed for them to have. Satan and other fallen angels were created holy angels who rebelled against God. They rejected God as their all-satisfying King and took advantage of self-exaltation and self-determination. They do not want to be ranked lower than anyone else. They wanted authority over themselves and exalt themselves above God.
"Free-will" is a mystery according to John Piper. "The Bible never teaches about an ultimate human or ultimate demonic, self-determination," said John Piper. It never teaches that there is an ultimate self-determination, except in God. God, who does not sin, governs hearts and minds of all sinful beings and is truly and justly accountable for their sins. Satan's first designs for humanity was persuading Adam and Eve that they could be ultimately self-determining (Genesis 3:4-5). However, Adam and Eve could not become ultimately self-determining. By their desire to try and want that, the human race has been ruined ever since. "Free will" is unbiblical because the idea of self-determination is not explained nor shown anywhere in the Bible.
Clarence Larkin's appeal to self-determination assumes that God can't bring an influence on a responsible being. John Piper argues, "Larkin's mistake was assuming that if God exerted such influence, the angels "would have been mere machines with no will of their own." The Bible teaches the opposite of this philosophical assumption, that God can apply sufficient influence on responsible beings, His children, to keep them safe in the worship of God continuously." Sovereign influence does not make angels or humans into robots.
God had a purpose. His angels sinned because their fall would be in the history of redemption that would fulfill the infinite wise purposes of God in creation. Sin came into being as part of a plan to show grace to sinners. John Piper explains, "We know that God's purpose was gracious because his plan before the creation of the world was to reveal grace to the unworthy sinners." Christ slain for sinners was the plan before any human sinned.
God has the power and right to prevent Satan anytime He pleases. "Satan's rule over this world is subordinate to God's," John Piper concludes his statement of Satan's power over the Earth. God had the authority over unclean spirits and they obey him when he gives a command (Mark 1:27). When suffering comes, oppose the devil in his schemes, stand against him (1 Peter 5:9). From the start, Satan is a murder (John 8:44). In James 4:15, it shows that God decides who lives and dies and when. Christ rules over all of Satan's plans. The Bible presents God as governing Satan and his demons.
The sinful Satan was a holy angel who came to submit to self-exaltation over God-exaltation. He believed that the ultimate self-determination was attainable for a finite creature. The fall of this angel was part of God's wise and gracious plan. The mystery of Satan's first sin remains like that and followers of Christ should surround it with biblical truths.
